The Rubin Observatory opens its eye on 20 billion galaxies

Overview

On June 23, 2025, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory released its first images—and they're staggering. A 3.2-gigapixel camera, the largest ever built for astronomy, captured 10 million galaxies in a single frame. In just 10 hours of test observations, it found 2,104 asteroids nobody knew existed, including seven near-Earth objects. This isn't a telescope taking pretty pictures—it's a time machine that will photograph the entire Southern Hemisphere sky every three nights for a decade.

In This Story

3 Videos

2 People

3 Orgs

Dark Matter Mystery Solved by 2030

3 Context

Hubble Space Telescope First Light (1990)

Key Indicators

3.2

Gigapixels per image

Largest astronomy camera ever built, each image requires 400 4K screens to display

20B

Galaxies to be cataloged

Will observe approximately 20 billion galaxies over 10-year survey

2,104

Asteroids found in 10 hours

Discovered during initial test observations, including 7 near-Earth objects

10M

Alerts per night

Real-time notifications of changing phenomena across the cosmos

Interactive

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People Involved

Vera Rubin

Astronomer (1928-2016) (Observatory namesake, pioneering dark matter researcher)

Željko Ivezić

Director, Rubin Observatory Construction Project (Leading observatory operations launch)

Organizations Involved

Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Federal Research Observatory

Status: Transitioning from construction to operations

Federal observatory in Chile housing world's largest astronomy camera for 10-year sky survey.

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

DOE National Laboratory

Status: Completed LSST Camera construction

Department of Energy lab at Stanford that built the world's largest astronomy camera.

National Science Foundation

Federal Agency

Status: Primary funder and operations overseer

Federal agency funding telescope and operations in partnership with DOE.

Timeline

First Light Images Released
Public Announcement

Rubin Observatory releases first public images in Washington D.C., showing 10 million galaxies and 2,104 newly discovered asteroids.
June 23rd, 2025
Science Validation Surveys Begin
Operations

Science Validation surveys start acquiring images consistent with planned LSST operations.
June 20th, 2025
First Photons Detected
Technical Milestone

Complete telescope and camera combination detects first photons. Commissioning observations begin.
April 15th, 2025
Camera Installed on Telescope
Construction

3.2-gigapixel LSST Camera mounted on Simonyi Survey Telescope.
March 1st, 2025
Camera Arrives at Observatory
Construction

LSST Camera shipped from SLAC to Chile and delivered to observatory.
May 1st, 2024
LSST Camera Completed
Construction

SLAC completes construction of 3.2-gigapixel camera after 9 years of work.
April 1st, 2024
Ivezić Becomes Director
Leadership

Željko Ivezić succeeds Steve Kahn as Director of Rubin Observatory Construction Project.
January 3rd, 2022
Observatory Renamed for Vera Rubin
Announcement

LSST renamed Vera C. Rubin Observatory—first major U.S. astronomy facility named for a woman.
December 1st, 2019
Primary Mirror Arrives in Chile
Construction

8.4-meter primary mirror shipped from Houston to Chile, arrives at summit site.
May 1st, 2019
Vera Rubin Dies
Memorial

Pioneering dark matter astronomer Vera Rubin dies at age 88 in Princeton, New Jersey.
December 25th, 2016
Site Construction Starts in Chile
Construction

Construction begins on Cerro Pachón summit. SLAC simultaneously starts building LSST Camera in new clean room.
April 1st, 2015
Construction Funding Authorized
Funding

NSF authorizes construction funding after Final Design Review in December 2013. Official construction begins.
August 1st, 2014
Ranked Top Ground Project
Planning

2010 Astrophysics Decadal Survey ranks LSST as top-priority large ground-based project.
January 1st, 2010
Mirror Construction Begins
Construction

University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab starts building 8.4-meter primary mirror with private funding.
November 1st, 2007
Decadal Survey Recommends LSST
Planning

Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium report recommends Large-aperture Synoptic Survey Telescope as major initiative.
January 1st, 2001

Scenarios

Dark Matter Mystery Solved by 2030

Discussed by: MIT Technology Review, NSF public statements, LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration

Rubin's gravitational lensing measurements of billions of galaxies produce the most precise dark matter map ever created, revealing its distribution and properties with unprecedented clarity. By 2028-2030, the accumulated data allows physicists to narrow down dark matter candidates, potentially identifying whether it consists of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), axions, or something unexpected. This scenario assumes the full 10-year survey proceeds without major technical issues and that dark matter's gravitational signature is strong enough to distinguish between competing theories. The probability depends on whether dark matter particles interact in detectable ways beyond gravity.

Observatory Prevents Catastrophic Asteroid Impact

Discussed by: Northeastern University planetary defense experts, NASA Office of Inspector General reports, Space.com analysis

Rubin detects a previously unknown near-Earth asteroid on a collision course with Earth, providing years of warning that allows for successful deflection mission. With the capacity to find 90% of potentially hazardous asteroids over 140 meters and discover millions of new asteroids in its first two years, Rubin dramatically improves humanity's asteroid catalog. The observatory's ability to image the entire Southern sky every three nights means it will spot threats other telescopes miss. This becomes a defining achievement if a large asteroid is discovered with sufficient lead time (5-10 years) to mount a deflection mission using kinetic impactor or gravity tractor methods.

Data Deluge Overwhelms Analysis Capacity

Discussed by: Scientific American reporting on data management challenges, observatory technical documentation

Rubin generates 20 terabytes nightly and 10 million alerts per night—an unprecedented data flood. If automated analysis pipelines fail to keep pace or if the scientific community lacks sufficient computing infrastructure to process the avalanche, valuable discoveries could be buried in unexamined data for years. The observatory produces more optical astronomy data in one year than all previous telescopes combined, requiring new AI-driven analysis tools and massive computing resources. Success depends on whether the data management systems scale as planned and whether enough astronomers develop the skills to work with such large datasets. Early signs suggest systems are working, but the true test comes when full operations begin.

Unexpected Discovery Reshapes Cosmology

Discussed by: Nature reporting, cosmologist interviews, historical precedent from Hubble discoveries

Rubin discovers something nobody predicted—analogous to how Hubble's observations led to the Nobel Prize-winning discovery that cosmic expansion is accelerating. With 20 billion galaxies, 17 billion stars, and millions of transient events under continuous observation, the odds of stumbling onto something genuinely novel are high. This could be a new class of astronomical object, an unexpected structure in the universe's large-scale organization, or anomalies that challenge standard cosmological models. As astronomers note, the most exciting discoveries from really good new telescopes are often the ones nobody anticipated. The vast scale and time-domain capabilities make Rubin a prime candidate for paradigm-shifting surprises.

Historical Context

Hubble Space Telescope First Light (1990)

1990-2025

What Happened

Hubble launched in April 1990, but its first images were blurry—engineers discovered the mirror was ground too flat by a fraction of a hair's width. After a repair mission in 1993, Hubble became the most productive scientific instrument in history. Over 35 years, it confirmed black holes in galaxy cores, measured exoplanet atmospheres, found the most distant galaxies known, and proved the universe's expansion is accelerating (a Nobel Prize-winning discovery).

Outcome

Short Term

Initial embarrassment turned to triumph after repair; transformed public engagement with astronomy

Long Term

Generated more citations than any other scientific instrument; operated far beyond planned 15-year lifespan

Why It's Relevant Today

Rubin follows Hubble's playbook: achieve first light, work through commissioning challenges, then spend a decade revolutionizing astronomy. But where Hubble stared deep at small patches, Rubin photographs the entire sky repeatedly—complementary approaches to cosmic mysteries.

James Webb Space Telescope Deployment (2021-2022)

2021-2022

What Happened

After decades of delays and $10 billion in costs, Webb launched on Christmas Day 2021 and executed the most complex space telescope deployment ever: unfolding a tennis court-sized sunshield and aligning 18 hexagonal mirror segments. First images released July 2022 exceeded expectations, showing the universe's earliest galaxies 13.5 billion years ago with infrared clarity Hubble couldn't match.

Outcome

Short Term

Flawless deployment defied skeptics; first images captivated public and scientific community

Long Term

Operating beyond L2 orbit, revolutionizing studies of early universe, exoplanet atmospheres, star formation

Why It's Relevant Today

Webb and Rubin represent complementary strategies: Webb stares deep in infrared to see the universe's first light, while Rubin surveys wide in optical wavelengths to map dark matter and catch transient events. Together they provide the most complete cosmic census ever attempted.

Sloan Digital Sky Survey First Light (1998)

1998-2008

What Happened

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey pioneered large-scale digital sky surveys, mapping one-third of the sky and cataloging hundreds of millions of celestial objects. Its publicly available datasets enabled thousands of discoveries, from mapping the Milky Way's structure to identifying distant quasars. SDSS demonstrated that comprehensive sky surveys produce unexpected dividends across all astronomy fields.

Outcome

Short Term

Created largest astronomical database of its time; enabled new research methodologies

Long Term

Data remains heavily used 25+ years later; legacy surveys continue with upgraded instruments

Why It's Relevant Today

Rubin is SDSS's direct descendant but with far greater scale: 20 billion galaxies versus SDSS's hundreds of millions, and time-domain capabilities SDSS lacked. If SDSS generated thousands of papers, Rubin could generate tens of thousands by surveying deeper, wider, and repeatedly.