First incredible images from Vera C. Rubin Observatory's car-sized camera reveal distant galaxies and asteroids

What just happened? The first incredible images taken by the car-sized camera at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have been released. The pictures show distant galaxies and dust clouds thousands of light years away from Earth, all captured in breathtaking detail across just over 10 hours of test observations.

The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) camera at the $810 million 18-storey Vera C. Rubin observatory in Chile, named after the US astronomer who discovered evidence of dark matter in 1978, captured the light from millions of distant celestial bodies on what is an unprecedented scale.

Among the initial observations were 2,104 previously undiscovered asteroids, including seven near-Earth asteroids – they're said to pose no threat to our planet. The National Science Foundation said Rubin Observatory is expected to uncover millions of space rocks in its first two years, making it the most effective method of spotting comets ...