NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory

1: Gray-hooded Sierra Finch
2,4: Rufous-naped Ground-Tyrant
3: Rufous-collared Sparrow
5: Mourning Sierra-Finch

📷: W. O'Mullane

A gray bird with yellow chest on rocky ground

A white and brown bird with white chest on a twiggy bush

A beige bird with red neck on a rock

Three brown birds hidden among some branches

Meet some of the flying friends of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory!

Cerro Pachón is home to a vast array of wildlife, including several different types of birds. These are just a few of many species that call this place home 🐦🔭

A group of people in reflective yellow vests and hard hats stand with Rubin Observatory in the background.

A group of people in reflective yellow vests and hard hats stand inside Rubin Observatory's dome with the massive 8.4m telescope in the background.

The Rubins at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory 💖

We were delighted and honored to welcome members of Vera Rubin's family to Cerro Pachón for a recent tour of Rubin Observatory ✨

Thank you so much for visiting! 🔭

Zooniverse The Zooniverse is the world’s largest and most popular platform for people-powered research.

Available projects:
1️⃣ Rubin Difference Detectives: figure out which detected changes in the sky are cosmic events and which are false alarms💥
2️⃣ Rubin Comet Catchers: help Rubin scientists spot comets in early data collected by the observatory☄️

Join at zooniverse.org/rubin 🔭

Large observatory dome under a clear night sky filled with stars and the bright Milky Way galaxy.

🔭 Want to help explore the Universe? Join NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory on @zooniverse.bsky.social!

You can dive into real Rubin data, help classify objects, and be part of new discoveries from your own screen. 🌌✨

🔗: zooniverse.org/rubin

Whew, we've made it to the last day of #AAS247 and we're thriving!

By "thriving," we mean we've had more coffee than water this week, but we've also had fruitful discussions with colleagues from around the world!

Here's our conference survival kit* ☕️

*peer-reviewed by fellow astronomers 🔭🧪☄️

Announcement for first science results from NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory at AAS247 on Jan 7, 2026, 2-3:30pm MST, Room 226 B.

Announcement for NSF NOIRLab Open House at AAS247 on Jan 7, 2026, from 6-8:30pm MST in Room 124 A/B

Here's the rest of Day 3 for NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory at #AAS247! 🔭

🗓️ First science results from Rubin: https://ow.ly/1u6650XT9C6

🗓️ NSF NOIRLab Open House: https://ow.ly/lZIW50XT9C5

Don't forget to visit us in the exhibit hall at the NOIRLab booth!

📷:
1. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/P. Marenfeld
2. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/J. Pollard, Acknowledgement: PI: Sarah Greenstreet (NSF NOIRLab/Rubin Observatory)

And this is just the warm-up! Rubin is about to begin its 10-year survey, which will reveal more dizzying discoveries about our Solar System. 🔭🧪☄️

Read more in today's press release: rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-r...

Early LSST Camera data revealed 19 super- and ultra-fast rotating asteroids, telling us about the asteroids' internal strength and structure and how our Solar System evolved.

Rubin’s exceptional speed & sensitivity have let scientists study these distant fast-rotating asteroids! 🔭🧪☄️

Cluster of irregularly shaped asteroids floating in dark space with a distant glowing star in the background.

You spin us right 'round!

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory scientists at #AAS247 just announced the discovery of a record-breaking asteroid over 500m in size that spins once every ~2 minutes 🤯😵💫

It’s the fastest-rotating asteroid this big ever found! 🔭🧪☄️

🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-r...

Announcement for the Rubin Observatory and Satellite Constellations event at AAS247 on Jan 6, 2026, from 2-3:30pm MST in Room 226 C.

Announcement for the Outreach and Education session for Rubin, Roman, and beyond at AAS247 on Jan 6, 2026, from 2-3:30pm MST in Room 221 B.

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory at #AAS247: Day 2!

🗓️ Rubin and Satellite Constellations: https://ow.ly/rL0l50XSypQ

🗓️ Outreach and Education Engagement: Rubin, Roman, and Beyond: https://ow.ly/aapf50XSypN

And come visit us in the exhibit hall at the NOIRLab booth!

Announcement for a session at AAS 247: Leveraging the power of cosmic messengers with Rubin, LIGO, and Gemini on January 5, 2026, from 12:30 to 3:30 pm MST in Room 131 C.

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory at #AAS247: Day 1!

🗓️ Leveraging the Power of Cosmic Messengers with Rubin, LIGO, and Gemini: https://ow.ly/J6TL50XRZl4

🗓️ A Night of Cosmic Discovery (RSVP required): https://ow.ly/8qz050XRZl2

Don't forget to visit us in the exhibit hall at the NOIRLab booth!

Attendees interact and take photos at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory booth during a busy indoor conference event.

Four people gathered around a booth at a conference.

American Astronomical Society (AAS) meetings: where coffee is a food group, name badges are personality traits, and you run into colleagues everywhere. ☕🔭

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is in Phoenix for #AAS247! If you're here, visit us at the NOIRLab booth between visits to talks and power outlets.

Aerial view of a remote mountain observatory complex with multiple white dome telescopes on rocky terrain under a clear blue sky.

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✨

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. 🔭

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.

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 observatory dome under a star-filled night sky with text announcing attendance at AAS 247 in Phoenix, January 2026.

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!

Observatory domes on a mountain top at sunset with a clear sky and fading light.

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! 🔭🧪

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

View of the Milky Way galaxy stretching across the night sky from inside an open observatory dome.

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. 🔭🧪

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 ✨🔭🧪

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.

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! ❄️

📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/C. Chandler (U. Washington)

It poses no threat to Earth as it soars by 270 million km (170 million miles) away.

3I/ATLAS is now more easily visible for northern observers. It is still visible low here in the south, but it's too bright for Rubin to observe during our preparations for the 10-year LSST. 🔭🧪

*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! 🌎 🔭🧪

Panorama showing the boot-shaped Rubin Observatory beneath a starry night sky.

These early datasets have let scientists get familiar with real Rubin data before the decade-long deluge begins in early 2026. 🤩🔭🧪

What a year! What was your favorite Rubin moment from 2025? 👇

Panorama showing the boot-shaped Rubin Observatory beneath a starry night sky, with key "first data" milestones from 2025 annotated within colorful teal and yellow boxes. from left to right, the milestones are: First commissioning data released to scientists in a preview of Rubin science, Pre-survey observations captured of Comet 3I/ATLAS, First citizen science projects launched on Zooniverse, Final testing began for Rubin's nightly alert system.

🌌 Released first commissioning data to scientists from Rubin's 144-MP engineering camera, captured in 2024
☄️ Took early observations of Comet 3I/ATLAS during pre-survey testing.
🖥️ Introduced two citizen projects with @zooniverse.bsky.social
💥 Began final testing of the nightly alert software

🔭🧪

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"

📬 “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:

🧵

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.

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