
First images from new observatory bring night sky to life ‘like never before'
The snapshots reveal the stunning result of more than 10 hours of test observations, snapping the mysterious wonder of the cosmos. They include millions of stars and galaxies and thousands of asteroids in hues of ruby, sapphire, and gold inlaid against the inky blackness of our known universe. Several thousand light-years away from Earth, the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas – vast clouds of gas and dust – exist. We see them here in flamingo pink.
The newly released pictures preview the observatory's upcoming 10-year scientific mission to help humans better understand our place on the pale blue dot known as Earth.
'NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory will capture more information about our Universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined,' Brian Stone, who is performing the duties of the National Science Foundation director, said in a statement. 'Through this remarkable scientific facility, we will explore many cosmic mysteries, including the dark matter and dark energy that permeate the Universe.'
'We're entering a golden age of American science,' Harriet Kung, acting director of Department of Energy's Office of Science, said. 'NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory reflects what's possible when the federal government backs world-class engineers and scientists with the tools to lead.'
The observatory, named in honor of the trailblazing U.S. astronomer who established the presence of dark matter in galaxies, rests on the summit of Chile's Cerro Pachón mountain. The culmination of more than two decades of work, it holds an 8.4-meter telescope with the largest digital camera ever built. The camera is the size of a small car and weighs nearly 6,200 pounds. Known as the LSST Camera, each image it takes covers an area on the sky as big as 45 full Moons.
Its primary mission will begin later this year. Known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the telescope will skim the sky every night for approximately 10 years, taking an ultra-high-definition time-lapse of the universe and helping to make what scientists promise will be billions of scientific discoveries: some we cannot even think of yet.
The observatory's work seeks to answer numerous queries related to dark energy and Rubin's work surrounding dark matter: an unseen substance that drives normal matter, including gas and dust. Although dark matter and dark energy comprise 95 percent of the universe, their properties remain unknown. Astronomers didn't even know it existed until the 20th century. NASA scientists are also planning to use their new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to try to better define it come 2027. Although, the agency's proposed budget would slash its science funding.
But, in terms of what we can see, the observatory will gather more data in its first year alone than that collected by all optical observatories combined. It will be the most efficient and effective solar system discovery machine ever built, according to its operators. Taking images that cover the Southern sky every three-to-four nights, it will find unseen asteroids, bolstering our planetary defense capabilities.
Ultimately, what the observatory will provide is progress. Scientists will be able to conduct their own investigations into Rubin's data remotely.
'This treasure trove of data will help scientists make countless discoveries about the universe and will serve as an incomparable resource for scientific exploration for decades to come,' the groups asserted.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Is THIS where aliens are hiding? Scientists discover a 'super–Earth' planet 35 light–years away – and it might have the right conditions to support life
It's one of the biggest unanswered questions in science. Are there aliens out there, and if so, where are they hiding? Now, researchers may have taken a huge step towards answering this question. Using NASA 's TESS space telescope, a team from Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets has detected a 'super–Earth' 35 light–years away that might be habitable. The planet, called L 98–59 f, is one of five worlds found orbiting a red dwarf star called L 98–59. However, it is the only one with the right conditions to support life. 'Finding a temperate planet in such a compact system makes this discovery particularly exciting,' said Charles Cadieux, lead author of the study. 'It highlights the remarkable diversity of exoplanetary systems and strengthens the case for studying potentially habitable worlds around low–mass stars.' The planet, called L 98–59 f, is one of five worlds found orbiting a red dwarf star called L 98–59 L 98–59 was first discovered in 2019, and was originally confirmed to have just four planets around it. However, by carefully reanalysing data collected from ground–based and space–based telescopes, the team was able to identify a fifth planet. This planet does not transit its host star – meaning it doesn't pass directly between us and the star. However, its presence was confirmed through subtle variations in the star's motion. The scientists believe the planet receives about the same amount of stellar energy as Earth does from the sun. Excitingly, this places it 'firmly' within the habitable zone – a region where water could remain in liquid form. The new study also sheds light on the four other planets orbiting the star. The innermost planet, L 98–59 b, is about 84 per cent the size of Earth, and about half its mass. Meanwhile, the two inner planets are believed to be similar to Jupiter's moon, Io, with extreme volcanic activity. Finally, the fourth planet may be a 'water world', the experts say. 'With its diversity of rocky worlds and range of planetary compositions, L 98–59 offers a unique laboratory to address some of the field's most pressing questions: What are super–Earths and sub–Neptunes made of?' asked René Doyon, co–author of the study. 'Do planets form differently around small stars? Can rocky planets around red dwarfs retain atmospheres over time?' Having found the fifth planet and learned more about the other four, the team now hopes to use James Webb – NASA's most powerful telescope – to study the star system in more detail. 'With these new results, L 98–59 joins the select group of nearby, compact planetary systems that we hope to understand in greater detail over the coming years,' said Alexandrine L'Heureux, co–author of the study. 'It's exciting to see it stand alongside systems like TRAPPIST–1 in our quest to unlock the nature and formation of small planets orbiting red dwarf stars.' PLANETARY SYSTEM L 98-59 The planetary system and its star - which are only around 35 light years away - are both called L 98-59. The planets in this system are the following, from closest to the star to further away: - L 98-59b: This rocky planet has half the mass of Venus (4.868×1024 kg). It's likely dry, but might have small amounts of water. It's smaller than the Earth but still bigger than Mars. - L 98-59c: Likely dry, but might have small amounts of water - L 98-59d: About 30 per cent of the mass of this planet could be water (but note that this would not be liquid water at the planet's surface) - L 98-59e: Has a 'year' of 12.8 days and is at least three times more massive than the Earth (a 'super-Earth'). Its temperature is thought to be only a few ten degrees warmer than that of the Earth. - L 98-59f: In the habitable zone of the star, meaning liquid water may exist at the surface of this planet


The Independent
20 hours ago
- The Independent
Life might have come from outer space, scientist say
The seeds of life on Earth might have come from outer space – and might be widespread throughout the rest of the universe, scientist say. Researchers have found complex organic molecules in a disc around a 'protostar' in a major breakthrough. Those molecules are seen as the precursors to the building blocks of life, which go on to become sugars and amino acids that are then combined into the complex flora and fauna that surrounds us. Researchers have found such complex organic molecules in other places before. But the new findings fill in a previously mysterious missing link – one that could suggest that life is more abundant than we realise. When cold protostar becomes a young star, surrounded by a disc of dust and gas, it is a violent process that includes intense radiation and the hurling out of gas. Researchers had been concerned that the extreme nature of that process could 'reset' the chemical compounds available around a star, meaning that they would have to be formed in the discs that at the same time are making planets. But the new findings suggest that complex molecules can stick around through that process, meaning they will be inherited by the discs that follow. The findings are reported in a new study, 'A deep search for Complex Organic Molecules toward the protoplanetary disk of V883 Ori', published in the The Astrophysical Journal Letters.


The Guardian
20 hours ago
- The Guardian
National Science Foundation staff decry Trump's deep cuts
Almost 150 workers from the National Science Foundation (NSF) have lambasted Donald Trump's cuts to the agency as 'politically motivated and legally questionable', joining colleagues at three other federal research agencies in warning that the administration is destroying innovation and sacrificing the US's position as a global scientific leader. The three-page dissent states the actions of the administration 'collectively amount to the systemic dismantling of a world-renowned scientific agency' and that they have been compelled to act because 'NSF employees are bound by their oath to uphold the Constitution.' The document condemns the decision as 'illegally' withholding $2.2bn of the $9bn budget appropriated by Congress for 2025 and the 'unlawful termination and threatened mass reductions' in the workforce, which has already seen more than 10% of the agency's staff dismissed. They also point to the termination of more than 1,600 active NSF grants 'using undisclosed criteria devised by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)' – the quasi-government agency set up by Trump's billionaire donor Elon Musk. Earlier this month, the Guardian reported on the unprecedented political interference being wielded by Doge which, together with the chaotic cuts, has already undermined the gold standard review process used by the NSF to support cutting-edge science, and was jeopardizing the future of US industries and economic growth. 'A covert and ideologically driven secondary review process by unqualified political appointees is now interfering with the scientific merit-based review system,' the letter states. The NSF was created 75 years ago and until Trump took office for his second term had enjoyed bipartisan support. It is the only federal agency that funds fundamental research across all fields of science and engineering, and which over the years has contributed to major breakthroughs in organ transplants, gene technology, AI, smartphones, extreme weather warning systems, American sign language, cybersecurity and even the language app Duolingo. Trump's budget proposal calls for a 56% cut to the NSF budget for 2026, which if enacted 'would undermine US leadership in science, eliminate funding for over 250,000 researchers and students, and break bipartisan commitments made under the CHIPS and Science Act,' the letter states. The NSF statement follows similar unprecedented dissent by hundreds of scientists and other staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and most recently the Voyager Declaration from almost 300 current and former Nasa scientists including four astronauts. All have warned about the devastating impact of the administration's arbitrary and chaotic cuts to staff and research funds on the lives of Americans – now and in the future – in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy including Trump's billionaire donors. The NSF dissent is addressed to California member of Congress Zoe Lofgren, the top Democrat on the House science committee, who has repeatedly condemned Trump's assault on science. Only one employee, Jesus Soriano, president of the local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees which represents two thirds of the NSF's unionized bargaining unit, included his name; 148 of the 149 signatories are anonymous due to fear of reprisals. The fear is well founded given that around 140 named signatories of the EPA 'declaration of dissent' were put on administrative leave, and Lee Zeldin, the climate change denier and EPA secretary, warned that there was a 'zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging, and undercutting' the current administration. It ends with a stark warning: 'NSF employees are committed to serving the American people through research, education, and innovation. But they cannot do so under fear, censorship, and institutional sabotage. Without immediate oversight and corrective action from Congress, one of our nation's greatest engines for scientific and technological advancement faces irreversible long-term damage. Put simply, America will forfeit its scientific leadership position to China and other rival nations.'