Rubin Observatory releases first LSST Camera science preview of COSMOS field

Vera C. Rubin Observatory released a deep image and catalog of the COSMOS field as its first LSST Camera image and catalog release for science, marking Early Data Preview 2, according to a SLAC writeup on phys.org. The image was captured with Rubin's 3.2-gigapixel LSST Camera on the 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope. Stacking hundreds of individual observations, it contains more than half a million galaxies and more than 50,000 stars in and around the well-studied COSMOS region in the constellation Sextans. COSMOS looks away from the crowded plane of the Milky Way, giving a clearer view of distant galaxies. Astronomers have studied the field for more than two decades, including with Hubble since 2003. Rubin adds depth, wide-field coverage, and repeated visits as part of the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time. EDP2 is currently available to researchers in the U.S. and Chile and authorized international data-rights holders. Data products are set to become openly available after a two-year proprietary period. A second EDP2 phase is expected in the October to December 2026 timeframe with products from individual images.