# Rubin Observatory releases first LSST Camera science preview of COSMOS field

_Monday, August 3, 2026 at 5:40 PM EDT · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Rubin Observatory releases first LSST Camera science preview of COSMOS field — Primary](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2026/rubin-observatory-open-1.jpg)

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.

## Sources

- [phys.org (SLAC)](https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rubin-observatory-deep-window-famous.html)

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