✨Applications are open✨ for Summer Stars 2026, a week-long, in-person workshop for high school and college educators who teach astronomy 🌌🔭🧪 When: July 13-17, 2026 Where: Tucson, AZ Apply by Feb. 15 ➡️ https://bit.ly/4ca5Avj More info ➡️ https://bit.ly/3ZigJCR

As the sun sets, observatory work begins! Once Rubin begins the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time, it will create the greatest cosmic timelapse movie and the most detailed view of the southern hemisphere sky ever made 🌌 🔭🧪 📷: NSF–DOE RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/W. O'Mullane

The night sky from Cerro Pachón just never gets old 🤩 In this long exposure shot, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is caught in action as the dome (and telescope inside) move to a new observing location on the sky. 🔭🧪 📷: NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA/W. O'Mullane

How do Rubin alerts work? 🌌📲 Think of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory as a friend constantly scrolling the Universe’s social feed. Every minute, they refresh to see what's new—an asteroid moving, a star flickering…or a supernova exploding! 🔭🧪☄️

We don't just build observatories out of glass and steel around here... Happy #InternationalLegoDay from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! 🔭🧪 In their free time, our staff have channeled their creativity into building a mini Rubin universe. Which build is your favorite? 🧱

Excuse us, we just need to vent 😤 At night, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's dome louvers open to match inside air with outside air, helping minimize blurring from turbulence. That smooth airflow keeps the air around the telescope calm so Rubin can capture sharp views of the Universe. 🔭🧪

The night sky looks steady. It's not. 💥 In the night sky, asteroids drift. Stars pulse and flicker. Distant galaxies flare when something dramatic like a supernova is happening inside them. The Universe is constantly changing, even when our eyes can’t see it. 🔭🧪☄️

Meet some of the flying friends of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! Cerro Pachón is home to a vast array of wildlife, including several different types of birds. These are just a few of many species that call this place home 🐦🔭

The Rubins at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory 💖 We were delighted and honored to welcome members of Vera Rubin's family to Cerro Pachón for a recent tour of Rubin Observatory ✨ Thank you so much for visiting! 🔭

🔭 Want to help explore the Universe? Join NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory on @zooniverse.bsky.social! You can dive into real Rubin data, help classify objects, and be part of new discoveries from your own screen. 🌌✨ 🔗: zooniverse.org/rubin

Whew, we've made it to the last day of #AAS247 and we're thriving! By "thriving," we mean we've had more coffee than water this week, but we've also had fruitful discussions with colleagues from around the world! Here's our conference survival kit* ☕️ *peer-reviewed by fellow astronomers 🔭🧪☄️

Here's the rest of Day 3 for NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory at #AAS247! 🔭 🗓️ First science results from Rubin: https://ow.ly/1u6650XT9C6 🗓️ NSF NOIRLab Open House: https://ow.ly/lZIW50XT9C5 Don't forget to visit us in the exhibit hall at the NOIRLab b#AAS247oth!

You spin us right 'round! NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory scientists at #AAS247 just announced the discovery of a record-breaking asteroid over 500m in size that spins once every ~2 minutes 🤯😵💫 It’s the fastest-rotating asteroid this big ever found! 🔭🧪☄️ 🔗: rubinobservatory.org/news/rubin-r...

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory at #AAS247: Day 2! 🗓️ Rubin and Satellite Constellations: https://ow.ly/rL0l50XSypQ 🗓️ Outreach and Education Engagement: Rubin, Roman, and Beyond: https://ow.ly/aapf50XSypN And come visit us in the exhibit hall at the NOIRLab b#AAS247oth!

NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory at #AAS247: Day 1! 🗓️ Leveraging the Power of Cosmic Messengers with Rubin, LIGO, and Gemini: https://ow.ly/J6TL50XRZl4 🗓️ A Night of Cosmic Discovery (RSVP required): https://ow.ly/8qz050XRZl2 Don't forget to visit us in the exhibit hall at the NOIRLab booth!

American Astronomical Society (AAS) meetings: where coffee is a food group, name badges are personality traits, and you run into colleagues everywhere. ☕🔭 NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is in Phoenix for #AAS247! If you're here, visit us at the NOIRLab#AAS247booth between visits to talks and power outlets.

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor 🎶 NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory is in good company on Cerro Pachón! 🔭 From right to left: The 8.4m Gemini South telescope The 4.1m SOAR Telescope Rubin's 1.2m Auxiliary Telescope And of course, Rubin itself✨

Happy New Year! 🥳 Our New Year's resolution? To #CaptureTheCosmos💥 2026 will see the start of the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time! Over the next decade, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will build the most complete map & detailed time-lapse movie of the Southern sky ever made. 🔭

Shout out to everyone who made 2025 the most exciting year yet for NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! 🎉 This year, Rubin completed its construction phase, entered operations, and revealed its first images during Rubin First Look. We couldn't have done it without all of you! 🔭

What do astronomers, cacti, and too much coffee have in common?🔭🌵☕️ They'll all be in Phoenix next week for #AAS247! NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will be there with NOIRLab#AAS247& Rubin scientists are excited to share early results ahead of LSST's expected start in early 2026!

Can we hear a little commotion for the AuxTel? 👏 Rubin's 1.2m Auxiliary Telescope measures how Earth’s atmosphere affects incoming light by monitoring well-studied stars. Scientists use this information to make Rubin data better — with a facility this precise, every bit counts! 🔭🧪

Wishing you a bright and starry holiday season! ✨ We hope you celebrate, relax, and spend time with loved ones. And with Skysynth, you can enhance your festive cheer by experiencing Rubin data through sound! 🔭🧪 Press play and enjoy a cosmic soundtrack ✨ skyviewer.app/skysynth

The sky above Rubin is giving some serious festive-season glitter vibes ✨ NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's dome is coated with aluminum, which reflects sunlight during the day and cools off slowly at night. This prevents thermal turbulence near the telescope, keeping images crisp. 🔭🧪

May your holidays be full of light — and just the right amount of dark matter 🌌 Happy Holidays from all of us at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! We hope your festive season sparkles with cosmic wonder ✨🔭🧪

Happy December Solstice! 🌞 It’s summer at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory in Chile! Wildflowers? Blooming. Skies? Clear. Sun? Vibing. ☀️ Sending warm thoughts to the northern hemisphere! ❄️

*Waves hi* 👋 *Waves bye* 👋 Back in July, NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory captured this view of Comet 3I/ATLAS: the third interstellar object ever spotted in our Solar System. 3I/ATLAS is still zipping through our Solar System, coming closest to Earth today, 19 December! 🌎 🔭🧪

📬 “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: 🧵

One Rubin image = up to ~10,000 alerts! 🌌🔭 From supernovae to asteroids, comets, and more, Rubin will capture the Universe in action every night. ☄️✨ See what kinds of events Rubin will alert us to: https://rubinobservatory.org/explore/how-rubin-works/alerts

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 🔭🧪

A moment we've all been waiting for.... NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will be open for public visits starting in January 2026! 🔭🧪 Visits will be hosted by NOIRLab, and reservations are open now — book your spot at https://noirlab.edu/public/visits/cerro-pachon-rubin/

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 🔭🧪

Sesame Street has Big Bird. Cerro Pachón has BIG birds. Meet the Andean condors: the largest bird of prey in the world with wingspans up to 3.3m (11ft) 🦅 They can be found around NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory on Cerro Pachón, and throughout the region circling the skies and looking for prey. 🔭🧪

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.

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! 🔭🧪

We'll take "News in 2025" for $1000 🙋‍♀️ Did you catch NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory's recent moment on Jeopardy? We’ve now reached the “appearing in trivia clues” phase of our evolution 🤩 Perfect timing as our team wraps up the last few months of prep for the 10-year survey! 🔭🧪

Step right up to the Universe’s funhouse mirror! 🎪✨ This warped view comes from strong gravitational lensing — when a massive object bends and magnifies the light from something behind it, sometimes revealing galaxies that would otherwise stay hidden! 🌌🔭🧪

A purple sky over Cerro Pachón 💜 The sky over NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory and its 1.2-meter Auxiliary Telescope glitters like no other place on Earth. ✨ At Rubin's site in Chile 🇨🇱, the air is dry, the skies are dark and clear, and the Milky Way shines in all its glory. 🌌

🔭 Meet Eduardo Serrano, Site Manager at NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! With 30 years' experience managing construction of observatories, Eduardo shares what makes Rubin's 350-ton telescope unique: silent, high-speed movements and a huge field of view. 🎥: https://youtu.be/n-7IUnnIOLQ

Stars appear to sweep over NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory in this long exposure thanks to Earth's rotation. But Rubin will soon capture objects truly in motion! Over the next 10 years, it'll spot millions of changes each night & generate more data than all human writing in history🤯

Spot the cosmic imposters! 🔍 Help fine-tune NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s alert system and figure out which detected changes in the sky are cosmic events vs. imposters with Rubin Difference Detectives on Zooniverse🧐 Join now: zooniverse.org/rubin 🔭🧪

Ok everyone let's get in formation 💃 NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory’s image of the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae captures several dazzling open star clusters. 🌌💫 These clusters are young, loosely bound families of stars that will eventually drift apart over millions of years. 🔭🧪 🧵

What does the fox say?🦊 Today, we’re showing off our favorite pictures of culpeo foxes we’ve spotted around Cerro Pachón, home of NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory. 📸 💡Fun fact: While these little guys look like foxes (and are called foxes), they’re actually more closely related to wolves and jackals!🔭

🦃🍂 Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! 🔭 Today (and all the time), we’re grateful for clear skies, operational telescopes, and the scientists, engineers, summit staff, educators, and everyone in between making it possible for Rubin to #CaptureTheCosmos 🌌✨

🌕✨ Moonrise, meet the Milky Way 🌌 NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory enjoys pristine views of our galaxy and the entire southern sky thanks to its high, dry, and dark site 🌌 In just months, Rubin will begin its decade-long survey, capturing the cosmos in unprecedented detail 🔭

We're blue-da-ba-dee-da-ba-di because blue is the color of cosmic creation! 💙 In these snapshots from NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, brilliant blue galaxies are bursting with star formation, lighting up the Universe with newborn stars. 🌌✨ 🔭🧪

We're getting ever-closer to starting to film the greatest cosmic movie ever made! 🎬 The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) is the decade-long survey that NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will carry out, scanning the southern sky in greater detail than ever before. 🔭🧪

Officially in our Operations era✨ NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory has concluded its Construction phase & entered Early Operations. While day-to-day work continues, this milestone marks the home stretch of final fine-tuning ahead of the start of the ten-year LSST, just months away! 🔭🧪

Meet Observing Specialist Gonzalo Aravena! 🎉 In this video, he reflects on happiness with life in La Serena since joining NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory, and how Rubin’s vast scale and scientific potential continue to impress him 🔭🧪 🎥 Meet Gonzalo: https://youtu.be/4p6HDY-4YiE

Something’s a little sus… 👀 Flares, flashes, and fakes — not every change in the night sky is what it seems 💥✨ Test your skills with Rubin Difference Detectives on Zooniverse! Help Rubin scientists spot cosmic events (and catch the imposters). 🌌🔍 👉 zooniverse.org/rubin

Two countries, one observatory 🌎🔭 Mechanical Engineer Margaux Lopez started at SLAC in California and moved to Chile in 2019 to help build the NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory. 🔭🧪 Learn about the challenges and curiosity that drive her work! 🎥 Meet Margaux https://youtu.be/Lk8bgNQtcEo