After more than two decades of planning, construction, and testing, the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory recently snapped its first highly detailed images of space and shared them at a First Look event on June 23, 2025. (A number of hands-on educator resources were created for the First Look event, too, including a Rubin bingo activity, a coloring book, and galaxy tours.)

The observatory—funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science—features a massive, state-of-the-art camera that allows astronomers to peer into the southern hemisphere sky with more detail than ever before. Located atop a remote mountain in central Chile, Rubin Observatory is perfectly positioned to observe the universe uninterrupted by earthly light pollution.

Rubin Observatory gets its name from American astronomer Dr. Vera C. Rubin, who was instrumental in proving the existence of dark matter. Today, scientists believe that dark matter makes up over 80% of the universe.

LabXchange is pleased to welcome Vera C. Rubin Observatory as a new collaborator and to add their incredible learning resources to our library. Below, hear from Ardis Herrold, senior education specialist at Rubin Observatory, to learn more about the important educational component of the observatory's work.

What does Rubin Observatory do?

The 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope at Rubin Observatory, equipped with the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Camera—the largest digital camera ever built—will take detailed images of the southern hemisphere sky for 10 years, covering the entire sky every few nights, yielding a treasure trove of discoveries: asteroids and comets, pulsating stars, and supernova explosions and billions of galaxies that have never before been seen.

The education program offers free online investigations that all make use of authentic data, as well as copious amounts of support materials. The investigations are designed to support the Next Generation Science Standards in the US and the Curriculum Nacional in Chile. They are appropriate for students from advanced middle school through college introductory astronomy classes.

What's one fun fact that LabXchange users should know about your organization?

Our observatory will be creating an ultra-wide, ultra–high-definition, time-lapse record of changes in the night sky for over a ten-year period—the largest astronomical movie of all time.

What motivates you to work in science education?

I was previously a science teacher for 38 years. I now work to create high-quality user-friendly classroom activities that explore real data, to engage and excite future generations of students. Even if they are not interested in a science career, the ability to think critically and extract meaning from data is an essential life skill in our society.

Which content are you most proud of?

We currently have seven free investigations that are designed to take 2–3 hours and can be flexibly fit into an astronomy unit or course.

How can learners and educators best use your content?

To get a brief overview of the design of our content, see the program guide. Then go to the landing page of any of our investigations, such as [Exploding Stars].

Start by reading the teacher guide, then preview the phenomenon, investigation and assessments. Check out the additional support materials.

What does Rubin Observatory have planned for the future?

• Updates to existing investigations
• Swapping existing proxy data for real Rubin Observatory data as it becomes available
• Adding new investigations
• Linking to Rubin Citizen Science projects, such as Rubin Comet Catchers, as they become available
• Continuing our teacher professional development programs (always free)

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Explore resources from Rubin Observatory in the LabXchange library:

• Expanding Universe (teaching guide)
• The Legacy and Science of the Rubin Observatory (pathway)
• Boom! Using Supernovae to Map Our Expanding Universe (video)
• Surveying the Solar System (teaching guide)