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:

🧵

A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. The image focuses on a collection of interacting galaxies connected by delicate streams of stars. At top center lies a large elliptical galaxy that is dense and smooth, like a polished stone glowing with golden light. Like delicate spider silk or stretched taffy, these stellar bridges link the large elliptical to the few larger galaxies beneath, evidence of past collisions. All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged and spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round & diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are smudges of various colors. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, & blues, crisp against the velvet black.

A sprawling, textured field of galaxies scattered across the deep black of space. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. To the lower left is a region filled with the hundreds of golden glittering gems of a distant galaxy cluster. In the foreground, below and right of center, two blue spiral galaxies look like eyes beneath the entangled mass of a triple galaxy merger in the upper right. A few bright blue points of foreground stars pierce the glittering tapestry. All throughout the image, thousands of galaxies gather in clusters or are spread throughout, like glittering gems strewn on a table. Some are sharp-edged & spiral, like coiled ribbons; others round and diffuse, like polished pebbles. Still others are just smudges of various colors against the black of space. The background is peppered with pinpoint stars in reds, yellows, & blues, crisp against the velvet black.

A sprawling, textured field of galaxies is scattered across the deep black of space. The scene stretches wide, over 60 times the area of the full Moon. It is filled with the delicate smudges and glowing cores of galaxies of many shapes, sizes and colors, as well as the bright multi-colored points of stars. At center left lies a large elliptical galaxy that is dense and smooth, like a polished stone glowing with golden light. At center top, another smooth elliptical galaxy is oriented horizontally, with a wispy tail extending right. At right, a group of interacting galaxies is connected by delicate streams of stars like spider silk, suggesting past interactions.

A cosmic tapestry of glowing tan and pink gas clouds with dark dust lanes. In the upper right, the Trifid Nebula resembles a small flower in space. Its soft, pinkish gas petals are surrounded by blue gas, and streaked with dark, finger-like veins of dust that divide it into three parts. It radiates a gentle, misty glow, diffuse and soft like the warmth of breath on a cold hand. To the lower left, the much larger Lagoon Nebula stretches wide like a churning sea of magenta gas, with bright blue, knotted clumps sprinkled throughout where new stars are born. Both nebulae are embedded in a soft tan backdrop of gas that is brighter on the left than on the right, etched with dark tendrils of dust and sprinkled with the pinpricks of millions of stars.

The one where we showed the world what Rubin can do...and, wow 🤩

On June 23, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory unveiled its First Look images!

These large, detailed images showed why Rubin's 10-year survey will revolutionize our understanding of the Universe. 🌌 #RubinRecap2025 🔭🧪

Once the camera proved it could see the sky? It was almost time to show the world what Rubin could do 🌌 #RubinRecap2025 #CaptureTheCosmos 🔭🧪
.
.
.
🎥: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA
📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/A. Rose

A 3200-megapixel eye to the sky for the first time! 👀

On April 15, the LSST Camera captured its first images of the night sky. Hundreds of staff watched as the very first pixels from a complete NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory appeared on screen! 🎉 #RubinRecap2025 🔭🧪

The final piece🧩

In March, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's 3200-MP LSST Camera was installed! #RubinRecap2025

LSST Camera is the largest digital camera ever built, and getting it into place felt like snapping in the last puzzle piece. Rubin finally had its eyes, nearly ready to open.

A 15 x 15 teal grid with the corners cut off showing Rubin Observatory's camera's field of view. The center 9 squares show a black and white image containing pinpoint stars, showing the comparative size of Rubin's engineering test camera's view, under 5% the size of the science camera's view. A red zoom box expands to the right to show a zoomed in view of just the 9 filled squares.

We kicked off 2025 in style 😎

Our #RubinRecap2025 starts with the first image released from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's Commissioning Camera in January.

It captured a small slice of sky, but showed something big: Rubin’s telescope, camera, and software were working together! 🔭🧪