The stunning pink and blue regions of this stellar nursery, along with dense clusters of surrounding galaxies, mark the initial insights from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddz8piolnqc

These images were crafted from about 10 hours of observations atop Chile’s Celopachen Mountain, serving as tests to illustrate the types of captures Rubin can produce. The telescope’s extensive mission to monitor the night sky, recognized as a legacy study of space and time, is set to commence later this year.

The initial image (above) showcases the Trifid Nebula, a striking pink and blue formation located in the upper right corner, where numerous young stars emerge from a star-forming region. At the image’s center lies the Lagoon Nebula, a large expanse of interstellar gas and dust. To create this visual, astronomers amalgamated 678 individual photographs taken by Rubin over a span of seven hours.

The subsequent image focuses on the Virgo cluster, a composition of thousands of galaxies recognized by astronomers for ages. While the brightest members are visible through a basic telescope, Rubin’s detailed capture presents the entire cluster and its surrounding galaxies. For a more comprehensive view, check out the full zoom-out image showcased in the video below, which reveals around 10 million galaxies.

These represent only 0.5% of the 20 billion galaxies that Rubin will observe throughout its lifespan, assisting in unraveling the enigmas of dark matter and exploring the potential for a mysterious ninth planet within our solar system.

Observatory photos will be unveiled during the live stream today at 4 PM (11 AM EDT).