See the First Breathtaking Images Captured by the Powerful New Telescope at the Rubin Observatory
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The Largest Camera Ever Built Just Captured Unbelievable Cosmic Images Beyond Imagination
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, perched atop Cerro Pachón in northern Chile, recently released its initial images. The observatory’s Simonyi Survey Telescope, with a 27.5-foot diameter lens, captured stunning views of distant galaxies, stars, and even previously unseen asteroids. In total, the observatory aims to capture 20 billion galaxies over the next decade, far exceeding the capabilities of any current telescope. This decade-long project will capture the night sky in ultra-high-definition, building a time-lapse movie of the universe’s evolution. In addition to its stunning images, the Rubin Observatory has uncovered over 2,100 asteroids in our solar system, many of which were previously unknown. This includes seven near-Earth asteroids, which, although not posing a threat to our planet, are being closely monitored. Each new asteroid discovered provides crucial information that could one day prove essential in safeguarding Earth from potential impacts.
Stunning Images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, perched atop Cerro Pachón in northern Chile, recently released its initial images, showcasing its extraordinary capabilities. The observatory’s Simonyi Survey Telescope, with a 27.5-foot diameter lens, captured stunning views of distant galaxies, stars, and even previously unseen asteroids.
According to The New York Post, these first images, produced from about 10 hours of test observations, feature the iconic Trifid Nebula and the Virgo Cluster, among others. These objects, located thousands of light-years away, were recorded with a level of detail that was previously unimaginable.
The observatory’s wide-field camera provided a breathtaking look at the night sky, revealing not only familiar celestial bodies but also offering a snapshot of countless new objects. The scale of the Rubin Observatory’s vision is immense. In total, the observatory aims to capture 20 billion galaxies over the next decade, far exceeding the capabilities of any current telescope.
The approximately $810 million Vera C. Rubin observatory took nearly two decades to complete. Credit: RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA/T. Matsopoulos
New Asteroids in Our Solar System
In addition to its stunning images of distant galaxies, the Rubin Observatory has uncovered over 2,100 asteroids in our solar system, many of which were previously unknown. This includes seven near-Earth asteroids, which, although not posing a threat to our planet, are being closely monitored. This level of discovery is unprecedented; current telescopes detect only about 20,000 asteroids annually, whereas the Rubin Observatory is expected to find millions in the coming years.
The observatory’s ability to detect and track such a large number of asteroids marks a major leap in planetary defense and our understanding of near-Earth objects. Each new asteroid discovered provides crucial information that could one day prove essential in safeguarding Earth from potential impacts.
First images included the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas, both thousands of light-years from Earth. Credit: AP
A Decade-Long Cosmic Time-Lapse
One of the most ambitious objectives of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). This decade-long project will capture the night sky in ultra-high-definition, building a time-lapse movie of the universe’s evolution. Over the next ten years, the observatory will track dynamic events such as comets, exploding stars, and the movements of distant galaxies. This massive, continuously updated time-lapse will allow astronomers to observe changes across the cosmos that occur on time scales too large for other telescopes to monitor.
The LSST will provide unparalleled data on objects in our solar system, including asteroids, as well as the formation and evolution of galaxies. As Aaron Roodman, a professor of particle physics and astrophysics at Stanford University, explained, “Rubin will enable us to explore galaxies, stars in the Milky Way, objects in the solar system, and all in a truly new way.”
Authorities and scientists attend a simultaneous conference with the United States, after the first images of deep space captured by the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile were revealed, in Santiago on June 23, 2025. Credit: AP
The Vision Behind the Observatory
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory was named in honor of Vera C. Rubin, one of the most influential astronomers of the 20th century. Rubin is best known for her pioneering work on the rotation curves of galaxies, which provided some of the first strong evidence for the existence of dark matter. Her legacy continues with the observatory’s mission to explore the unknown, uncovering both familiar and mysterious cosmic phenomena.
With the observatory now operational, it is set to become one of the most powerful tools in modern astronomy, providing data that will guide the next generation of space exploration. As Brian Stone, Chief of Staff at the National Science Foundation, remarked, “NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory will capture more information about our universe than all optical telescopes throughout history combined.”
Vera Rubin observatory reveals stunning first images
Vera Rubin observatory reveals stunning first images of the cosmos. The images were taken by the $800 million US-funded telescope in central Chile. One image shows the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae glowing in vivid pinks against orange-red backdrops. Over the next decade, the observatory will scan the night sky nightly, detecting even the subtlest changes with unmatched precision. It would take 400 ultra-high-definition televisions stacked together to view a single Rubin image at full resolution. In just 10 hours of observation, Rubin discovered 2,104 previously unknown asteroids in our solar system, including seven near-Earth objects. All other ground-based and space-based observatories combined discover about 20,000 new asteroids per year, including some of the world’s most advanced telescopes. The project is slated to begin operations in 2027 and promises to probe previously unreachable cosmic distances. It is named after pioneering American astronomer Vera C. Rubin – whose research provided the first conclusive evidence for dark matter.
WASHINGTON
This undated handout image released by NSF-DOE on June 20, 2025 shows another small section of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s total view of the Virgo cluster.
Breathtaking stellar nurseries, a sprawling stretch of cosmos teeming with millions of galaxies, and thousands of newly discovered asteroids were revealed Monday in the first deep space images captured by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile.
More than two decades in the making, the $800 million US-funded telescope sits atop Cerro Pachon in central Chile, where dark skies and dry air provide ideal conditions for observing the cosmos.
One debut image is a composite of 678 exposures taken over seven hours, capturing the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae — both several thousand light-years from Earth — glowing in vivid pinks against orange-red backdrops.
It reveals these birth places of stars in unprecedented detail, with previously faint or invisible features now clearly visible.
Another, dubbed “The Cosmic Treasure Chest,” shows the universe “teeming with stars and galaxies — the seemingly empty black pockets of space between stars in the night sky when you look at it with unaided eyes, are transformed here into these glittering tapestries,” said Zeljko Ivezic, director of Rubin construction.
Spiral, elliptical, and clustered galaxies appear in vivid reds, blues, and oranges. These colors reveal key details such as distance and size with unmatched precision, helping scientists better understand the universe’s expansion history.
The colors don’t directly match what the naked eye would see, explained scientist Federica Bianco, since the telescope captures a far broader range of wavelengths. Instead, they are representational: infrared is mapped to red to represent cooler objects, while ultraviolet is mapped to blue and indicates warmer ones.
10-year flagship project
An interactive version of the image is now available on the Rubin Observatory’s website.
“One of the things that is very fun is that if you zoom in and you look at one of the fuzzy galaxies there, you might be the first person to be paying attention to that fuzzy blob,” said Clare Higgs, education and public outreach science lead.
The observatory features an advanced 8.4-meter telescope and the largest digital camera ever built, supported by a powerful data system transferring 20 terabytes each night.
Roughly the size of a car, the camera captures 3,200-megapixel images. It would take 400 ultra-high-definition televisions stacked together to view a single Rubin image at full resolution.
Later this year, the observatory will launch its flagship project, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Over the next decade, it will scan the night sky nightly, detecting even the subtlest changes with unmatched precision.
Named after pioneering American astronomer Vera C. Rubin – whose research provided the first conclusive evidence for dark matter – the observatory continues her legacy by making dark matter a central focus of its mission.
Dark energy, an equally mysterious and immensely powerful force, is believed to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe. Together, dark matter and dark energy are thought to make up 95 percent of the cosmos, yet their true nature remains unknown.
“By observing up to 20 billion galaxies, we’ll study how light from those distant galaxies has reached us – and nearly every galaxy’s light has been bent by the gravitational interaction of dark matter that pervades the universe,” said scientist Aaron Roodman. This, he added, will help illuminate these cosmic mysteries.
A joint initiative of the US National Science Foundation and Department of Energy, the observatory is also considered one of the most powerful tools ever built for planetary defense.
In just 10 hours of observation, Rubin discovered 2,104 previously unknown asteroids in our solar system, including seven near-Earth objects — none of which pose a threat. All other ground- and space-based observatories combined discover about 20,000 new asteroids per year.
Chile hosts telescopes from more than 30 countries, including some of the most advanced astronomical instruments in the world – among them the ALMA Observatory, the most powerful radio telescope on Earth.
Cerro Tololo Observatory helped achieve the landmark discovery of the universe’s accelerating expansion — a breakthrough that earned the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Another major project, the Extremely Large Telescope, is slated to begin operations in 2027 and promises to probe previously unreachable cosmic distances.
These are first deep-space images from the Vera Rubin Observatory
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has just taken its first pictures of the cosmos. The images show the universe in unprecedented detail, from violent cosmic collisions to faraway nebulas.
Astronomers are excited about the first test images released today from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory , which show the universe in unprecedented detail, from violent cosmic collisions to faraway nebulas.
“It’s really a great instrument. Its depth and large field of view will allow us to take really nice images of stars, especially faint ones,” says Christian Aganze, a galactic archeologist at Stanford University who will use the observatory’s data to study the formation and evolution of the Milky Way. “We are truly entering a new era.”
Vera C Rubin Observatory reveals 1st stunning images of the cosmos. Scientists are ‘beyond excited about what’s coming’
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has released its first images as it begins its 10-year mission conducting the Legacy Survey of Space and Time. The observatory’s first image of the Virgo cluster, a vast cluster of galaxies located around 53.8 million light-years from Earth, shows a vast array of celestial objects. In a decade, Rubin will have collected data on an estimated 40 billion celestial bodies, meaning we will have seen more heavenly bodies than there are humans alive for the first time. The image alone contains a rich tapestry of about 10 million galaxies, just 0.05% of the number of galaxies that the observatory will have imaged by the end of the LSST mission. The LSST will be the most extensive continuous mapping of the southern sky ever attempted, and will be conducted by Rubin using the 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope and theLSSTCam, the largest digital camera ever constructed at around the size of a small car. Just one image from the LS STCam covers an area equivalent to theSize of 45 full moons in the sky.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has released its first images as it begins its 10-year mission conducting the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).
The LSST will revolutionize astronomy with one of its primary aims being the investigation of dark energy, the mysterious force driving the accelerating expansion of the universe, and dark matter, the strange substance that accounts for 85% of the “stuff” in the cosmos but remains effectively invisible.
From its perch atop Cerro Pachón in Chile, a mountain that rises around 5,200 feet (1,600 meters) above sea level, Rubin scans the entire night sky over the Southern Hemisphere once every three nights. This endeavor will be the most extensive continuous mapping of the southern sky ever attempted, and will be conducted by Rubin using the 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope and the LSST camera (LSSTCam), the largest digital camera ever constructed at around the size of a small car.
Just one image from the LSSTCam covers an area equivalent to the size of 45 full moons in the sky. Above is the observatory’s first image of the Virgo cluster, a vast cluster of galaxies located around 53.8 million light-years from Earth. The image shows a vast array of celestial objects, including galaxies and stars. Demonstrating the true potential of Rubin, this image alone contains a rich tapestry of about 10 million galaxies.
Staggeringly, the ten million galaxies in the above image are just 0.05% of the number of around 20 billion galaxies that Rubin will have imaged by the end of the LSST. In fact, in a decade, Rubin will have collected data on an estimated 40 billion celestial bodies, meaning we will have seen more heavenly bodies than there are humans alive for the first time.
Unsurprisingly, many of these objects are completely new and viewed by humanity for the first time today. The objects that are familiar have been highlighted in the image below.
An annotated version of the Rubin image showing some of the 10 million galaxies captured in the observatory’s first image. (Image credit: RubinObs/NOIRLab/SLAC/NSF/DOE/AURA)
“The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will allow us to add depth and dynamism to the observation of the universe,” Roberto Ragazzoni, president of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), said in a statement.
“With this 8-meter class telescope capable of continuously mapping the southern sky every three days, we enter the era of ‘astro-cinematography’, exploring a new dimension: that of time, with which we expect to study the cosmos with a new perspective, which is now possible thanks also to the use of new information technologies to process a mass of data that would otherwise be inscrutable.”
If it moves, Rubin will see it
One of the most impressive abilities of Rubin will be its capability to study objects that change in brightness over time as it builds the “greatest movie of all time.” This unique power comes from the fact that Rubin can scan the sky at superfast speeds, around 10 to 100 times faster than similar large telescopes.
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The “transients” it sees will include over 100 million variable stars changing their brightness because of pulsations, thermal instabilities, and even because of planets “transiting,” or passing between Rubin and their visible disks.
Rubin will also be able to observe millions of massive stars as they end their lives and undergo supernova explosions. The groundbreaking observatory will also investigate so-called “type Ia supernovas,” triggered when dead star-white dwarfs undergo runaway nuclear explosions after overfeeding on stellar companions.
Type Ia supernovas are also known as “standard candles” due to the fact that their consistent luminosities allow astronomers to use them to measure cosmic distances. Thus, Rubin will also make an indirect impact on astronomy by providing scientists with a wealth of new and better-understood distances between objects in the universe.
Closer to home, by observing objects as they change in brightness in the night-sky, Rubin will provide astronomers with a better picture of asteroids and small bodies as they orbit Earth. This could help space agencies like NASA assess potential threats to Earth and defend against asteroids.
The YouTube video below shows over 2,100 new asteroids discovered by Rubin in its first week of operations alone.
“If something in the sky moves or changes, Rubin will detect it and distribute the information in real time to the entire world. This means that we will be able to observe transient phenomena in action, making new, often unexpected, astrophysical discoveries possible,” said Sara (Rosaria) Bonito of the Board of Directors of the LSST Discovery Alliance of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
“Rubin will produce a true multi-colored movie of the sky, lasting an entire decade. A movie that will allow us to see the universe as never before: not just through static images, but in dynamic evolution.”
Rubin’s power lies in the details
Hours before the release of the main images above at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Monday (June 23), the Rubin team released several smaller “preview” images that are smaller sections of these larger images. These give the general public an opportunity to witness the incredible detail in images captured by the LSST camera.
“These sneak preview images already highlight the uniqueness of Rubin to look at the cosmos in a way that we have never done before, bringing the sky to life!” Andrés Alejandro Plazas Malagón, a researcher at Stanford University and part of the Rubin Observatory’s Community Science Team, told Space.com. “These preview images also already highlight the sophistication and power of the software used to reduce or ‘clean’ the images: the LSST Science Pipelines.”
The image below shows the Triffid nebula (also known as Messier 20 or NGC 6514) in the top right, which is located around 9,000 light-years from Earth, and the Lagoon nebula (Messier 8 or NGC 6523), estimated to be 4,000 to 6,000 light-years away. These are regions in which clouds of gas and dust are condensing to birth new stars.
This image combines 678 separate images taken by NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in just over seven hours of observing time. Combining many images in this way clearly reveals otherwise faint or invisible details, such as the clouds of gas and dust that comprise the Trifid nebula (top right) and the Lagoon nebula, which are several thousand light-years away from Earth. (Image credit: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory)
The above picture combines 678 separate images taken by Rubin over just over 7 hours of observing time. By combining images like this, Rubin is capable of revealing details otherwise too faint to see or practically invisible. This reveals the clouds of gas and dust that comprise these nebulae in incredible detail.
“The Trifod-Lagoon image shows these two nebulae or ‘stellar nurseries’ highlighting regions of gas and dust, made from about 678 individual images,” Plazas Malagón said. “It’s impressive how the large field of view of LSSTCam captured the scene all at once!”
The image below shows a small section of Rubin’s total view of the Virgo cluster. The bright foreground stars in this image are located closer to home, lying in the Milky Way. In the background are many galaxies even more distant than the Virgo cluster.
This image shows a small section of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s total view of the Virgo cluster. Bright stars in the Milky Way galaxy shine in the foreground, and many distant galaxies are in the background. (Image credit: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory)
The image below shows another small slice of Rubin’s total view of the Virgo cluster. Visible in the lower right of the image are two prominent spiral galaxies. In the upper right of the image are three galaxies that are colliding and merging.
This image shows another small section of NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s total view of the Virgo cluster. Visible are two prominent spiral galaxies (lower right), three merging galaxies (upper right), several groups of distant galaxies, many stars in the Milky Way galaxy and more. (Image credit: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory)
The image also contains several other groups of distant galaxies, as well as a wealth of stars in our galaxy. It is just one 50th of the entire image it came from.
“The other preview images show a fraction of the Virgo cluster, a galaxy cluster of about 1,000 galaxies. Built from about 10 hours of data, we already see the capability of Rubin to capture the faintest objects with exquisite detail, which will enable amazing science. And these images are just about 2 percent of the field of view of a single LSSTcam image!” Plazas Malagón said.
Following the release of these images, the next big step for Rubin with be the beginning of the LSST, which should occur over the next few months.
“The Vera C. Rubin Observatory and its first LSST project are a unique opportunity for the new generation,” Bonito said. “It is a great legacy for anyone who wants to approach scientific disciplines, offering a revolutionary tool for astrophysics and new technologies for data interpretation.”
Bonito added that the astrophysics that can be done with Rubin is extremely diversified: a single observation campaign will allow us to respond to very broad scientific themes, which concern our galaxy but also dark matter, our solar system, and even the most unpredictable phenomena that occur in the sky.”
And with 10 years of the LSST ahead of it, the future of Rubin and astronomy in general is bright.
“These preview images also already highlight the sophistication and power of the LSST Science Pipelines software used to reduce or ‘clean’ the images,” Plazas Malagón concluded. “As an observational cosmologist and having worked in the development of the LSST Science Pipelines and the characterization of the LSSTCam, I’m proud and beyond excited about what’s coming!”
To dive into the first image from Rubin and explore for yourself, visit the Vera C. Rubin Observatory SkyViewer page.
Vera Rubin: First celestial image from revolutionary telescope
First celestial image unveiled from revolutionary telescope. First image revealed by the Vera Rubin telescope shows the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae in stunning detail. In 10 hours, the telescope detected 2,104 new asteroids and seven space objects close to Earth. This once-in-a-generation moment for astronomy is the start of a continuous 10-year filming of the southern night sky. If a ninth planet exists in our solar system, scientists say this telescope would find it in its first year. It should detect killer asteroids in striking distance of Earth and map the Milky Way. It will also answer crucial questions about dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up most of our universe. It sits on Cerro Pachón, a mountain in the Chilean Andes that hosts several observatories on private land dedicated to space research. It is a perfect location to watch the stars. Maintaining this darkness is sacrosanct. The bus ride up and down the windy road at night must be done cautiously, because full-beam headlights must not be used.
1 day ago Share Save Ione Wells South America correspondent Georgina Rannard Science correspondent Share Save
NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory The first image revealed by the Vera Rubin telescope shows the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae in stunning detail
A powerful new telescope in Chile has released its first images, showing off its unprecedented ability to peer into the dark depths of the universe. In one picture, vast colourful gas and dust clouds swirl in a star-forming region 9,000 light years from Earth. The Vera C Rubin observatory, home to the world’s most powerful digital camera, promises to transform our understanding of the universe. If a ninth planet exists in our solar system, scientists say this telescope would find it in its first year.
RubinObs Rubin Observatory and the Rubin Auxiliary Telescope in Cerro Pachón in Chile
It should detect killer asteroids in striking distance of Earth and map the Milky Way. It will also answer crucial questions about dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up most of our universe. In a press conference on Monday, the observatory revealed that in 10 hours, the telescope detected 2,104 new asteroids and seven space objects close to Earth. All other space and ground surveys combined usually find about 20,000 asteroids in a year. This once-in-a-generation moment for astronomy is the start of a continuous 10-year filming of the southern night sky. “I personally have been working towards this point for about 25 years. For decades we wanted to build this phenomenal facility and to do this type of survey,” says Professor Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland. The UK is a key partner in the survey and will host data centres to process the extremely detailed snapshots as the telescope sweeps the skies capturing everything in its path. Vera Rubin could increase the number of known objects in our solar system tenfold.
NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory A huge cluster of galaxies including spiral galaxies in the vast Virgo cluster, which is about 100 billion times the size of the Milky Way.
BBC News visited the Vera Rubin observatory before the release of the images. It sits on Cerro Pachón, a mountain in the Chilean Andes that hosts several observatories on private land dedicated to space research. Very high, very dry, and very dark. It is a perfect location to watch the stars. Maintaining this darkness is sacrosanct. The bus ride up and down the windy road at night must be done cautiously, because full-beam headlights must not be used. The inside of the observatory is no different. There is a whole engineering unit dedicated to making sure the dome surrounding the telescope, which opens to the night sky, is dark – turning off rogue LEDs or other stray lights that could interfere with the astronomical light they are capturing from the night sky. The starlight is “enough” to navigate, commissioning scientist Elana Urbach explains. One of the observatory’s big goals, she adds, is to “understand the history of the Universe” which means being able to see faint galaxies or supernova explosions that happened “billions of years ago”. “So, we really need very sharp images,” Elana says. Each detail of the observatory’s design exhibits similar precision.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Vera Rubin’s is 3,200-megapixel camera was built by the US Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
It achieves this through its unique three-mirror design. Light enters the telescope from the night sky, hits the primary mirror (8.4m diameter), is reflected onto the secondary mirror (3.4m) back onto a third mirror (4.8m) before entering its camera. The mirrors must be kept in impeccable condition. Even a speck of dust could alter the image quality. The high reflectivity and speed of this allow the telescope to capture a lot of light which Guillem Megias, an active optics expert at the observatory, says is “really important” to observe things from “really far away which, in astronomy, means they come from earlier times”. The camera inside the telescope will repeatedly capture the night sky for ten years, every three days, for a Legacy Survey of Space and Time. At 1.65m x 3m, it weighs 2,800kg and provides a wide field of view. It will capture an image roughly every 40 seconds, for about 8-12 hours a night thanks to rapid repositioning of the moving dome and telescope mount. It has 3,200 megapixels (67 times more than an iPhone 16 Pro camera) and would require 400 Ultra HD TV screens to show a single image. “When we got the first photo up here, it was a special moment,” Mr Megias said. “When I first started working with this project, I met someone who had been working on it since 1996. I was born in 1997. It makes you realise this is an endeavour of a generation of astronomers.”
It will be down to hundreds of scientists around the world to analyse the stream of data alerts, which will peak at around 10 million a night. The survey will work on four areas: mapping changes in the skies or transient objects, the formation of the Milky Way, mapping the Solar System, and understanding dark matter or how the universe formed. But its biggest power lies in its constancy. It will survey the same areas over and over again, and every time it detects a change, it will alert scientists.
RubinObs The Telescope Mount Assembly supports the camera and huge mirrors
“This transient side is the really new unique thing… That has the potential to show us something that we hadn’t even thought about before,” explains Prof Heymens. But it could also help protect us by detecting dangerous objects that suddenly stray near Earth, including asteroids like YR4 that scientists briefly worried early this year was on track to smash into our planet. The camera’s very large mirrors will help scientists detect the faintest of light and distortions emitted from these objects and track them as they speed through space. “It’s transformative. It’s going be the largest data set we’ve ever had to look at our galaxy with. It will fuel what we do for many, many years,” says Professor Alis Deason at Durham university. She will receive the images to analyse the boundaries of the stars in the Milky Way. At the moment she says the furthest reach of most data is about 163,000 light years, but using Vera Rubin, scientists could see as far as 1.2 million light years. Prof Deason also expects to see into the Milky Way’s stellar halo, or its graveyard of stars destroyed over time, as well as small satellite galaxies that are still surviving but are incredibly faint and hard to find. Tantalisingly, Vera Rubin is thought to be powerful enough to finally solve a long-standing mystery about the existence of our solar system’s Planet Nine. That object could be as far away as 700 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun, far beyond the reach of other ground telescopes. “It’s gonna take us a long time to really understand how this new beautiful observatory works. But I am so ready for it,” says Professor Heymans.