Rubin Observatory releases image of 500,000 galaxies, including ones from the early universe

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has published an image capturing more than half a million galaxies in a single view. The picture shows the Cosmos Field, a region long studied by astronomers, and includes galaxies that formed shortly after the Big Bang.

Released on July 31, 2026, the image is a mosaic of hundreds of individual exposures. Each frame was taken with the 3.2-gigapixel LSST camera, which weighs 3,000 kilograms. The final composite reveals spiral and elliptical galaxies, along with over 50,000 stars, some of which belong to the Milky Way.

The Cosmos Field has been under observation since 2003 and holds particular significance for researchers. With new data from the Rubin Observatory, scientists hope to identify and study poorly understood phenomena, such as certain types of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. In the future, similar observations could be extended to other parts of the universe, potentially yielding fresh insights into its structure.

Meanwhile, anyone can explore the Cosmos Field on their own using the Rubin Skyviewer tool available on the observatory's website.