A fox sitting calmly on rocky ground illuminated by warm, low sunlight during dusk or dawn.

A fox peeks out from behind rocky terrain, its alert eyes focused forward in a natural, rugged environment.

Grid of four photos of foxes, each standing on rocky terrain with dry bushes and shadows in a sunny outdoor setting.

Spotted: curious locals on Cerro Pachón 👀🦊

At NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, it’s not just about galaxies and asteroids. Sometimes foxes wander by to check out what we’re up to, reminding us we’re part of a bigger ecosystem right here on Earth.

Science is wild. Sometimes literally! 🔭🧪

Spiral galaxy glowing brightly in space with colorful stars and cosmic dust surrounding it. Text reads "Type Ia Supernova: Dependable, but dramatic, Maybe going through an existential crisis, Had a crazy glow up. Supernova de tipo Ia: Confiable, pero dramático, Quizás esté pasando por una crisis existencial, Tuvo un tremendo glow up."

Faint, blurry galaxy in space. Text reads "Ultra Diffuse Galaxy: Definitely a wallflower, Probably a cat person, Takes forever to reply to texts. Galaxia ultradifusa: Sin duda, alguien bajo perfil, Probablemente sea cat lover, Tarda una eternidad en responder a los mensajes."

Bright red star glowing prominently in a dense field of distant stars and galaxies. Text reads "Star: A little basic, Has to be the center of attention, Uses way too many emojis. Estrella: Un poco básico, Tiene que ser el centro de atención, Usa demasiados emojis."

Star-filled night sky with colorful streaks representing asteroid paths against a cosmic backdrop. Text reads "Asteroid: Always flaky with plans, Potentially hazardous if ignored, Needs to chill on the caffeine. Asteroide: Poco confiable para los planes, Puede ser peligroso si se le ignora, Necesita bajarle un poco a la cafeína."

Explore the full image yourself, and find the astronomical object that ✨truly✨ gets you at skyviewer.app! 🔭🧪

📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

Bright spiral galaxy glowing with swirling arms against a star-filled cosmic background. Text reads "Spiral Galaxy: Extroverted, Organized, Has everything in their bag you could possibly need. Galaxia espiral: Extrovertido, Organizado, Su mochila tiene todo lo que puede necesitar"

Bright elliptical galaxy glowing softly with a smooth, rounded core surrounded by faint stars in deep space. Text reads: "Elliptical galaxy: An old soul, Has a vinyl collection for the sound quality, Online vintage “entrepreneur”. Galaxia elíptica: Es un alma vieja, Tiene una colección de vinilos por la calidad del sonido, “Emprendedor” vintage en línea"

Three galaxies connected by a faint bridge of stars and gas, illustrating the merging process in deep space. Text reads "Merging galaxies: Inseparable besties, “Let’s hang out!” → suddenly it’s 3am, Can be a little clingy. Galaxias en fusión: Son amigos inseparables, “¡Salgamos!” → y de repente son las 3 de la mañana, Tiende a apegarse un poco a las personas."

Dense galaxy cluster with numerous stars and galaxies glowing against a dark space background. Text reads "Galaxy cluster: Knows everyone somehow?, Wants to start a band, but can’t play an instrument, Loves hosting themed parties. Cúmulo de galaxias: Por alguna razón… conoce a todo el mundo, Quiere armar una banda, pero no sabe tocar ningún instrumento, Le encanta organizar fiestas temáticas."

Which astronomical object are you? Comment below! ⬇️ 😉

All of these objects were taken from NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory's view of the southern region of the Virgo Cluster, ~55 million light-years from Earth & the nearest large collection of galaxies to our own Milky Way. 🔭🧪

Tony Tyson: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026 Find out why Tony Tyson is on this year’s list

Congratulations to Tony on this well-deserved honor!🔭🧪

🔗: time.com/collection/1...

Hand-drawn diagrams of telescope optics showing typical current 8-meter telescope designs and the new 3-mirror design for the Dark Matter Telescope, which ultimately became Rubin Observatory.

Large group of scientists and engineers gathered around a massive circular telescope mirror with a honeycomb pattern in a lab setting.

Three people in nice clothing stand in a laboratory setting with the giant lens end of the car-sized LSST Camera behind them.

Long-exposure star trails streak across the night sky above a large, angular observatory building atop a rocky mountain summit.

Back in the 1990s, Tyson imagined a large telescope with a giant camera that could repeatedly and rapidly scan the entire sky.

Today, Rubin Observatory is close to beginning the vision he had three decades ago: a 10-year time-lapse of the entire southern sky.🔭🧪

Older person in a gray sweater and glasses writing on a board with a marker. A red border around the edges has text reading "TIME100, 2026"

🚨 Big news!

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's first director and visionary, Tony Tyson, has been named to TIME's 2026 TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world! 🔭🧪

🔗: time.com/collection/1...

Thanks for flagging - we’re aware, our team is working on it!

📷:
1-3: NSF–DOE RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/R. Proctor | Star map: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio. Gaia DR2: ESA/Gaia/DPAC | Image Processing: M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)
4. NSF–DOE RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA | PI: M. Juric (University of Washington)

Infographic of Rubin's discoveries in the solar system. Rays of turquoise dots representing Rubin's asteroids cut through a blue donut cloud of millions of asteroids.

The Solar System as we know it is about to get a lot more crowded, and a lot more interesting ☄️🔭🧪

Read more: rubinobservatory.org/news/11000-n...

Scatter plot of solar system objects showing eccentricity vs. distance from the Sun, with colored groups for asteroid types, comets, and trans-Neptunian objects across inner and outer regions.

The batch includes 33 new near-Earth objects (don't worry, none pose a threat!) and ~380 new worlds beyond Neptune.

And this is just the start! Once Rubin's 10-year survey begins, discoveries like this will become routine.🔭🧪

Illustration of the solar system with planet orbits, surrounded by a blue donut cloud of asteroids. Rays of turquoise dots in the front half of the donut show thousands of objects revealed by Rubin.

That's roughly half the number discovered worldwide in an entire year — and Rubin detected these in just weeks! 🤯

These discoveries were reported to and verified by the IAU Minor Planet Center, the world's clearinghouse for Solar System observations.🔭🧪

Illustration of the solar system with planet orbits, surrounded by a blue donut cloud of asteroids. Rays of turquoise dots in the front half of the donut show thousands of objects revealed by Rubin.

Introducing over 11,000 new members of the Solar System...and our main survey hasn't quite started yet! ☄️

Using pre-survey observations from 2025, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory scientists have reported more than 11,000 new asteroids and comets! 🔭🧪

🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/11000-n...

Illustrated cosmic web of dark matter shown as blue filaments and nodes, with a zoomed inset humorously depicting “dark matter” as lost everyday items like socks, coins, and chapstick.

This just in....NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory reveals that dark matter is made up of lost socks, keys, half-gone chapsticks, and spare change! 🔭🧪

We can’t see it, but we know it’s there, lurking somewhere between the couch cushions or in the dryer...
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#AprilFools

Near-Earth Objects The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science will support Rubin Observatory in its operations phase to carry out the Legacy Survey of Space and…

Using NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, scientists expect to discover ~90,000 new NEOs — more than double the number currently known!

Rubin's decade-long survey won't be "Hollywood drama," but that's exactly what we want when it comes to asteroid threats ☄️

🔭🧪

🔗: rubinobservatory.org/explore/rubi...

Diagram of the solar system out to about Saturn, with all the orbits of the major planets labeled. Inside the orbit of Jupiter are millions of multi-colored points showing asteroid positions

So far, we've found only about a third of the mid-sized ones larger than 140 m.

Objects that size could still cause serious damage if one was headed our way — unlikely, but not impossible, so scientists keep close watch long before they pose any real risk. 👀

🔭🧪

Diagram of the inner solar system with labeled orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, surrounded by thousands of purple points showing near-earth object positions

In movies, an asteroid threat is usually a looming rock and a ticking clock 🎬

In reality, it's more about tracking lots of small objects over time.

Near-Earth objects are asteroids whose orbits bring them close to Earth's. They're faint, fast, and tricky to spot. 🪨💨

🔭🧪

A black and brown horse stands in the middle of a gravel road, with a telescope dome in the distance.

Several horses varying from gray to brown graze among dry shrubs in a rocky landscape.

Three brown horses stand atop a rocky hill beneath a blue sky.

Several horses varying from gray to brown graze among dry shrubs in a rocky landscape and mountains rolling into the distance.

Hold your horses! ✋🐴

Before you keep scrolling, stop and admire these ponies spotted on Cerro Pachón in Chile! 🔭🧪

Turns out, the summit home of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory doesn't just have pristine views of the night sky — it also has tasty grass to graze! ⛰️🌾

Invitation graphic to the 2026 Rubin Community Workshop at SLAC happening July 27-31, 2026. Register by June 22 at ls.st/rubin2026.

Registration is ✨OPEN✨ for the 2026 Rubin Community Workshop!

Join us July 27–31 at SLAC (250 spots) or virtually.

With Data Preview 1 out and LSST Camera data starting to flow, it’s an exciting time for NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory science! 🔭🧪

🔗 project.lsst.org/meetings/rubin2026/

View looking up from the base of Rubin Observatory's dome. Overhead, the glowing band of the Milky Way stretches through a starry night sky Rubin's open vertical dome appears to "eat" the LMC.

Waka waka waka... 👻

Is NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory about to chomp the Large Magellanic Cloud? 😄

Not quite! With its huge field of view, Rubin can capture entire galaxies in just a few bites...er, shots. 🔭🧪

No power pellets needed for this high score! 💪 👾

📷:
1. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/W. O'Mullane
2. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA

Rubin Observatory data centers in Chile, California (USA), France, and the UK indicated on an illustrated world map

At SLAC, computers process images and flag changes, sending alerts within minutes 🚨

Final leg: data flows to centers in France & the UK. Once the baton crosses the finish, Rubin data is ready for science! 🔭🧪

🔗 rubinobservatory.org/explore/rubi...

A computer server tower at Rubin Observatory lit by pink and purple LEDs

🏁 Cosmic relay, anyone? 🌌

At NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the race starts when the LSST Camera captures an image atop Cerro Pachón. Each ~8 GB “baton” speeds down fiber lines, reaching SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in ~7 seconds. 🔭🧪

The boot-shaped Rubin Observatory atop its shadowed rocky mountain summit at sunset. The sky is a darkening blue, with a strip of yellow and orange at the horizon.

Happy March equinox! ☀️

At NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory in Chile, this day marks the beginning of autumn. From here on out, daylight hours in the southern hemisphere will shrink until the June solstice, meaning longer nights and more time to #CaptureTheCosmos 🔭🧪

View of the back end of the massive LSST Camera, which is a golden metal tube with lots of cables sticking out. Text reads "It produces an enormous amount of data Produce una enorme cantidad de datos Every night, Rubin will generate about 10 terabytes of data. Cada noche, Rubin generará unos 10 terabytes de datos."

A glittering tapestry of thousands of stars and galaxies of varying sizes, shapes, and colors. There is a large, smooth looking elliptical galaxy at upper right. Text reads "It's incredibly sensitive. Tiene una sensibilidad extraordinaria. Coupled with an 8.4-meter telescope, one 30-second exposure reveals objects that are tens of millions times fainter than the human eye can see. En combinación con su telescopio de 8,4 metros, una exposición de 30 segundos permite detectar objetos decenas de millones de veces más tenues de lo que puede ver el ojo humano."

A roiling nebula scene with clouds of pink gas and dark lans of dust. Stars of varying colors are scattered throughout. Text reads "Rubin's First Look on June 23, 2025 showcased the LSST Camera's incredible capabilities. Durante la presentación de las imágenes de Primera Luz de Rubin, reveladas el 23 de junio de 2025, se demostraron las impresionantes capacidades de la Cámara LSST. It revealed millions of galaxies and stars, and thousands of asteroids, in just hours of observations over the course of several nights. En solo unas horas de observación —repartidas a lo largo de varias noches-Rubin reveló millones de estrellas y galaxias, y miles de asteroides."

A glittering tapestry of thousands of stars and galaxies of varying sizes, shapes, and colors. Text reads "The LSST Camera will capture over two million images for the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time. La Cámara LSST captará más de dos millones de imagenes para la Investigación del Espacio-Tiempo como Legado para la posteridad, que se realizará durante una década. These images will create an ultra-HD time-lapse movie of the changing Universe, tracking everything from asteroids to supernovae and revealing billions of stars and distant galaxies. Con estas imágenes, se creará una película en cámara rápida y ultra-HD del Universo en constante cambio, que permitirá seguir desde asteroides hasta supernovas y revelar miles de millones de estrellas y galaxias lejanas."

4️⃣ It produces an enormous amount of data
5️⃣ It's incredibly sensitive
6️⃣ Rubin's First Look on June 23, 2025 showcased its incredible capabilities
7️⃣ It will capture over two million images for the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time

🔭🧪

View from below of the massive black cylinder of the LSST Camera pointed horizontally attached to Rubin's telescope. Text reads "One year ago this month, the LSST Camera was installed at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory. Here are 7 things to know about it! Hace justo un año, en este mes, se instaló la Cámara LSST en el Observatorio Rubin de NSF–DOE. ¡Aquí tienes 7 cosas que debes saber sobre ella!"

A person in a head to toe white suit and blue latex gloves points a flashlight into the lens end of the massive LSST Camera, which is as tall as the person. Text reads "It's enormous. Es gigantesca. Built at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the LSST Camera is the largest digital camera in the world* - it's about the size of a small car and weighs roughly 3 metric tons (6,600 pounds). Construida en el Laboratorio Nacional del Acelerador SLAC, la Cámara LSST es la cámara digital más grande del mundo*: tiene proximadamente el tamaño de un auto pequeño y pesa unas 3 toneladas métricas. *It even has a Guinness World Record! / ¡Incluso tiene un récord mundial Guinness!"

A graphic showing LSST Camera's field of view on the sky, with seven full moons filling the width. Text reads "It sees a huge area of sky at one time. Puede observar una enorme porción del cielo de una sola vez. Each image covers an area about 45 times the size of the full Moon, enabling Rubin to cover the entire visible sky every few nights. Cada imagen cubre un área de unas 45 veces el tamaño de la Luna llena, lo que permite a Rubin mapear todo el cielo visible en unas pocas noches."

View straight into the lens end of the massive LSST Camera, showing a mosaic of ~200 CCD chips in a roughly square shape. Text reads "Everything about the camera is huge, including the images it takes! Todo en esta cámara es enorme,¡incluyendo sus imágenes! A single LSST Camera image is about 3200 megapixels. Una sola imagen tomada por de la Cámara LSST tiene unos 3.200 megapíxeles."

A year ago this month, our 3200-megapixel LSST Camera was installed! 🔭🧪

Here's what to know about it!

1️⃣ It's enormous!
2️⃣ It sees a huge area of sky at one time
3️⃣ Everything about it is huge, including the images it takes

🧵

Rubin Observatory sits atop Cerro Pachón under a starry sky. Its dome is open, revealing the telescope. The Little Beehive Cluster glows as a dense patch of stars above and to the right.

Oh, bee-have! 🐝

The Little Beehive Cluster (M41) dazzles above NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory in this @noirlab.bsky.social #ImageoftheWeek. 🔭🧪

About 2300 light-years away, M41’s ~100 stars were born together — and Rubin will study clusters like this to reveal how stars form and evolve. 🌫️

An overhead view of NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory as the Sun illuminates the surrounding mountains.

Rubin Observatory's dome spins as it slews to its next observing location in the sky in this long-exposure image.

Nighttime arrives at Rubin Observatory, and sleepy astronomers start their night shift.

The dry landscape around Rubin Observatory beneath the glowing band of the Milky Way extending upward.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words…

Which NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory image are you feeling this Monday? 🔭🧪

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! 🔭🧪

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. 🔭🧪

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