DINNER PARTY INTEL: Vera Rubin Observatory to scan skies in ultra detail

1. A new close-up

Our night sky is getting a fresh look. The Vera C Rubin Observatory in Chile will take ultra-high-resolution images of the southern hemisphere night sky every three to four days, providing data that will help unlock the mysteries of the cosmos. It is expected to offer a view of the night sky unlike anything astronomers have seen before. It will also identify asteroids potentially on a collision course with Earth.

2. Box-office bomb

The latest animated movie looks set to be a big flop. Elio, about a child who goes on a cosmic adventure, had the worst box-office opening in Pixar’s history. The adventure film sold about $21m in tickets at US cinemas over its first four nights — the lowest total of any Pixar release. But quality did not appear to be a factor, as reviews were mostly positive.

3. Set in stone

The British love a good statue and three new ones are planned. One will depict the late Queen Elizabeth II on horseback alongside the Mall, and another will be of her walking arm in arm with Prince Philip. Both will be installed in St James’s Park. A third will be a 47-minute tube ride away at SW19, home of the All England Club, where a statue of double Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will be unveiled in 2027, the club’s 150th anniversary.