NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory
@vrubinobs.bsky.social
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Get ready for a new era in astronomy and astrophysics with Rubin Observatory!

Para español siga a Instagram: http://instagram.com/rubin_observatory
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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @vrubinobs.bsky.social · 18d
A moment we've all been waiting for....

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will be open for public visits starting in January 2026! 🔭🧪

Visits will be hosted by NOIRLab, and reservations are open now — book your spot at https://noirlab.edu/public/visits/cerro-pachon-rubin/
Large boot-shaped observatory building with long white building pointed left and silver dome sticking up in an arid landscape under a clear blue sky. A bus is driving on a dirt road away from the observatory and toward the camera.
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It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor 🎶

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is in good company on Cerro Pachón! 🔭 From right to left:

The 8.4m Gemini South telescope
The 4.1m SOAR Telescope
Rubin's 1.2m Auxiliary Telescope
And of course, Rubin itself✨
Aerial view of a remote mountain observatory complex with multiple white dome telescopes on rocky terrain under a clear blue sky.
January 2, 2026 at 3:35 PM
vrubinobs.bsky.social
Happy New Year! 🥳

Our New Year's resolution? To #CaptureTheCosmos💥

2026 will see the start of the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time! Over the next decade, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will build the most complete map & detailed time-lapse movie of the Southern sky ever made. 🔭
January 1, 2026 at 4:15 PM
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Shout out to everyone who made 2025 the most exciting year yet for NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! 🎉

This year, Rubin completed its construction phase, entered operations, and revealed its first images during Rubin First Look. We couldn't have done it without all of you! 🔭
Large group of people smiling and posing together in a bright office space with screens in the background. Large group of engineers and Rubin summit workers in safety gear posing inside Rubin's dome with the massive LSST Camera behind them. Large group of people wearing matching teal shirts gathered in a spacious indoor area for a group photo. Large group of people smiling and waving at a nighttime outdoor party under a tent with colorful lighting.
December 31, 2025 at 6:40 PM
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What do astronomers, cacti, and too much coffee have in common?🔭🌵☕️

They'll all be in Phoenix next week for #AAS247!

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will be there with NOIRLab & Rubin scientists are excited to share early results ahead of LSST's expected start in early 2026!
Large observatory dome under a star-filled night sky with text announcing attendance at AAS 247 in Phoenix, January 2026.
December 30, 2025 at 3:15 PM
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Can we hear a little commotion for the AuxTel? 👏

Rubin's 1.2m Auxiliary Telescope measures how Earth’s atmosphere affects incoming light by monitoring well-studied stars.

Scientists use this information to make Rubin data better — with a facility this precise, every bit counts! 🔭🧪
Observatory domes on a mountain top at sunset with a clear sky and fading light.
December 26, 2025 at 5:10 PM
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Wishing you a bright and starry holiday season! ✨ We hope you celebrate, relax, and spend time with loved ones.

And with Skysynth, you can enhance your festive cheer by experiencing Rubin data through sound! 🔭🧪

Press play and enjoy a cosmic soundtrack ✨ skyviewer.app/skysynth
December 24, 2025 at 3:06 PM
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The sky above Rubin is giving some serious festive-season glitter vibes ✨

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's dome is coated with aluminum, which reflects sunlight during the day and cools off slowly at night. This prevents thermal turbulence near the telescope, keeping images crisp. 🔭🧪
View of the Milky Way galaxy stretching across the night sky from inside an open observatory dome.
December 23, 2025 at 4:10 PM
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May your holidays be full of light — and just the right amount of dark matter 🌌

Happy Holidays from all of us at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! We hope your festive season sparkles with cosmic wonder ✨🔭🧪
December 22, 2025 at 5:31 PM
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Happy December Solstice! 🌞

It’s summer at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory in Chile! Wildflowers? Blooming. Skies? Clear. Sun? Vibing. ☀️

Sending warm thoughts to the northern hemisphere! ❄️
Blooming yellow wildflowers at sunset, with a boot-shaped observatory with dome open in the background. Blooming red wildflowers at sunset, with a boot-shaped observatory with dome open in the background.
December 21, 2025 at 4:10 PM
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*Waves hi* 👋
*Waves bye* 👋

Back in July, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory captured this view of Comet 3I/ATLAS: the third interstellar object ever spotted in our Solar System.

3I/ATLAS is still zipping through our Solar System, coming closest to Earth today, 19 December! 🌎 🔭🧪
December 19, 2025 at 11:10 PM
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📬 “You’ve got data.”

We're wrapping up #RubinRecap2025 with one more highlight: scientists (and you!) got access to some early NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory data! 🔭🧪

This year, Rubin:

🧵
The boot-shaped Rubin Observatory under a teal-tinted night sky on Cerro Pachón. Ribbon-like flourishes accent the scene, along with a "Year 2025 in review" graphic. Text on the bottom reads "First NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory data released to scientists"
December 19, 2025 at 10:03 PM
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One Rubin image = up to ~10,000 alerts! 🌌🔭

From supernovae to asteroids, comets, and more, Rubin will capture the Universe in action every night. ☄️✨

See what kinds of events Rubin will alert us to: https://rubinobservatory.org/explore/how-rubin-works/alerts
Diagram showing changes detected in one Rubin image including supernovae, variable stars, active galactic nuclei, and solar system objects. In total, each Rubin will contain up to 10,000 changes, ~70% of which will be variable stars.
December 18, 2025 at 11:20 PM
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The one where we showed the world what Rubin can do...and, wow 🤩

On June 23, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory unveiled its First Look images!

These large, detailed images showed why Rubin's 10-year survey will revolutionize our understanding of the Universe. 🌌 #RubinRecap2025 🔭🧪
A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. The image focuses on a collection of interacting galaxies connected by delicate streams of stars. At top center lies a large elliptical galaxy that is dense and smooth, like a polished stone glowing with golden light. Like delicate spider silk or stretched taffy, these stellar bridges link the large elliptical to the few larger galaxies beneath, evidence of past collisions. All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged and spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round & diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are smudges of various colors. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, & blues, crisp against the velvet black. A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. To the lower left is a region filled with the hundreds of golden glittering gems of a distant galaxy cluster. In the foreground, below and right of center, two blue spiral galaxies look like eyes beneath the entangled mass of a triple galaxy merger in the upper right. A few bright blue points of foreground stars pierce the glittering tapestry. All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged & spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round and diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are just smudges of various colors against the black of space. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, & blues, crisp against the velvet black. A sprawling, textured field of galaxies is scattered across the deep black of space. The scene stretches wide, over 60 times the area of the full Moon. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. At center left lies a large elliptical galaxy that is dense and smooth, like a polished stone glowing with golden light. At center top, another smooth elliptical galaxy is oriented horizontally, with a wispy tail extending right. At right, a group of interacting galaxies is connected by delicate streams of stars like spider silk, suggesting past interactions. A cosmic tapestry of glowing tan and pink gas clouds with dark dust lanes. In the upper right, the Trifid Nebula resembles a small flower in space. Its soft, pinkish gas petals are surrounded by blue gas, and streaked with dark, finger-like veins of dust that divide it into three parts. It radiates a gentle, misty glow, diffuse and soft like the warmth of breath on a cold hand. To the lower left, the much larger Lagoon Nebula stretches wide like a churning sea of magenta gas, with bright blue, knotted clumps sprinkled throughout where new stars are born. Both nebulae are embedded in a soft tan backdrop of gas that is brighter on the left than on the right, etched with dark tendrils of dust and sprinkled with the pinpricks of millions of stars.
December 17, 2025 at 11:39 PM
vrubinobs.bsky.social
A moment we've all been waiting for....

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will be open for public visits starting in January 2026! 🔭🧪

Visits will be hosted by NOIRLab, and reservations are open now — book your spot at https://noirlab.edu/public/visits/cerro-pachon-rubin/
Large boot-shaped observatory building with long white building pointed left and silver dome sticking up in an arid landscape under a clear blue sky. A bus is driving on a dirt road away from the observatory and toward the camera.
December 16, 2025 at 3:20 PM
vrubinobs.bsky.social
A 3200-megapixel eye to the sky for the first time! 👀

On April 15, the LSST Camera captured its first images of the night sky. Hundreds of staff watched as the very first pixels from a complete NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory appeared on screen! 🎉 #RubinRecap2025 🔭🧪
December 15, 2025 at 9:20 PM
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Sesame Street has Big Bird. Cerro Pachón has BIG birds.

Meet the Andean condors: the largest bird of prey in the world with wingspans up to 3.3m (11ft) 🦅 They can be found around NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory on Cerro Pachón, and throughout the region circling the skies and looking for prey. 🔭🧪
December 13, 2025 at 12:35 AM
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The final piece🧩

In March, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's 3200-MP LSST Camera was installed! #RubinRecap2025

LSST Camera is the largest digital camera ever built, and getting it into place felt like snapping in the last puzzle piece. Rubin finally had its eyes, nearly ready to open.
December 11, 2025 at 10:16 PM
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We kicked off 2025 in style 😎

Our #RubinRecap2025 starts with the first image released from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Commissioning Camera in January.

It captured a small slice of sky, but showed something big: Rubin’s telescope, camera, and software were working together! 🔭🧪
A 15 x 15 teal grid with the corners cut off showing Rubin Observatory's camera's field of view. The center 9 squares show a black and white image containing pinpoint stars, showing the comparative size of Rubin's engineering test camera's view, under 5% the size of the science camera's view. A red zoom box expands to the right to show a zoomed in view of just the 9 filled squares.
December 9, 2025 at 11:25 PM
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We'll take "News in 2025" for $1000 🙋‍♀️

Did you catch NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's recent moment on Jeopardy?

We’ve now reached the “appearing in trivia clues” phase of our evolution 🤩 Perfect timing as our team wraps up the last few months of prep for the 10-year survey! 🔭🧪
December 9, 2025 at 12:03 AM
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Step right up to the Universe’s funhouse mirror! 🎪✨

This warped view comes from strong gravitational lensing — when a massive object bends and magnifies the light from something behind it, sometimes revealing galaxies that would otherwise stay hidden! 🌌🔭🧪
Dense cluster of small, glowing orange and red galaxies scattered across a dark background. Weaving between a few of the orange galaxies at center is a small, blue arc — a warped background galaxy whose image has been stretched like taffy by the cluster of galaxies in front.
December 8, 2025 at 8:32 PM
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A purple sky over Cerro Pachón 💜

The sky over NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory and its 1.2-meter Auxiliary Telescope glitters like no other place on Earth. ✨

At Rubin's site in Chile 🇨🇱, the air is dry, the skies are dark and clear, and the Milky Way shines in all its glory. 🌌
Large silver observatory dome under a purple-hued clear night sky filled with stars. The dense band of the Milky Way cuts diagonally across the sky from upper left toward lower right. White observatory dome under a purple-hued clear night sky filled with stars. The dense band of the Milky Way cuts diagonally across the sky from lower left toward upper right.
December 5, 2025 at 5:10 PM
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🔭 Meet Eduardo Serrano, Site Manager at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory!

With 30 years' experience managing construction of observatories, Eduardo shares what makes Rubin's 350-ton telescope unique: silent, high-speed movements and a huge field of view.

🎥: https://youtu.be/n-7IUnnIOLQ
December 4, 2025 at 6:20 PM
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Stars appear to sweep over NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory in this long exposure thanks to Earth's rotation. But Rubin will soon capture objects truly in motion!

Over the next 10 years, it'll spot millions of changes each night & generate more data than all human writing in history🤯
Boot-shaped observatory perched on a rocky mountain under a night sky with star trails streaking toward the upper right.
December 3, 2025 at 8:10 PM
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Spot the cosmic imposters! 🔍

Help fine-tune NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s alert system and figure out which detected changes in the sky are cosmic events vs. imposters with Rubin Difference Detectives on Zooniverse🧐

Join now: zooniverse.org/rubin 🔭🧪
Screenshot of the Rubin Difference Detectives landing page on Zooniverse. Text on screen reads: "Help us identify changing objects across the universe with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, from explosive astrophysical transients to moving objects and more!"
December 3, 2025 at 5:05 PM
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Ok everyone let's get in formation 💃

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s image of the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae captures several dazzling open star clusters. 🌌💫 These clusters are young, loosely bound families of stars that will eventually drift apart over millions of years. 🔭🧪

🧵
A bright central cluster of stars of various sizes, surrounded by glowing pink and orange clouds of nebular gas. The clouds are uneven, with both smooth regions and thin, threadlike structures. Darker patches appear where dust partially blocks the light, creating contrast against the brightly lit areas.
December 1, 2025 at 11:10 PM