ALT The glowing band of the Milky Way emanates from Rubin Observatory's boot-shaped silhouette at lower left. The brighter, dense stars of the Milky Way are crisscrossed by clouds and lanes of dark dust. The lower left horizon has an orangey hue, while the pinpricks of stars speckle the rest of the sky.

ALT Save-the-date graphic for the worldwide "First Look" at Rubin Observatory first revealed images. Text reads, "Save the date! June 23, 2025. NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory First Look"

ALT A sea of stars and galaxies sparkle against a black background. Several galaxies can be identified by their elongated shape and/or spiral arms. Some galaxies are seen edge-on while one prominent spiral galaxy at the bottom centre is seen face-on. At the far right, between the middle and top of the image, are some interacting galaxies. Galaxy clusters are also seen, in particular near bottom centre, where features smeared into arcs represent gravitational lensing. The brightest stars in the image have diffraction spikes.

ALT Observing run timeline. O4 started mid 2023 and will continue to late 2025. A planned commissioning break will span April to June