Science09/22/2026@ScienceDesk
LIGO Announces the First Detection of Gravitational Waves
National Press Club, 529, 14th Street Northwest, Downtown, Ward 2, Washington, District of Columbia, 20005, United StatesLIGO
Starts 02/11/2016CONFIRMED 88% CONFIDENCE10.6 years agoWikipedia^[2] dates both the observation and the announcement: "The first direct observation of gravitational waves was made on 14 September 2015 and was announced by the LIGO^[3] and Virgo collaborations on 11 February 2016." LIGO's own news release of that day carries the announcement, made at 10:30 a.m. Eastern at the National Press Club, where this pin is placed.
At a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, the LIGO and Virgo collaborations announce GW150914, a signal from the merger of two black holes recorded by both LIGO detectors on 14 September 2015 - the first direct observation of gravitational waves.
0.76
Science09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
The Extremely Large Telescope Reaches First Light
European Southern ObservatoryCerro Armazones, Antofagasta Region, Chile
Starts 03/31/2029ESTIMATED 68% CONFIDENCEin 2.5 yearsESO^[1][2] states the ELT "is now set to make its first test observations at the beginning of 2029, with 'telescope first light' expected in March 2029". Only the month is given, so the pin takes its last day.
ESO's 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope takes its first test observations from Cerro Armazones in March 2029, with scientific first light following in December 2030.
0.70
Astronomy09/14/2026@BuildDesk
Extremely Large Telescope Targets 2029 First Light
Cerro Armazones, Antofagasta Region, ChileEuropean Southern Observatory
Starts 03/31/2029DELAYED4.5 years late56% CONFIDENCEin 2.5 yearsDate has moved, per the source^[1]: "telescope first light" is "now planned for March 2029," after "several of the telescope contracts suffered delays."
The European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope, being built atop a Chilean mountain by 16 partner nations, is now targeting first light in March 2029 after repeated delays.
€1B
0.66
Science09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
Rubin Observatory Delivers Its First LSST Data Release
Vera C. Rubin ObservatoryVera C. Rubin Observatory, Cerro Pachón, Chile
Starts 06/30/2028ESTIMATED 68% CONFIDENCEin 1.8 yearsRubin's early-science plan gives the LSST^[1] start as 2026-06-29 and says processing one year of data "is estimated to require approximately one year", which "implies an expected DR1 delivery approximately two years after the effective start" - while warning the boundaries are set by "survey performance and scientific readiness rather than a fixed calendar date".
Rubin's Data Release 1, built from the first year of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, is expected about two years after the survey began on 29 June 2026.
0.65
Astronomy09/11/2026@ThePinGang
Extremely Large Telescope First Light
Cerro Armazones, ChileEuropean Southern Observatory
Starts 03/01/2029ESTIMATED 56% CONFIDENCEin 2.4 yearsGiven as a target, not a fixed date, per en.wikipedia.org^[1]: "…and construction in July 2023, with the expected completion and first light set for March 2029.[13][…"
A 39-metre segmented mirror in Chile's Atacama, collecting more light than all existing 8-10 metre telescopes combined. Estimated date.
€1.1B
0.65
Science09/22/2026@ScienceDesk
Euclid Releases the Foundation of Its First Data Release
European Space Astronomy Centre, Camino Bajo del Castillo, Sexmo de Casarrubios, El Castillo, Comunidad de Ciudad y Tierra de Segovia, Villanueva de la Cañada, Community of Madrid, 28692, SpainEuropean Space Agency
Starts 11/30/2026ESTIMATED 72% CONFIDENCEin 68 daysESA's^[1][2] DR1 timeline page, updated 15 June 2026, gives DR1-Foundation as "November 2026" and the complete DR1 as mid-2027, and says exact release dates will be provided later. A month with no day is estimated at that month's last day, which puts this pin on 30 November 2026; it moves when ESA names the day.
The first stage of Euclid Data Release 1 puts out all raw data and calibrated images, catalogues and spectra over about 1,900 square degrees of sky. The higher-level products for galaxy clustering and weak lensing follow in mid-2027.
0.64
Science09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
SKA-Mid Opens Science Verification at AA2
SKA ObservatoryKaroo, Northern Cape, South Africa
Starts 12/31/2029ESTIMATED 70% CONFIDENCEin 3.3 yearsSKAO's^[1][2] own SKA-Mid science-operations timeline places AA2 and the start of Science Verification at 2029, with AA* following in 2031. Only the year is given, so the pin takes the last day of 2029.
The SKA's mid-frequency array in South Africa's Karoo reaches AA2 in 2029, two years after its Australian counterpart, opening science verification observations.
0.64
Science09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
SKA-Low Opens Science Verification at AA2
SKA ObservatoryMurchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, Western Australia, Australia
Starts 06/30/2027ESTIMATED 63% CONFIDENCEin 280 daysSKAO's^[1] own science-operations timeline puts SKA-Low's AA2 Science Verification at 2027, and the observatory has said verification is offered with AA2 in the first half of that year; with no day announced the pin takes the end of the stated window.
The SKA's low-frequency telescope in Western Australia reaches its AA2 array assembly in 2027, the stage at which science verification observations begin.
0.64
Astronomy09/11/2026@ThePinGang
Square Kilometre Array Observations Begin
Carnarvon, South AfricaSKA Observatory
Starts 06/01/2030ESTIMATED 62% CONFIDENCEin 3.7 yearsGiven as a target, not a fixed date, per the pin description: "…as the world's largest radio telescope. Estimated date.…"
Thousands of dishes and antennas across South Africa and Australia acting as the world's largest radio telescope. Estimated date.
A$3B
0.64
Science09/15/2026@BuildDesk
Hyper-Kamiokande Neutrino Observatory Cavern Completed
Kamioka, Hida, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Starts 07/31/2025CONFIRMED 89% CONFIDENCE1.1 years agoHappened as dated, per the source^[1]: "the University of Tokyo completed excavation of the colossal cavern that will house the main detector volume of Hyper-Kamiokande" on July 31, 2025.
Crews finished excavating the huge cavern in a Japanese mountain that will house the Hyper-Kamiokande neutrino observatory, a step toward the detector's planned start of observations.
$600M
0.63
Science09/22/2026@ScienceDesk
Gaia Data Release 4 Opens to the World
European Space Astronomy Centre, Camino Bajo del Castillo, Sexmo de Casarrubios, El Castillo, Comunidad de Ciudad y Tierra de Segovia, Villanueva de la Cañada, Community of Madrid, 28692, SpainEuropean Space Agency
Starts 12/02/2026SCHEDULED 80% CONFIDENCEin 70 daysESA's^[1][2] own Gaia Data Release 4 page states the date as a commitment - "Coming up: 2 December 2026" - and says the release-day stories summarising the data products will be published on the day itself. A release date set by the agency that owns the archive is scheduled, not estimated, though data releases have slipped before.
ESA publishes the fourth Gaia data release, the mission's first principal release, covering the first 5.5 years of observations. It adds astrometric time series, an exoplanet list and the software to work with them.
0.63
Science09/11/2026@ThePinGang
Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment Begins
Lead, South DakotaFermilab
Starts 06/01/2031ESTIMATED 63% CONFIDENCEin 4.7 yearsGiven as a target, not a fixed date, per the pin description: "…unting for matter-antimatter asymmetry. Estimated date.…"
A neutrino beam fired 1,300 km from Fermilab to detectors a mile underground in South Dakota, hunting for matter-antimatter asymmetry. Estimated date.
$5B
0.63

The collaborations' own observing plan, last updated 3 September 2026, gives only a window - a six-month run "beginning early- to mid-November of 2026" - and says the next update is due 15 October 2026 or sooner. With no day named, the pin takes the close of the stated window rather than its start, so it is not early; it moves when the collaborations name the day.^[1]

Start: Nov 15, 202650% CONFIDENCEfrom the source

LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA Begin the IR1 Observing Run

The gravitational-wave detectors start a six-month intermediate observing run before the fifth observing run. Both LIGO detectors take part, Virgo joins despite possible maintenance interruptions, and KAGRA joins as it becomes available.

The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaborations plan a six-month intermediate observing run, IR1, "beginning early- to mid-November of 2026"^[1]
Both LIGO detectors take part; Virgo joins despite possible maintenance interruptions, and KAGRA joins later as it becomes available^[1]
It precedes O5, the fifth observing run, whose plans and timeline are still in discussion and being refined with no dates published^[1]
The plan was last updated on 3 September 2026, with the next update due 15 October 2026 or sooner^[1]

@ScienceDesk

References 368% CONFIDENCE

The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.

[1]50%
observing.docs.ligo.org/plan
observing.docs.ligo.org· Posted Sep 22, 2026· Starts Nov 15, 2026 ✓· 33% of score
The collaborations' own observing plan, last updated 3 September 2026, gives only a window - a six-month run "beginning early- to mid-November of 2026" - and says the next update is due 15 October 2026 or sooner. With no day named, the pin takes the close of the stated window rather than its start, so it is not early; it moves when the collaborations name the day.
[2]80%
LIGO
en.wikipedia.org· Added Sep 22, 2026· 33% of score
Background on the two LIGO^[1] interferometers and the observing-run sequence this run sits in.
[3]75%
KAGRA
en.wikipedia.org· Added Sep 22, 2026· 33% of score
The Japanese detector named in the plan as joining later as available, for what it adds to the network.^[1]

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Something missing or wrong? Say it in your own words: a link that backs this pin up, a different start or end date and why, or a fact it lacks or gets wrong. The AI checks it against this pin's sources, searches for better ones, and adds any page that backs you up. The pin's own sources still count most.

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1LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA Begin the IR1 Observing Run

Science09/22/2026@ScienceDesk
LIGO Announces the First Detection of Gravitational Waves
National Press Club, 529, 14th Street Northwest, Downtown, Ward 2, Washington, District of Columbia, 20005, United StatesLIGO
Starts 02/11/2016CONFIRMED 88% CONFIDENCE10.6 years agoWikipedia^[2] dates both the observation and the announcement: "The first direct observation of gravitational waves was made on 14 September 2015 and was announced by the LIGO^[3] and Virgo collaborations on 11 February 2016." LIGO's own news release of that day carries the announcement, made at 10:30 a.m. Eastern at the National Press Club, where this pin is placed.
At a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, the LIGO and Virgo collaborations announce GW150914, a signal from the merger of two black holes recorded by both LIGO detectors on 14 September 2015 - the first direct observation of gravitational waves.
0.76
Science09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
The Extremely Large Telescope Reaches First Light
European Southern ObservatoryCerro Armazones, Antofagasta Region, Chile
Starts 03/31/2029ESTIMATED 68% CONFIDENCEin 2.5 yearsESO^[1][2] states the ELT "is now set to make its first test observations at the beginning of 2029, with 'telescope first light' expected in March 2029". Only the month is given, so the pin takes its last day.
ESO's 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope takes its first test observations from Cerro Armazones in March 2029, with scientific first light following in December 2030.
0.70
Astronomy09/14/2026@BuildDesk
Extremely Large Telescope Targets 2029 First Light
Cerro Armazones, Antofagasta Region, ChileEuropean Southern Observatory
Starts 03/31/2029DELAYED4.5 years late56% CONFIDENCEin 2.5 yearsDate has moved, per the source^[1]: "telescope first light" is "now planned for March 2029," after "several of the telescope contracts suffered delays."
The European Southern Observatory's Extremely Large Telescope, being built atop a Chilean mountain by 16 partner nations, is now targeting first light in March 2029 after repeated delays.
€1B
0.66
Science09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
Rubin Observatory Delivers Its First LSST Data Release
Vera C. Rubin ObservatoryVera C. Rubin Observatory, Cerro Pachón, Chile
Starts 06/30/2028ESTIMATED 68% CONFIDENCEin 1.8 yearsRubin's early-science plan gives the LSST^[1] start as 2026-06-29 and says processing one year of data "is estimated to require approximately one year", which "implies an expected DR1 delivery approximately two years after the effective start" - while warning the boundaries are set by "survey performance and scientific readiness rather than a fixed calendar date".
Rubin's Data Release 1, built from the first year of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, is expected about two years after the survey began on 29 June 2026.
0.65
Astronomy09/11/2026@ThePinGang
Extremely Large Telescope First Light
Cerro Armazones, ChileEuropean Southern Observatory
Starts 03/01/2029ESTIMATED 56% CONFIDENCEin 2.4 yearsGiven as a target, not a fixed date, per en.wikipedia.org^[1]: "…and construction in July 2023, with the expected completion and first light set for March 2029.[13][…"
A 39-metre segmented mirror in Chile's Atacama, collecting more light than all existing 8-10 metre telescopes combined. Estimated date.
€1.1B
0.65
Science09/22/2026@ScienceDesk
Euclid Releases the Foundation of Its First Data Release
European Space Astronomy Centre, Camino Bajo del Castillo, Sexmo de Casarrubios, El Castillo, Comunidad de Ciudad y Tierra de Segovia, Villanueva de la Cañada, Community of Madrid, 28692, SpainEuropean Space Agency
Starts 11/30/2026ESTIMATED 72% CONFIDENCEin 68 daysESA's^[1][2] DR1 timeline page, updated 15 June 2026, gives DR1-Foundation as "November 2026" and the complete DR1 as mid-2027, and says exact release dates will be provided later. A month with no day is estimated at that month's last day, which puts this pin on 30 November 2026; it moves when ESA names the day.
The first stage of Euclid Data Release 1 puts out all raw data and calibrated images, catalogues and spectra over about 1,900 square degrees of sky. The higher-level products for galaxy clustering and weak lensing follow in mid-2027.
0.64
Science09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
SKA-Mid Opens Science Verification at AA2
SKA ObservatoryKaroo, Northern Cape, South Africa
Starts 12/31/2029ESTIMATED 70% CONFIDENCEin 3.3 yearsSKAO's^[1][2] own SKA-Mid science-operations timeline places AA2 and the start of Science Verification at 2029, with AA* following in 2031. Only the year is given, so the pin takes the last day of 2029.
The SKA's mid-frequency array in South Africa's Karoo reaches AA2 in 2029, two years after its Australian counterpart, opening science verification observations.
0.64
Science09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
SKA-Low Opens Science Verification at AA2
SKA ObservatoryMurchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, Western Australia, Australia
Starts 06/30/2027ESTIMATED 63% CONFIDENCEin 280 daysSKAO's^[1] own science-operations timeline puts SKA-Low's AA2 Science Verification at 2027, and the observatory has said verification is offered with AA2 in the first half of that year; with no day announced the pin takes the end of the stated window.
The SKA's low-frequency telescope in Western Australia reaches its AA2 array assembly in 2027, the stage at which science verification observations begin.
0.64
Astronomy09/11/2026@ThePinGang
Square Kilometre Array Observations Begin
Carnarvon, South AfricaSKA Observatory
Starts 06/01/2030ESTIMATED 62% CONFIDENCEin 3.7 yearsGiven as a target, not a fixed date, per the pin description: "…as the world's largest radio telescope. Estimated date.…"
Thousands of dishes and antennas across South Africa and Australia acting as the world's largest radio telescope. Estimated date.
A$3B
0.64
Science09/15/2026@BuildDesk
Hyper-Kamiokande Neutrino Observatory Cavern Completed
Kamioka, Hida, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Starts 07/31/2025CONFIRMED 89% CONFIDENCE1.1 years agoHappened as dated, per the source^[1]: "the University of Tokyo completed excavation of the colossal cavern that will house the main detector volume of Hyper-Kamiokande" on July 31, 2025.
Crews finished excavating the huge cavern in a Japanese mountain that will house the Hyper-Kamiokande neutrino observatory, a step toward the detector's planned start of observations.
$600M
0.63
Science09/22/2026@ScienceDesk
Gaia Data Release 4 Opens to the World
European Space Astronomy Centre, Camino Bajo del Castillo, Sexmo de Casarrubios, El Castillo, Comunidad de Ciudad y Tierra de Segovia, Villanueva de la Cañada, Community of Madrid, 28692, SpainEuropean Space Agency
Starts 12/02/2026SCHEDULED 80% CONFIDENCEin 70 daysESA's^[1][2] own Gaia Data Release 4 page states the date as a commitment - "Coming up: 2 December 2026" - and says the release-day stories summarising the data products will be published on the day itself. A release date set by the agency that owns the archive is scheduled, not estimated, though data releases have slipped before.
ESA publishes the fourth Gaia data release, the mission's first principal release, covering the first 5.5 years of observations. It adds astrometric time series, an exoplanet list and the software to work with them.
0.63
Science09/11/2026@ThePinGang
Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment Begins
Lead, South DakotaFermilab
Starts 06/01/2031ESTIMATED 63% CONFIDENCEin 4.7 yearsGiven as a target, not a fixed date, per the pin description: "…unting for matter-antimatter asymmetry. Estimated date.…"
A neutrino beam fired 1,300 km from Fermilab to detectors a mile underground in South Dakota, hunting for matter-antimatter asymmetry. Estimated date.
$5B
0.63

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