Explore the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in this comprehensive lecture by Armin Rest from Harvard University's Physics Department. Delve into the history of CCDs and the importance of focal planes in astronomy. Examine white field time domain surveys and their applications. Learn about significant meteor impacts, including the Siberian event and the KT impact. Investigate early alert systems for asteroids and their distribution. Analyze the ATLAS field of view and its comparison to other systems. Discover unexpected phenomena like microlensing and the first cavitational waves. Gain insights into the discovery of Supernova 87A and its significance. Understand the repurposing of instruments like the Kepler Telescope for supernova detection. Explore the role of massive follow-up observations and the importance of rapid detection in modern astronomy.