iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 26/09/2026

Choose your favorite NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory palette! 🎨✨ Rubin sees a wider range of colors than our eyes do, and when mapped to colors we do see: 🔴 Redder galaxies are farther. 🔵 Blue stars are hotter. 🌈 In the Trifid & Lagoon Nebulae, pink traces hydrogen while blue reveals hot stars. 🔭🧪

Dense starfield with faint clouds of interstellar dust, filled with white, orange, and blue stars. A few brighter blue and orange stars stand out. A horizontal palette bar at the bottom shows blue, gray, orange, brown, and cream swatches.

A large pink-red nebula cloud with dark dust lanes at center-left and a smaller blue-pink nebula upper right in a dense, tan Milky Way star field. Bottom palette strip shows pink, slate blue, orange, tan, and brown swatches.

Deep field packed with faint galaxies and stars. A few bright blue and orange foreground stars stand out among thousands of galaxies of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. A color palette strip at bottom shows black, dark blue, beige, tan, and gray swatches.

$Deep field packed with faint galaxies and stars. Bright blue and orange foreground stars show diffraction spikes. Large elliptical galaxies cluster at left and right amid thousand of other galaxies of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. A color palette strip runs along the bottom showing tan, light blue, bright blue, red, and black.$

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 25/09/2026

Welcome to Chile, SLAC LSST Camera team colleagues! They arrived from California last week for scheduled camera work during NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s planned engineering downtime. This engineering period will last about three weeks in total. 🔭🧪

A "selfie" from two workers wearing helmets and safety vests using Rubin's primary mirror. They're standing on a metal platform with metal structural beams reflected behind them.

Five workers wearing safety gear inside Rubin's dome next to a curved concrete wall.

A person in red safety gear and yellow helmet laying on a platform while working on Rubin's giant digital camera.

Two people working on computers in an office with safety hard hats and high-visibility vests nearby.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 24/09/2026

Imagine looking up and watching a star suddenly lose 99% of its light. These stars are a rare type of variable star called an R Coronae Borealis. They suddenly puff out huge clouds of dust, blocking nearly all their light for months before returning to normal.🔭🧪

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 23/09/2026

In the sky above NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory shines the Pleiades (M45): an open star cluster with at least 1000 stars!✨ Its bright stars are too bright for Rubin's sensitive camera to capture for study, but Rubin will observe many other clusters & help scientists study how stars evolve. 🔭🧪

Large observatory with angular silver dome under a clear night sky filled with stars. A bright, blue star cluster sits above the observatory dome.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 22/09/2026

Happy September equinox from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! It's the first day of spring here in the south🌸 Equinox fun fact: day and night aren't exactly equal 👀 Atmospheric refraction and the way we define sunrise/sunset mean most places get slightly more than 12 hours of daylight! 🔭🧪

Observatory building with open, angular dome perched on a mountain ridge with a vibrant setting sun behind in a clear sky.

Sunset backlighting tall wildflowers with red petals against a clear blue sky and white observatory building with open, angular dome in the background.

Yellow wildflowers in sharp focus with a white observatory building with open angular dome and clear blue sky in the background.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 19/09/2026

The Moon is showing off again🌕✨ It's International #ObserveTheMoon Night! 🌙 The Moon is dazzlingly bright — so bright that NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will never point at it. But there are many Solar System objects that are incredibly faint, and that’s where Rubin shines.🔭🧪☄️

Large full moon rising behind an observatory dome on a dark mountain ridge at night.

Sequence of stacked images showing the moon setting diagonally from right to left above an observatory on a rocky mountain peak.

Silhouette of a building against a vibrant red and orange sunset sky with a thin crescent moon.

Large observatory building silhouetted against a twilight sky with a crescent moon visible above.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 18/09/2026

¡Felices Fiestas Patrias!🇨🇱🎉 From Cerro Pachón, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory wishes our colleagues, neighbors, & the entire Chilean community a joyful celebration. 🔭🧪 Chile’s national holidays are celebrated as Fiestas Patrias: a time for food, dancing, loved ones, & Chilean pride🇨🇱

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 18/09/2026

Meet LEDA 1205871 and LEDA 29228, two galaxies in NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's view of COSMOS. 🔭🧪 They're “shell” galaxies, created when a larger galaxy absorbs a smaller one. These cosmic ripples preserve clues to past mergers, and Rubin’s sensitivity will help uncover many more 🌌

Deep-space field filled with distant galaxies and stars. Two large golden elliptical galaxies at upper left-center and lower center show faint shell structures surrounding them. The black background is speckled with red, blue, and white points of light.

A dense field of countless pinpoint stars fills the frame against the deep black of space, creating a fine, grainy texture like fine sand spread across a smooth table. Dozens of particularly bright stars in blue, yellow, and orange glitter across the scene like jewels. A white box at lower left calls attention to two particular galaxies.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 17/09/2026

Just a piece of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Ocean of Stars 🌊✨ This galaxy is called MCG-06-33-009, and the blue knots in its spiral arms show where hot, young stars are forming. 🔭🧪 Rubin will capture billions of galaxies and enable scientists to study how galaxies grow and change 🌀

Golden spiral galaxy with blueish spiral arms in a dense star field. Numerous orange and blue stars dot the dark sky, with a bright bluish star left of center and faint background galaxies scattered throughout.

A wide, panoramic view of a dense field of pinpoint stars filling the entire frame like fine dust. A white square notes a specific galaxy near upper center. Wispy, grayish-brown clouds of galactic cirrus drift across the scene, creating a subtle, patchy texture over the dark background. Several brighter stars stand out, most notably a large, brilliant blue star on the upper right surrounded by a soft glowing halo, along with a few other scattered bright blue and warm orange stars.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 15/09/2026

POV: Your background music is a bit…terrestrial. Try a cosmic soundtrack instead! 🎧🌌 Skysynth translates NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s data into sound — now with Rubin's view of COSMOS! 🔭🧪 Let it drift, or pan, zoom, and jump between different spots🎶 skyviewer.app/skysynth 🎶: SYSTEM Sounds

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 08/09/2026

Just a normal camera, if “normal” means: 🔭 A 3.2-billion-pixel sensor 🌌 A field of view that could fit ~45 full Moons ⏱️ A new 8-gigabyte image every ~40 seconds NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's LSST Camera is the largest ever built (thanks SLAC!). Ok, maybe that's not normal. 🔭🧪

Technician in cleanroom suit inspecting a large, cylindrical camera barrel inside a clean room.

$Close-up of a Romanesco broccoli head showing its intricate fractal pattern in black and white. The mosaic grid of LSST Camera's ~200 individual CCDs is visible as vertical and horizontal black lines.$ Workers in safety gear guide the car-sized LSST Camera suspended by green straps inside Rubin's large maintenance hall.

Workers in safety gear guide the car-sized LSST Camera suspended by green straps inside Rubin's large maintenance hall.

Close-up view of the huge LSST Camera installed at the center of Rubin's 8.4-meter telescope, with metal scaffolding on either side.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 07/09/2026

Universe, meet your astronomical dream team! 🤝 Two observatories, two different ways of seeing the cosmos, and a whole lot of potential for discovery when their observations come together. 🧪🔭☄️

Rubin Observatory perched atop its mountain summit site on Cerro Pachón. The observatory is boot-shaped at lower left with long white service building extending left and silver dome sticking up. The dome's vertical slit is open, revealing the telescope in the blackness within. The night sky is peppered with the pinpricks of stars. The Little Beehive Cluster of stars is a denser collection of pinpricks to the upper right of the observatory.

Artist’s rendering of a silver space telescope with a triangular sunshield and dish antenna floating in deep space against a star-filled black background.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 04/09/2026

Severe Storm Impacting NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory Operations in Chile- September 4 Update Following the severe storm that affected Chile’s Coquimbo Region in July, restoration & maintenance work continues at AURA/NSF NOIRLab’s observatory sites, which includes Rubin Observatory. 🧪🔭

Two workers in safety gear doing maintenance work on top of Rubin's silver dome, overlooking snowy mountain peaks under a cloudy sky.

Snow patches around a brown dirt road leading to the Cerro Pachón lodging buildings under a clear blue sky.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 04/09/2026

Clouds during the day☁️, clear at night🌌 That's a common pattern at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory. Daytime heating lifts cool, moist marine air into clouds. After sunset, the air re-settles into the valleys, leaving clear skies for observing! 🔭🧪 🎥 NSF–DOE RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 01/09/2026

We need your eyes! 🖥️ Introducing Rubin: Blobs and Blurs, a new citizen science project using NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory data. 🔭🧪 We’re on the hunt for faint, blurry galaxies that are dominated by invisible dark matter & often hard for computers to identify. zooniverse.org/rubin

A promotional graphic in bilingual English and Spanish titled "NEW Rubin Citizen Science Project on Zooniverse." The center features an astronomical image filled with stars and galaxies of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. A large teal ring labeled "RUBIN BLOBS AND BLURS," magnifies a faint, smooth galaxy. Below on a charcoal background, text reads "Help discover some of the faintest galaxies in the Universe! zooniverse.org/rubin" (and also in Spanish).

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 31/08/2026

🌟 Calling educators in Latin America who teach astronomy: This opportunity is for you! Applications for Summer Stars LATAM 2026 are now open! 🔭🧪 📍 La Serena, Chile | Cerro Pachón | Cerro Tololo 📅 Dec. 14–18, 2026 ⏰ Applications open through Sep. 21 ls.st/2026

Group of people in front of a large white observatory building under a clear blue sky.

Three people at a conference table with laptops, engaged in discussion while a woman in a blue shirt stands behind and leans in.

Group of people posing inside the dome of a large observatory with a big telescope behind them.

Group of people wearing yellow hard hats and reflective vests posing for a group photo inside a room with concrete walls.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 30/08/2026

A new set of eyes is heading for the cosmos! 🚀🔭 Congrats to NASA, Space Telescope Science Institute (our sister org in AURA Astronomy), and all on the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope! 🎉 NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory and Roman together will give us complementary views of the cosmos🌟

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 27/08/2026

We’re #hiring a Senior Full Stack Engineer to join NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Education & Public Outreach team! 👩‍💻👨‍💻 You'll build interactive, data-driven web experiences that bring Rubin data and science to the world 🌌 👉 Learn more and apply soon: ow.ly/Jajv50ZFUQf 🧪🔭☄️

Night sky filled with stars above Rubin Observatory with text: "We are hiring: Senior Full Stack Engineer"

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 26/08/2026

It's #InternationalDogDay and we're featuring local canids! 🦊 At NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, it’s not not all galaxies & asteroids. Sometimes foxes come by to see what we’re up to, reminding us we’re part of a bigger ecosystem. 📷: NSF–DOE RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/K. Fanning

Gray fox standing alert on dry, rocky ground surrounded by sparse vegetation and yellow wildflowers.

A small fox standing alert on dry, rocky terrain surrounded by sparse desert bushes under a clear blue sky.

A fox walking over sunlit rocky terrain near green shrubs in a mountainous area.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 21/08/2026

#RubinInFocus: Time to shine a light on AuxTel! 🔭🧪 While the main dome gets the spotlight, the 1.2m Auxiliary Telescope is the ultimate sidekick at the NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory. It measures real-time atmospheric distortion so our survey data stays ultra-precise! 🌌✨

The Auxiliary Telescope dome sits near the center of a dark mountaintop at night. The dome’s open hatch reveals a red glow from inside. Directly above, the thick band of the Milky Way stretches upward, cleaved with dark dust lanes and a faint reddish nebula against a star-speckled sky. Credit: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/P. Horálek (Institute of Physics in Opava)

An aerial view of a rugged mountain peak under a clear blue sky. Near the center sits a small telescope dome at the end of a winding dirt road. A red-and-white communications tower and a white weather station stand next to the dome. In the far distance, layered brown ridges roll out toward another distant dome on a higher peak. Credit: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/H. Stockebrand

Looking out from inside the open hatch of the Auxiliary Telescope dome on a clear day. In the foreground sits the teal base of the telescope, with dark spindly bars supporting a black cylindrical instrument. To the right, through the open dome gap, the large, multi-storied main Rubin Observatory facility sits under a bright blue sky. Credit: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/W. O'Mullane

A low-angle night shot of the rounded, white Auxiliary Telescope dome on the left. On the right, a person wearing a bright orange jacket stands on dark ground, looking up at the vertical river of the Milky Way stretching through a fine scatter of pinpoint stars. Credit: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/H. Stockebrand

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 20/08/2026

Explore the sonification of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Ocean of Stars! Reds are lower pitch, blues are higher, and brightness sets volume. You'll also hear harps for galaxies🌌 & glockenspiels for stars🌟 Pan, zoom, or let it drift! 🔭🧪 ➡️ skyviewer.app/skysynth 🎶 SYSTEM Sounds

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 18/08/2026

Think you’ve got what it takes to survey the sky? Control NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's telescope and try to detect the most objects with our interactive, 60s game: Space Surveyors! 🎮 How many can you catch before the sun rises? Drop your score below👇 spacesurveyors.app

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 17/08/2026

We're not afraid of commitment 💍🔭 Yes, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's LSST is a 10-year commitment! But why? To truly #CaptureTheCosmos, we need to balance both "depth" and "time." Ten years is what we need to achieve both 🌌⏱️ 🎥: NSF–DOE RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 14/08/2026

Somewhere in this image of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is a viscacha... Viscachas are rabbit-like rodents related to chinchillas. They're well-camouflaged for the landscape of the Chilean mountains! #FaunaFriday 🔭🧪 📷: NSF–DOE RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/I. Sullivan (Hint… ↙️ 👀)

Boot-shaped observatory perched in the distance atop a rugged mountain ridge bathed in warm golden sunset light. A viscacha is camouflaged at lower left.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 13/08/2026

Guess before you read on…How many stars and galaxies are in NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Ocean of Stars? The answer is… 450,000 stars and 250,000 galaxies! 🤯 Over the next decade, Rubin will map over 17 billion stars and 20 billion galaxies. 🔭🧪✨ ➡️ ls.st/skyviewer-ocean-of-stars

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 13/08/2026

Severe Storms Impacting AURA/NOIRLab Operations in Chile: 12 Aug 2026 update:

Illustration of a boot-shaped observatory against a dark blue background. Bilingual text reads "Severe Storms Impacting Rubin Operations in Chile: 12 August 2026 update. Sistema frontal impactó las operaciones de Rubin en Chile: Actualización del 12 de agosto de 2026." / A group of seven people pose for a outdoor group selfie on a snowy gravel path next to a building and mountain slope.

A group of eight people pose for a outdoor group selfie on a snowy gravel path next to a building and mountain slope.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 12/08/2026

Most asteroids pose no threat, but tracking the ones that could starts with knowing they exist. 🔭🧪 Over the next decade, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will reveal millions more, including ~90k near-Earth objects — a big step toward identifying threats☄️ 🎥: NSF–DOE RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 08/08/2026

It's #InternationalCatDay, so we just have to share these Gatos Andinos again 🐈 These two were spotted down the ridge from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory. 🔭🧪 Because they live in such remote mountain terrain, seeing them up close like this is an incredibly rare treat 🐱 📷: SOAR Day Crew

A small wildcat with dark spots and stripes walks among gray rocks and dry vegetation in a sunlit natural habitat.

A small wildcat sitting among large rocks in a dry, rocky desert landscape with sparse vegetation.

A small wildcat mid-leap over rocky terrain with dry bushes in the background under bright sunlight.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 07/08/2026

Trading summer break for big-data astronomy! 🍎✨ 16 educators joined us in Tucson for our 3rd annual Summer Stars workshop, exploring NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory classroom tools, touring Kitt Peak, & learning how to bring real Rubin data to the next generation! 🌌🔭🧪 📷: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA

Group of visitors posing in front of the colorful mosaic wall at Kitt Peak National Observatory Visitor Center.

Group of people listening to a guide inside the dome of Kitt Peak's 3.5-meter WIYN telescope.

Group of people posing in front of the large donut-shaped cement mirror blank for Kitt Peak's 4-meter telescope, which is painted with a black and blue mural, with trees and cloudy sky behind them.

Group of adults at a collaborative workshop around a table with laptops, notebooks, and water bottles in a bright room.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 06/08/2026

A galaxy’s shape can reveal its age, star-formation history, & past collisions. These cutouts from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's view of the COSMOS field show the variety of galaxies we see just in this area!🌀💥 ➡️ skyviewer.app 🔭🧪 📷: NSF–DOE RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

A composite graphic titled "Rubin's COSMOS Field" features a dense central starfield marked with ten white boxes, surrounded by ten corresponding zoomed-in panels. The central view shows a sandy scatter of distant stars and faint smudges. The numbered outer panels highlight diverse galaxy structures: bright coiled spirals, smooth golden ellipticals glowing like polished stones, and distorted merging pairs with wispy, thread-like tails of stars.

A prominent, face-on spiral galaxy with a glowing golden core sits in the upper left, flanked by a needle-thin, edge-on blue galaxy. Near the lower right, a smooth elliptical galaxy extends a wispy, faint stream of stars downward against a backdrop of distant stars and galaxies.

On the left, a pair of colliding galaxies bends into a curved, hook-like ribbon. To the right, a tight group of golden elliptical galaxies gathers together, embedded in a soft, warm cloud of light.

A star-filled field anchored by a brilliant blue-white star with sharp, cross-shaped light spikes in the upper right. Scattered across the scene are several small spiral galaxies and smooth, pebble-like ellipticals of varying sizes.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 06/08/2026

Chile Storm Recovery Update: 5 August 2026 Restoration efforts continue at NSF NOIRLab's Chilean facilities, which include NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, following July’s historic winter storm. Our staff is safe, and the telescope is secured. 🧵

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 05/08/2026

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you! 🥞☀️ The setting Sun in this NOIRLab #ImageOfTheWeek of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory looks flattened due to atmospheric refraction. The atmosphere also filters out bluer wavelengths, leaving just the vibrant orange colors you see here 🌅

Observatory silhouette atop a mountain against a vibrant orange sunset sky with flattened sun to the right. Credit: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/H. Stockebrand

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 04/08/2026

Zoom into the COSMOS field with NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! 🔭🧪 Scientists have studied this field for decades using observatories across the electromagnetic spectrum. Rubin adds a wide-angle view while returning again & again to track changes over time. ➡️ skyviewer.app

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 03/08/2026

What a week last week at #Rubin2026 for NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! 🔭🧪 Hundreds gathered in person at SLAC National Accelerator Lab and virtually to discuss science, software, and collaboration. The future of big-data astrophysics is bright and underway! See you next year! 🌌🤝💻 📷: J. Orrell/SLAC

Large group of people wearing matching blue-purple shirts gathered outdoors on a sunny lawn surrounded by trees for a group photo.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 31/07/2026

A new view of a familiar field 🤩 Meet NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's breathtaking view of the renowned COSMOS field🌀✨ rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-n... 🔭🧪 🧵

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 30/07/2026

Chile Storm Recovery Update: 30 July 2026 Recovery efforts continue at NSF NOIRLab’s facilities in Chile, which include NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, after historic winter storms across the Coquimbo Region. Full recovery will take several weeks, but teams are making progress. 🔭🧪

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 30/07/2026

Those stars aren't actually pointy✨ What you see around bright stars in NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory images are "diffraction spikes," created as light bends around the secondary mirror supports. The pinwheels arise from combining multiple images together. 🔭🧪 ow.ly/qVUo50ZuPTw

$Two bright stars with colorful four-pointed diffraction spikes in red, green, and blue in a pinwheel pattern against a backdrop of distant galaxies and stars .$ $A bright orange star with colorful four-pointed diffraction spikes in red, green, and blue in a pinwheel pattern against a sea of smaller stars.$

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 27/07/2026

Today, we're kicking off the 2026 Rubin Community Workshop at SLAC National Accelerator Lab! #RCW2026 Over the next five days, hundreds of scientists and engineers will come together for collaboration and conversation about big-data astrophysics with Rubin. Here's to a week of sharing ideas! 🔭🧪

Banner for the Rubin Community Workshop displayed outdoors with trees and a building in the background.

Modern building with large windows and an entry sign reading 'SLAC Science and User Support Building' surrounded by landscaping.

Volunteers at a registration table in a spacious lobby assisting attendees checking in.

Rubin Director Bob Blum giving a status update at the 2026 Rubin Community Workshop in a lecture hall filled with attendees on their laptops.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 24/07/2026

Talk about a cosmic glow-up✨📸 This progression of images of galaxy group RSCG 55 shows the evolution of ground-based sky surveys spanning more than three decades🤯, ending with NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's view. 🔭🧪

Five-panel image showing the progressive evolution of sky surveys from 1994 to 2025, revealing more and more detail in a triple merging galaxy system and the surrounding sky.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 24/07/2026

📢 Calling educators who teach intro astronomy: help us better understand what you need and want when it comes to astronomy education resources! 🌌🍎 Your feedback will help us design effective tools. 🔭 🔗: research.rockman.com/s/educator-sur… 📷: A. Allen/Rockman et. al

Two people collaborate on a laptop displaying an Rubin online education investigation during a group workshop in a conference room.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 23/07/2026

On this day in 1928, Dr. Vera C. Rubin was born 🔭🧪 At 14, she built her first telescope out of a cardboard tube. Her work provided the first convincing evidence of dark matter, & scientists' quest to understand dark matter led to the idea that became NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory 🌌

A composite image showing Dr. Vera Rubin in grayscale standing at a large telescope, with Rubin Observatory in teal in the background atop its rocky summit site.

Grayscale woman with short hair and glasses uses a tabletop instrument.

Woman with short white hair and glasses leaning against a marble wall.

A young Vera Rubin with shoulder-length hair looking through a telescope at Vassar College around 1947 in a black and white photo.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 22/07/2026

Severe Storms Impacting NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory Operations in Chile Chile has been impacted by an exceptionally powerful storm with heavy precipitation and widespread flooding affecting the communities where many of our colleagues live. 🔭🧪☄️ 🧵

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 16/07/2026

📬 You've got mail! Except "mail" is "millions of alerts from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory every night." Rubin's alert brokers ingest, contextualize, and help scientists sort events in the public alert stream, like a cosmic “mark as important.” ⭐ 🔗: ow.ly/o2vT50ZoEmJ

Low-angle view of a large observatory dome with louvered panels beneath a clear, starry sky. The Milky Way's bright core and wispy dust lanes arc diagonally overhead. Credit: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/H. Stockebrand

Illustration of a white, boot-shaped observatory on a mountain ridge beneath starry sky and a teal Milky Way band stretching from lower left to upper right. Dozens of "DATA ALERT" icons are scattered across the sky. Credit: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 15/07/2026

Solar System reviews: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ☄️Comet 3I/ATLAS: "Nice place. Just passing through." NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory captured this NOIRLab #ImageOfTheWeek on 19 Dec 2025. Rubin is expected to reveal more interstellar objects, helping scientists compare our Solar System with other systems.

Comet 3I/ATLAS colored blue, with a bright rounded coma at upper right and a broad, faint blue tail sweeping diagonally left across a field dotted with stars and faint galaxies. Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/C. Chandler

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 14/07/2026

Check out this view ➡️ 🤩 Cerro Pachón definitely understood the assignment. This panoramic sunset view captures NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory atop its summit site above the Chilean landscape. 🔭🧪 The night skies here are spectacular, but the mountains put on quite a show before the stars come out too 🌟

Panoramic sunset over rugged mountain landscape. A winding road recedes under orange‑pink clouds, and a large boot-shaped white telescope building stands at right beside a metal guardrail.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 10/07/2026

A pair of Gatos Andinos, which are extremely rare Andean mountain cats, were recently spotted down the ridge from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory near the 4-m SOAR Telescope. 🔭🧪 Because they live in such remote mountain terrain, seeing them up close is a rare treat 🐱 📷: SOAR Day Crew

A small spotted wildcat blending into rocky terrain and dry shrubs.

A small wildcat with a spotted coat peers over rocks toward the left among dry shrubs.

A spotted wildcat leaps over rocky terrain with sparse vegetation.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 10/07/2026

What if the Universe isn't the age we think it is? 😱 That possibility hinges on one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics: dark energy. Meet NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory scientist Anaïs Möller, who studies exploding stars called Type Ia supernovae. 🔭🧪 youtube.com/shorts/K9qa_...

youtube.com

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 08/07/2026

Before a night of discovery begins, there's this 🌅 NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory basks in the sunset glow in this NOIRLab #ImageOfTheWeek, captured in June 2025. Rubin's site in Chile was chosen because of its exceptional observing conditions, but it's also not a bad office view!

Panoramic sunset view of a boot-shaped observatory with open dome on a rocky ridge. Golden light highlights the tops of the rolling mountain peaks beneath a deep blue sky thats fades to orange at the horizon.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 06/07/2026

How it started, and how it's going ✨ Astronomy used to mean studying a single object at a time, often by eye or through early telescopes. 🔭🧪 Then came photographic plates, which let us capture the sky for later study. 🧵

Split image: left, John Herschel’s 1847 drawing of the Orion Nebula; right, starry sky over the boot-shaped Rubin Observatory under a night sky. Text reads: “How it started vs. how it’s going: astronomy over the centuries.”

Black-and-white illustration of 19th-century astronomer Maria Mitchell looking through a brass telescope. Text reads: “How it started: eyes and early telescopes,” with Spanish translation.

Historic photographic plate of the Orion Nebula with handwritten notes. Text reads: “Capturing the sky on photographic plates,” with Spanish translation.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 04/07/2026

Fireworks from the cosmos 🎆 Happy #FourthOfJuly! The colors in NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Ocean of Stars are both scientific and beautiful, and tell us about the stars' properties. Hot, massive stars burn blue-white, while cool or old stars glow red. Dive in: skyviewer.app 🔭🧪

Dense star field with bright red, white, and blue, stars scattered across a dark cosmic background. Three particularly bright stars appear arranged in a flattened triangle at center - the left star is white, the top one is red, and the right one is blue.

Vast star field with hundreds, if not thousands, of bright stars of varying colors scattered across the dark expanse of space. The brightest dozen stars are generally red, white, or blue in color.

Bright blue star at center left in a dense field of thousands of smaller stars against a dark background. There are a few brighter objects also at lower right in yellow and red color, though not nearly as bright as the blue star.

A wide view of a dense field of countless pinpoint stars filling the frame like fine dust. Wispy, faint, grayish clouds of galactic cirrus drift across the scene, creating a subtle, patchy texture. Several brighter stars stand out, most notably a brilliant blue star on the upper right, along with a few other scattered bright blue and warm orange stars. Three vertical white boxes note the locations of the first three cutouts of this post. From left to right they are: 2, 1, 3.

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