NOIRLab Releases 3,200MP COSMOS Image Showing 500,000 Galaxies for Rubin Data Preview 2
Updated
Updated · Digital Camera World · Aug 3
NOIRLab Releases 3,200MP COSMOS Image Showing 500,000 Galaxies for Rubin Data Preview 2
3 articles · Updated · Digital Camera World · Aug 3
Summary
A 3,200-megapixel COSMOS Field image released by NOIRLab shows more than 500,000 galaxies and 50,000 stars in one of the sky’s clearest windows beyond the Milky Way.
Hundreds of LSST test-phase exposures taken between April 2025 and January 2026 were combined into the image, built with the 6,600-pound Rubin Observatory camera during commissioning.
The COSMOS field’s low dust and light interference lets Rubin capture spirals, ellipticals, merging systems and distant red galaxies with only a small foreground of Milky Way stars.
Rubin released the image to mark the first phase of Data Preview 2, while its decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time only began earlier this summer.
Repeated observations over the next few years are expected to turn this deep field into a rich source of supernovae and other transient objects for follow-up studies.
Is Rubin’s giant new COSMOS image just a stunning picture, or the first real test of a decade-long map of cosmic change?
What can Rubin’s half-million-galaxy COSMOS image reveal that decades of Hubble observations could not?
The 3.2-Gigapixel Revolution: How the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s LSST Camera is Transforming Astronomy and Public Science
Overview
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s release of the COSMOS field image marks a new era in astronomy, stacking hundreds of exposures to reveal over half a million galaxies and 50,000 stars in a single frame. Positioned in a clear, equatorial region of the sky, the COSMOS field is ideal for deep-space observation and calibration, benefiting from minimal dust and broad accessibility. The observatory’s massive data output is managed through cloud-based platforms, enabling global participation and real-time discovery of cosmic events. This approach not only advances our understanding of the universe’s structure and evolution but also democratizes science, allowing anyone with internet access to explore and contribute.