Cosmic ‘First Look’ images

Edinburgh astronomers and visitors to Dynamic Earth joined a global audience in witnessing the debut of live images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

‘First look’ event

Held on the evening of 23 June, the ‘First Look’ event offered a rare opportunity to glimpse the Universe as seen by one of the most advanced astronomical facilities ever built. The Edinburgh event was part of an international series celebrating the observatory’s initial imaging milestones.

From the dramatic setting of Dynamic Earth’s Planetarium, visitors experienced the images on the 360-degree viewing screen. Professor Catherine Heymans, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, and expert astronomers from the University of Edinburgh attended the event and shared their insights into how the images will help us understand our Universe better, chronicle its evolution, and delve into the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter.

Professor Catherine Heymans said:

This was an awe-inspiring moment in the history of astronomy. To see the very first images from the Rubin Observatory alongside members of the public, students, and fellow scientists was just fabulous.

Nebula and galaxies

The Trifid and Lagoon nebulas image below combines 678 separate images taken by the 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.

The second image shows a small section of the 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.

Edinburgh’s involvement

Visit the link below to learn about the Rubin Observatory mission and involvement from University of Edinburgh colleagues.