Rubin Observatory

Not all galaxies wander space alone...and sometimes they're too close for comfort 😔 Galaxies, like the ones found here in the #RubinFirstLook image of the Virgo Cluster, can interact, collide, and merge. By studying snapshots of these collections of gas and stars gravitationally tugging at each other, scientists can understand how galaxies evolve over billions of years. ⏳ Can you find other interacting galaxies in our Cosmic Treasure Chest? Go on the hunt with Skyviewer, and don't forget to share what you find! 🔭 🔗: https://skyviewer.app . . . National Science Foundation (NSF) | U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science | Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy | NSF NOIRLab | SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

☄️ Say hello to Comet 3I/ATLAS as seen by NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! Comet 3I/ATLAS is just the third interstellar object ever spotted in our Solar System. Rubin Observatory didn’t discover it, but even though Rubin is still in its commissioning and testing phase, it caught a glimpse of this rare visitor. Just imagine what we’ll find once Rubin’s full science survey kicks off later this year! 👀✨ . . . NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and operated by NSF NOIRLab (Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy) and DOE's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Going stir crazy in the northern summer heat or southern winter cold? Need a screen-free activity for curious kids (or yourself)? Introducing the NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory coloring book! 🎨🌌 This downloadable activity book brings Rubin’s science to life, no assembly required (unless you count crayons). Print one page or the whole book, and get coloring! 🖍️ Don't forget to share and tag us in your creations ✨ 🔗: ls.st/coloring-book

Ready for a week of science and collaboration! 🤓 This week, hundreds of #RubinTeam members are gathering in Tucson, AZ and virtually around the world for the 2025 Rubin Community Workshop. #Rubin2025 This is the first week-long workshop we've held since the first data and images from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory. We're excited for five full days of diving into data, tools, and science discoveries together! 💫 . . . National Science Foundation (NSF) | U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science | Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy | NSF NOIRLab | SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's view is cluttered full of galaxy clusters: collections of hundreds or thousands of galaxies that are gravitationally bound together.✨ While the Virgo Cluster itself is the nearest galaxy cluster to us at 55 million light years away, there are many more of these massive structures visible in Rubin's Cosmic Treasure Chest in the distance! They can be identified as similarly colored smudges concentrated together. Did you know❓The colors of galaxies in a cluster enable scientists to measure the cluster's distance from Earth. Thanks to the Universe's expansion over billions of years, very distant clusters appear redder than they actually are. This is called redshift! Hunt for even more galaxy clusters with Rubin's Skyviewer 🔭 skyviewer.app

What’s the perfect birthday celebration for astronomer Vera C. Rubin? 🎁 How about stunning NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory views of the very galaxies she once observed to reveal the mysterious, hidden dark matter? 🔭 Today we’re showcasing galaxies NGC 4343, 4526, 4535, and 4378, each one studied by Vera Rubin herself. Explore these galaxies (and millions more!) in the #RubinFirstLook Cosmic Treasure Chest in Skyviewer! Links in our Stories ✨ Happy birthday, Vera Rubin! 🎂 We're honored to carry on your legacy of discovery and curiosity about our Universe 🌌 . . . National Science Foundation (NSF) | U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science | Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy | NSF NOIRLab | SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

It's like the holidays in July...our first week-long workshop after the first NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory image reveal! 🎁 We're one week out from the Rubin Community Workshop in Tucson, and we can't wait for five days of rich discussions and observatory updates! Scientists and engineers from the U.S., Chile, and around the world will gather virtually and in person to discuss all things Rubin, including: 🔭 updates on ongoing engineering testing and work to ready the observatory for full science operations 🌌 looking ahead to the start of the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time later this year 👩💻 collaborating with colleagues on data analyses, science priorities, and more! Stay tuned to our Stories next week as we bring you behind the scenes and share highlights from #Rubin2025! 📷: RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA/T. Matsopoulos

Ever been to a party so good you couldn’t stop talking about it? Same here 🥳 #RubinFirstLook was unforgettable, and made even more incredible thanks to 360+ Watch Parties around the world celebrating with us on June 23! Enjoy this trip down memory lane with us 🤩 . . . National Science Foundation (NSF) | U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science | Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy | NSF NOIRLab | SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Oh, bee-have! 🐝 The Little Beehive Cluster 🐝 (also known as Messier 41) is a dazzling open star cluster about 2300 light-years away. It's made of about 100 stars born from the same cloud of gas. 🌫️ Since a cluster's stars are born around the same time, from the same gas cloud, stellar clusters provide excellent opportunities to study how stars form and evolve. While the Little Beehive Cluster is too bright for NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory to observe, Rubin will precisely measure stars in clusters across the sky with its deep, wide, and frequent imaging. Those observations will reveal details about stars' colors, ages, and compositions, as well as how they evolve.🌟 By studying stellar populations like dense globular clusters or loose open clusters in detail, Rubin will help scientists understand how stars are born, live, and die — and what their life stories tell us about the structure and history of our galaxy. 🌌

Rubin's thousands of newly-discovered asteroids....now in your web browser! Introducing NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's 3D Orbitviewer ☄️🪐 Zoom, pan, and play time forward and backward to see the Solar System in motion. Click or tap on selected objects to learn more about them, and visualize their orbits in the context of the rest of the Solar System ☄️ You can even adjust your view to highlight objects discovered by Rubin! With Orbitviewer, you'll get to follow along as Rubin discovers millions more asteroids in our Solar System, quadrupling the number we know about! Dive in and explore at orbitviewer.app 🪐 or read more at https://lnkd.in/gxeeStaj