Research Announcements for the Solar System

In collaboration with the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Solar System Collaboration (SSSC) and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC), the Can-Rubin team is developing a new communication platform designed to meet the modern needs of the Solar System research community. Called Research Announcements for the Solar System (RAFTs), this system is intended to streamline the sharing of discoveries, observations, and updates during the fast-moving era of wide-field time-domain surveys like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory LSST. RAFTs are intended to address the unique needs of the Solar System research community in the era of large-scale surveys (such as LSST), providing a streamlined, moderated system for the timely sharing of observational alerts with announcements that are concise, scientifically relevant, and permanently archived. Hosted by the CADC, RAFTs will be freely accessible and easily discoverable with permanent DOIs assigned to each.

Each announcement will feature a machine-readable section to facilitate rapid follow-up, and will be integrated with the LSST community forum to encourage further collaborations and engagement. The system will also feature a moderation process to help maintain scientific relevance and quality. The announcements are expected to be brief, relevant, and may be urgent. While urgency is not a requirement for publication, the RAFTs platform will be particularly well-suited for time-sensitive discoveries that benefit from prompt visibility and potential follow-up. The system is designed to be scalable, with the capacity to handle an increased volume of discoveries expected from the LSST. We will present a brief demonstration of the (in development) software interface, highlighting its user-friendly design and functionality for the community.