The Hacker News discussion revolves around the soon-to-be-operational Rubin Observatory, a revolutionary ground-based telescope poised to dramatically expand our knowledge of the cosmos. A key focus is Rubin's impact on asteroid discovery, potentially tripling the known catalog. While visible light telescopes like Rubin face biases due to asteroid surface reflectivity (albedo), the upcoming Near Earth Object Surveyor (NEOS) space telescope, using infrared, will provide complementary data. Commenters also discussed the challenges posed by satellite constellations like Starlink, which can create streaks in images, though Rubin's survey method may mitigate this issue. The massive data output (20TB/night, 73PB total) and the sophisticated data management infrastructure are also highlighted, prompting discussions on storage and compression techniques. Some users mention a proposed alternative orbital model to the mainstream heliocentric one, though it is met with skepticism. Also touched upon is the possibility of impending cuts to science funding which might threaten this or other important missions.