In Late June of 2025, the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (Rubin) finally released its first images of dazzling stars, thousands of asteroids, and millions of galaxies. With the largest digital camera in the world, these stunning images gave us only a small taste of what is yet to come from Rubin.
“We are so thrilled to share NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s first images with the world — it’s a proud moment for our whole team,” said Sandrine Thomas, Deputy Director of Rubin Construction and Associate Director of Rubin Observatory for Rubin Summit Operations, in a press release. “While we still have a few important months of commissioning and testing ahead, everything we learn now brings us closer to full science operations later this year. Today is just the beginning!”
Later in 2025, the observatory will launch the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Here’s what else Rubin has in store.
A Cotton Candy Nebula
The amazing first images released by Rubin were captured over a 10-hour period, where the immense digital camera took hundreds of pictures of specific galaxies, stars, asteroids, and nebulae.
For example, the image of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae — which almost look like cotton candy — is a combination of 678 separate images. When viewed in this way and put together, we can gain a much clearer and in-depth view of the cosmos, even if these nebulae are several thousand light years away from us.
“Making the world’s largest digital camera will let scientists explore the cosmos in new ways, and at a scale that enables discoveries that should fundamentally change our understanding of the universe,” said Aaron Roodman, Director of the LSST Camera and Deputy Director of NSF–DOERubin Construction from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in a press release. “Just as you would with the camera in your phone, it is finally time to point and shoot — our science begins now.”
Read More: Take a First Look at the Vera C. Rubin Images: Millions of Galaxies and Thousands of Asteroids
Dark Matter and Dark Energy
This annotated First Look image of the Virgo Cluster was captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. From sizable stars to sprawling galaxies, Rubin transforms seemingly empty pockets of space into glittering tapestries.
(Image Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory)
The images Rubin captured of the Virgo cluster show us not only the abundance of stars and galaxies within our view, but also reveal what lies in the seeming darkness between stars.
“NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will capture more information about our Universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director, in a press release. “Through this remarkable scientific facility, we will explore many cosmic mysteries, including the dark matter and dark energy that permeate the Universe.”
Thanks to Rubin’s advanced field of view and high resolution, it will be able to detect the galactic distortions caused by dark matter and dark energy, unlike any telescope before it.
Mapping the Cosmos
This image offers a closer look at the region surrounding the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae, as seen in this First Look image captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
The Trifid Nebula (also referred to as Messier 20) is a bright, colorful cloud of gas and dust about 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. What makes it especially striking is the combination of features packed into one place: a glowing pink emission nebula, a cool blue reflection nebula, and dark dust lanes that split it into three sections — hence the name “Trifid.” Inside, new stars are forming and blasting out strong winds and radiation, carving up the gas around them. It gives us a dramatic glimpse at how massive stars shape their surroundings even as they’re being born.
Below the Trifid Nebula in this image is the Lagoon Nebula (or Messier 8), another vibrant stellar nursery glowing about 4,000 light-years away. You can actually spot the Lagoon with just a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. At its heart is a cluster of young, massive stars — their intense radiation lights up the surrounding gas and shapes the swirling clouds into intricate patterns. The Lagoon nebula provides scientists with a great place to study the earliest stages of star formation — how giant clouds collapse, how star clusters take shape, and how newborn stars start to reshape their environment.
(Image Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory)
Soon, Rubin’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) mission will begin. Rubin will take photos of the night sky every night for the next decade, resulting in a more comprehensive and detailed map of the Milky Way.
The data collected from Rubin, which amounts to 20 terabytes of data per night, will also map and catalog everything in our solar system and help us better understand transient objects that appear to change color or brightness. This information will also be transformed into data and educational materials for researchers and students worldwide, bringing space a little closer to everyone.
“It is not every day that a revolution stares you in the face, but that is precisely what the Rubin Observatory team — together with our colleagues at the NSF and DOE — has delivered with these first images. Astronomy is on the brink of transformation!” said Matt Mountain, AURA President, in a press release. AURA is the managing organization for the Rubin Construction project and NSF NOIRLab.
Read More: How Vera C. Rubin Revolutionized Dark Matter
This article is a republished version of this previously published article here.
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A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
