New video reveals how Rubin maps the Universe
Published 17 March 2026
Screenshot highlighting the power of Rubin's camera © SLAC
Every night, Rubin produces 10 terabytes of data to map and survey the universe.
Millions of alerts are generated to flag up changing objects; this helps scientists zoom in with other telescopes, including the James Webb and Hubble space telescopes as well as ground-based instruments.
A new video from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory breaks down how Rubin runs the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), what its images contain, how the data gets processed, and why Rubin is designed as a discovery engine for the entire science community.
See the astounding how Rubin revleaed its first-light imagery presented with scientifically accurate scaling and positioning against a real 360° all-sky backdrop.
As a global project, the video also highlights how the UK and other counries are playing a role in bringing the LSST to life.
Watch the video
How Rubin Observatory Maps the Universe Every Night