NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory (@vrubinobs) — Bluesky Profile

1 day ago

Two fluffy rodents with long ears and bushy tail among rocks in golden sunset light

Two fluffy rodents with long ears and bushy tail on rocks.

Four fluffy rodents with long ears and bushy tail among grass and rocks.

A fluffy rodent with long ears and bushy tail among rocks looks at the camera

How many viscachas is too many?

Answer: more than we can fit here—because this still isn’t enough! 🐾

These fluffy mountain summit residents have been hopping, sunbathing, and keeping an eye on us while NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory captures the cosmos! 🔭🧪

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3 days ago

Rubin Observatory's shiny silver dome beneath a starry night sky. The dense glowing band of the Milky Way emanates from Rubin on the left toward the upper right.

Mapping the Milky Way is like mapping a forest from inside it 🌌

From our spot ~27,000 light-years from the center, the big picture is hard to see. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will detect and measure ~17B stars, creating a Milky Way map ~100× larger than we've had before. 🔭🧪

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3 days ago

Collage of participants from previous LSST-DA data science fellowship program years.

📢 Applications are open for the 2026 LSST Discovery Alliance Data Science Fellowship! 🔭🧪

Learn the skills needed to work with the huge datasets from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s 10-year survey.

Apply by Mar 27: lsstdiscoveryalliance.org/lsst-discovery-alliance-programs/data-science-fellowship

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4 days ago

📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA. Alert images and classification provided by ALeRCE.

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4 days ago

This particular star had not been seen to change in brightness before — it's a new transient! 🔭🧪

Once Rubin begins its relentless ten-year survey of the southern sky, it will continue to monitor this object (and billions of others!) for flickers, pulses, flares, and motion.

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4 days ago

So what is it? This is a star near the southern hemisphere constellation of Dorado that decreased in brightness relative to its "usual" as measured in Rubin's reference images.

The images above are an example of what this alert looked like in one of Rubin's alert brokers, ALeRCE.🔭🧪

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4 days ago

Graphic showing the first newly-changing source reported by Rubin. Three panels compare a “template” image, a new observation, and their difference, revealing a variable star that dimmed. A sky map below marks the star’s general location near the southern constellation Dorado.

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory has been sending public alerts for two weeks, so let's rewind to night one.

Meet the first newly changing source reported by Rubin!🐣

This alert flagged something that hadn't been seen changing before. We call it 170054916194172951. Catchy, right? 🔭🧪

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4 days ago

👋👋👋

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5 days ago

Rubin's shiny silver dome rises under a star-filled sky. The Milky Way’s glowing band stretches upward at left, with pink nebulae visible, and the Large Magellanic Cloud sits above the observatory.

A sky stacked with showstoppers ✨🌌

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory sits beneath the glowing band of the Milky Way. Near the horizon: the Southern Cross. Off to the side: the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring dwarf galaxy visible from dark skies like Cerro Pachón in Chile. 🌟 🔭🧪

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1 week ago

The planned engineering downtime will now occur in the southern hemisphere winter

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1 week ago

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will send millions of alerts every night...who sorts through them?

Meet the alert brokers who process & add context to Rubin’s alerts so scientists can focus on what they're interested in🔭🧪

🔗 https://rubinobservatory.org/for-scientists/data-products/alerts-and-brokers

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1 week ago

Over the first year of the survey, Rubin will ramp up to a whopping ~7 million alerts every night 💥

The Universe is a hive of activity, and soon we'll get to see it in action like never before 🌌 🔭🧪

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1 week ago

And this is just the start!

Once Rubin begins its ten-year survey, it will start to build up coverage of the entire visible sky — because in order to know that something changed, we first need to know what "normal" looks like.🔭🧪

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1 week ago

The Milky Way arcs over and behind this view looking up at Rubin's shiny silver dome toward a starry night sky.

Alerts from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory have been flowing for about a week...how many have there been?? 🚨

So far, Rubin has generated....drumroll please🥁

~1.7 million world-public alerts!

That's ~1.7 MILLION objects that changed in brightness or position in just seven nights 🤯

🔭🧪

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1 week ago

The boot-shaped Rubin Observatory stands beneath a star-filled night sky. The Andromeda Galaxy is an extended disk glowing to the left of the dome above the dark mountain ridge.

When your neighbor comes for a photo op✨

This image shows NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory & Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor — and one of the most distant naked-eye objects at 2.5M light years away.

That's "cosmic neighbor" in a nutshell: close by, yet wildly far! 🔭🧪

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1 week ago

The full yellow Moon rises partially above the horizon. Rubin Observatory’s boot-shaped silhouette appears right of center, with a small crane to the left.

Tonight is a special night, an eclipse of the Moon! 🌕🌎☀️

Though the Moon is a night sky icon, it's too bright for NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory to look at.

The best observing nights are around the new Moon, when the sky is darkest.

Leave a 🌕 if you're watching tonight's eclipse!

🔭🧪

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2 weeks ago

📷:
1. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NORILab/SLAC/AURA/P. Lago
2. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NORILab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor
3. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NORILab/SLAC/AURA/J. Pinto

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2 weeks ago

A dazzling tapestry of millions of stars and galaxies of varying colors, shapes and sizes. Overlaid are four illustrations representing examples of alerts about detected changes in the sky, including a variable star, hungry black hole, supernova, and asteroid.

Some alerts are brand-new discoveries, while others add to the stories of known objects. But all reveal a dynamic, changing Universe now within our sights better than ever 💥

Learn more: rubinobservatory.org/explore/rubi...
🔭🧪

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2 weeks ago

Illustrated diagram of an astronomical alert system. Light from a bright object in the sky shines down to a telescope, which sends data to a computer data center. The data are processed into a light curve graph showing a spike in brightness. Arrows connect the telescope, servers, and a second telescope, ending with an illustration of a stellar explosion, showing how a detected change (such as a supernova) triggers follow-up observations.

2️⃣ Software systems called alert brokers sort & classify the nightly Rubin alerts so scientists can find what they're interested in.

3️⃣ The most exciting ones could trigger worldwide follow up observations! One Rubin detection could spark a global effort to learn something new.

🔭🧪

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2 weeks ago

The boot-shaped Rubin Observatory with open dome beneath a dazzling night sky. Arching overhead is the dense glowing band of the Milky Way. To to the upper left of the observatory, the small smudges of the Milky Way's two largest companion galaxies appear prominently against the starry sky.

Detecting a cosmic change is only the start 👀

So what happens next? 🔭🧪

1️⃣ Once NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory detects a change in the cosmos, it generates an alert: a packet of information with when & where it happened, how bright it was, reference images, and other observations.

🧵

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2 weeks ago

Rubin Observatory during a soft yellow sunset. Text reads "Are these alerts public? ¿Son públicas estas alertas? Yes! Rubin's alerts are public, so anyone can access them through software systems called alert brokers. ¡Sí! Las alertas de Rubin son públicas, así que cualquiera puede acceder a ellas a través de sistemas de software llamados brokers de alertas."

Rubin Observatory with open dome under a night sky filled with colorful stars. Text reads "What information is included in an alert? ¿Qué información incluye una alerta? Alerts include details like where, when, and how bright, as well as "postage stamp" images of the region. Las alertas incluyen detalles como la ubicación, el momento y el brillo del objeto, así como imágenes "tipo sello postal" de la región observada."

Rubin Observatory with open dome under a purple sunset sky. Text reads "Why does each alert have three images associated with it? ¿Por qué cada alerta incluye tres imágenes? Alerts include a "reference," a "now," and a "what changed" image, making it easier to spot the change. Cada alerta incluye una imagen de "referencia", , una de "ahora" y otra de "qué ha cambiado", lo que facilita identificar el cambio detectado."

Rubin Observatory with open dome under a starry night sky. Text reads "Is this the start of Rubin's main survey? ¿Es este el comienzo de la investigación principal de Rubin?Not quite, but soon! These first alerts enable discovery while Rubin makes final preparations for its 10-year survey. No del todo... ¡pero pronto lo será! Estas primeras alertas ya permiten realizar descubrimientos mientras Rubin completa los preparativos finales para su investigación de 10 años."

And in case you missed it, catch up on the news: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a... 🎉

🔭🧪☄️

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2 weeks ago

Rubin Observatory with open dome under a night sky. Text reads "NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory has released its first world-public alerts. Here's what you need to know. El Observatorio Rubin de NSF-DOE publicó sus primeras alertas públicas a nivel mundial. Esto es lo que necesitas"

Rubin Observatory under a night sky. Text reads "What are alerts? ¿Qué son las alertas? Alerts are a "heads up" that something in the sky changed in brightness or position. Las alertas son "avisos" que indican que algo en el cielo cambió de brillo o de posición."

Rubin Observatory during an orange sunset. Text reads "Does an alert mean a new discovery? ¿Una alerta significa un nuevo descubrimiento? Not necessarily. An alert flags a change in the sky, which could be either a new discovery or a known object. No necesariamente. Una alerta señala un cambio en el cielo, que podría tratarse de un nuevo descubrimiento o de un objeto ya conocido."

Rubin Observatory under a night sky during a long exposure shot, causing the stars to streak. Text reads "Why are these first alerts such a big deal? ¿Por qué son tan importantes estas primeras alertas? Rubin is now a real-time discovery machine, enabling scientists worldwide to follow up within minutes! Rubin es ahora una máquina de descubrimientos en tiempo real, que permite a científicos de todo el mundo hacer seguimientos en cuestión de minutos."

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory has officially started releasing world-public alerts! 🎉

Here's what you need to know about these first alerts and what's coming up for Rubin ➡️

🔭🧪☄️

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2 weeks ago

a cat wearing a blue shirt is sitting on a laptop computer Alt: a cat wearing a blue shirt is typing furiously at a laptop computer

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2 weeks ago

Teamwork makes the dream work! Let this new era of discovery begin!

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2 weeks ago

📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA. Alert images with classifications provided by ALeRce and Lasair.

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2 weeks ago

A 3-by-5 grid of grayscale astronomical images zoomed in on single objects, specifically active galactic nuclei. From left to right, the columns are labeled Template, New image, and difference. From top to bottom, the rows are labeled active galactic nucleus 1-5.

A 3-by-5 grid of grayscale astronomical images zoomed in on single objects, specifically solar system objects. From left to right, the columns are labeled Template, New image, and difference. From top to bottom, the rows are labeled solar system object 1-5.

A 3-by-5 grid of grayscale astronomical images zoomed in on single objects, specifically supernovae. From left to right, the columns are labeled Template, New image, and difference. From top to bottom, the rows are labeled supernova 1-5.

A 3-by-5 grid of grayscale astronomical images zoomed in on single objects, specifically variable stars. From left to right, the columns are labeled Template, New image, and difference. From top to bottom, the rows are labeled variable star 1-5.

These first alerts use early, pre-survey observations while Rubin finishes preparations to begin its decade-long survey. 🔭🧪☄️

This is just the start for a system that is expected to produce up to ~7 million of these alerts per night! ✨

🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...

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2 weeks ago

A 3-by-4 grid of grayscale astronomical images zoomed in on single objects. From left to right, the columns are labeled Template, New image, and difference. From top to bottom, the rows are labeled supernova, variable star, active galactic nucleus, and solar system object.

The largest spot-the-difference effort EVER has begun!🚨

On the night of Feb 24, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory officially released its first ~800,000 public alerts of detected changes in the night sky!🔍

A new era of discovery is here✨ 🔭🧪☄️

🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-a...

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2 weeks ago

Stellar Fireworks: Rubin's First Look Supernovae

Take a tour of these supernovae in Skyviewer! ➡️ skyviewer.app/tours/stella...
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📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA 🔭🧪

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2 weeks ago

Using supernovae, scientists will trace the expansion history of our Universe, measure how that expansion has changed over time, and track how elements heavier than hydrogen and helium are spread to seed future generations of stars and planets.🔭🧪

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2 weeks ago

A dense field of colorful stars and galaxies scattered across a dark background. Near the center, a small bright blue point of light within a spiral galaxy is highlighted with a white circle, marking a supernova.

A crowded field filled with thousands of colorful stars and galaxies against a dark background. Near the center, a small, elongated spiral galaxy appears slightly tilted. A white circle highlights a faint point of light within the galaxy, marking a supernova.

A field of colorful stars and distant galaxies scattered across a dark background. Near the center, a white circle highlights a faint point of light next to a small, fuzzy galaxy, marking a supernova.

A dense field of colorful stars and distant galaxies scattered across a dark background. Near the center, a bright blue point of light within a fuzzy, glowing galaxy is highlighted with a white circle, marking a supernova.

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's wide and repeated scans of the southern sky during its ten-year survey will reveal millions of supernovae across the cosmos.

Featured here are four supernovae imaged by Rubin in the southern part of the Virgo cluster of galaxies.🔭🧪

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