Chile’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially commenced a groundbreaking exploration of the universe. After a year of extensive testing and calibration, the space-time legacy survey is beginning—marking the start of the most detailed photographic record of the universe ever.

“Today, we embark on the greatest space movie ever made,” stated Brian Stone of the National Science Foundation in a press release.

Over the next decade, the Rubin Observatory will collect approximately 10 terabytes of data each night, capturing hundreds of high-resolution images of the southern sky. Each image will cover an area about 40 times larger than the full moon, enabling the survey to encompass nearly the entire sky visible from the southern hemisphere.

This vast array of data serves multiple purposes. The first initiative is already underway, notifying researchers of dynamic changes in the night sky, including the emergence of supernovae or the movement of asteroids and comets.

“In just a few months, we recorded millions of alerts, with Rubin operating as a robust detection machine,” noted Phil Marshall, a member of the Rubin team at Stanford University in California. “We’re currently organizing all the findings.”

These alerts have already led to the identification of over 11,000 new asteroids and are poised to create the most comprehensive catalog of Solar System objects ever compiled.

In addition to its solar system research, Rubin will provide insights into more distant celestial objects, create intricate maps of the Milky Way galaxy, and delve deeper into the cosmos.

The first image displayed above reveals a stunning ocean of stars, interstellar gas, and even distant galaxies. These highly detailed images, captured repeatedly over a decade, will allow researchers to investigate rare cosmic events, as well as gain insight into dark matter, dark energy, and the overall expansion of the universe.