T-7 days! We're getting so close to the reveal of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's first images 🤩#RubinFirstLook. Get ready for your first preview of how Rubin will #CaptureTheCosmos in its decade-long survey 🎬. 🗓️: June 23, 2025.⌚️: 11am US EDT.🔗:

The vastness of the desert around Cerro Pachón, home of @NSF–@doescience Rubin Observatory, reminds us of the vastness of space.⛰️ . During the 10-year LSST, Rubin will scan the entire visible sky repeatedly to create the most detailed time-lapse view of the cosmos ever made.

@NSF @doescience And this is just the beginning! Once the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) begins later this year, we expect to find thousands more of these hidden cosmic ghosts. 👻

But @NSF–@doescience Rubin Observatory’s sharp, deep view is already uncovering them. By studying these elusive galaxies, scientists can test theories of dark matter, uncover clues about how galaxies grow and interact, and explore the leftovers of cosmic collisions.

Imagine a galaxy the size of the Milky Way, but with just *one millionth* the number of stars. Faint. Diffuse. Practically invisible. 👻. These so-called "low surface brightness" galaxies are so diffuse that they're hard to spot even when you're looking right at them.

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory (left) and its Auxiliary Telescope (right) are better together! 🤞😎 . AuxTel repeatedly observes well-known stars. By measuring how the light of these stars changes as it passes through the atmosphere, scientists know how to color-correct Rubin images.

We recapped the past year installing final observatory components, premiering #RubinFirstLook images, and starting the months-long commissioning phase ✨. But we didn't only look back! We also looked forward to starting the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time later this year.

What. A. Week. 🤩. We spent last week with hundreds of #RubinTeam members in Tucson, AZ and virtually around the world diving into NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory data and science!. This was the first week-long workshop since the first early data and images from Rubin in June.

August 8 is Global Sleep Under the Stars Night 😴 For Rubin scientists, almost every night is spent under the stars! Rubin's sky is incredible because it has:.🌃 Little light pollution.⛰️ Less atmosphere.💦 Low humidity. Good luck trying to sleep with this view! ✨

We're going to need some more hot beverages 🥶☕️. Cerro Pachón got its third winter storm of the season this past weekend, getting ~30cm of snow! 😱 Many thanks to our hard-working crews for getting the roads safe and clear!. 📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory

Not all galaxies wander space alone. and sometimes they're too close for comfort 😔. Galaxies can interact, collide, and merge. By studying snapshots of these interactions, scientists can gain insight into how galaxies evolve over billions of years⏳. 🔗:

RT @NOIRLabAstro: ☄️ Interstellar alert!. The NSF–DOE @VRubinObs has captured this video of Comet 3I/ATLAS — the third interstellar object….

RT @NOIRLabAstroES: ☄️ ¡Alerta interestelar!. El @VRubinObs de NSF-DOE ha capturado este vídeo del cometa 3I/ATLAS, el tercer objeto intere….

RT @SLAClab: We saw it too. ☄️ . Our LSST Camera, still in its commissioning phase, caught the interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS back in June - s….

☄️ Say hello to Comet 3I/ATLAS, just the third interstellar object ever seen in our Solar System!. @NSF–@doescience Rubin Observatory didn’t discover the comet, but even during testing, it caught a glimpse. Imagine what we'll find once science operations begin later this year!

Going stir crazy and need a screen-free activity? . Introducing the NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory coloring book! 🎨🌌. No screens, and no assembly required (unless you count crayons). Print one page or the whole book, and get coloring! 🖍️. 🔗:

RT @SLAClab: @VRubinObs Or tune in virtually! We'll be streaming live to our YouTube channel:

Check out this event @SLAClab if you’re in the Bay Area!.

Ready for a week of science and collaboration!🤓. This week, hundreds of #RubinTeam members are gathering in Tucson, AZ and virtually for the 2025 Rubin Community Workshop. #Rubin2025. We're excited for 5 days of diving into data, tools, and science discoveries together! 💫

The colors of a cluster's galaxies allow scientists to measure the cluster's distance from Earth. Thanks to the Universe's expansion over billions of years, distant clusters appear redder than they really are. This is called redshift🔴 . Hunt for more at .

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's view of the Virgo Cluster is full of galaxy clusters: collections of gravitationally-bound galaxies ✨ They can be identified as similarly colored smudges concentrated together. Here, we can see three different clusters at different distances.