Groundbreaking observatory begins 10-year mission exploring the cosmos

A field of stars in the constellation Lupus showcases the unprecedented view of the universe that the Vera C. Rubin Observatory provides. Rubin combines a wide view of the sky with the ability to detect extremely faint objects, revealing details of the cosmos across an enormous range of scales.

This map represents how much sky the Rubin Observatory can map in one week, with he color of the tile representing the filter used for each exposure as the Observatory rapidly builds a multicolor map of the universe.

A model of the Solar System showing the roughly 380 trans-Neptunian objects (objects orbiting beyond Neptune) discovered using observations taken during Rubin’s early optimization surveys in summer 2025.

A model of the inner Solar System showing the asteroids discovered by Rubin in light teal. Known asteroids are dark blue. The model shows almost 12,700 asteroids that were discovered with Rubin over the span of a year and a half.

This image shows comet 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever discovered, on June 21, 2025 — ten days before its official discovery was announced.

In this photo captured in February 2026, the Rubin Observatory observes the Chilean night sky above Cerro Pachón beneath the dazzling view of our home galaxy, the Milky Way.

This is a section from a larger image the Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured referred to as the "ocean of stars." The view shows millions of multi-colored stars against a backdrop of galaxies close to the Milky Way’s plane, the crowded disk of the galaxy.

This is a section from a larger image the Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured referred to as the "ocean of stars." The view shows millions of multi-colored stars against a backdrop of galaxies close to the Milky Way’s plane, the crowded disk of the galaxy.

This is a section from a larger image the Vera C. Rubin Observatory captured referred to as the "ocean of stars." The view shows millions of multi-colored stars against a backdrop of galaxies close to the Milky Way’s plane, the crowded disk of the galaxy.

The open star cluster Messier 21 as imaged by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Located near the Trifid Nebula, Messier 21 is relatively young and tightly packed with small, dim stars.