ALT A dense field of countless pinpoint stars fills the frame against the deep black of space, creating a fine, grainy texture like fine sand spread across a smooth table. Dozens of particularly bright stars in blue, yellow, and orange glitter across the scene like jewels. Wispy, grayish clouds of galactic dust drift across the center and right sides of the image, appearing soft and powder-like against the dark background. Scattered throughout the entire scene are stars and faint objects in shades of blue, yellow, and red. Some appear as sharp, solid points, while others are soft, diffuse smudges. Zooming in reveals that many of these tiny, faint smudges scattered between the stars are actually distant galaxies, varying from smooth, pebble-like blobs to faint, stretched lines.

ALT A stunning night sky showcasing the vibrant, colorful Milky Way galaxy arching above a boot-shaped observatory on a hill, with countless stars and cosmic dust visible in the clear atmosphere.

ALT Vast star field with numerous bright stars and distant galaxies of various shapes, sizes, and colors. On the left, a ghostly haze of galactic cirrus drifts like cotton candy.

ALT A wide, panoramic view of a dense field of countless tiny, pinpoint stars filling the entire frame like fine dust. Wispy, faint, grayish-brown clouds of galactic cirrus drift across the scene, creating a patchy texture over the dark background. Several brighter stars stand out across the field, most notably a large blue star on the upper right surrounded by a glowing halo, along with a few other scattered blue and orange stars. A white rectangle at upper center highlights a specific area.

ALT Observatory perched atop a rocky mountain with layered hills fading into the distance under a golden sunset sky.

ALT Sunset casting warm orange light over high desert mountains with an observatory perched on a ridge at left.

ALT Rubin Observatory perched atop its mountain summit site on Cerro Pachón. The observatory is boot-shaped at lower left with long white service building extending left and silver dome sticking up. The dome's vertical slit is open, revealing the telescope in the blackness within. The night sky is peppered with the pinpricks of stars. The Little Beehive Cluster of stars is a denser collection of pinpricks to the upper right of the observatory.

ALT Illustration showing smooth ocean air flowing over a mountain, with turbulence forming on the mountain's opposite side. Two insets show the impact of turbulence on an image of a star: without turbulence the star is sharp, while with turbulence it's blurred. Text reads "A site chosen for steady air. Smooth, stable air flows in from the ocean..then gets disrupted by mountains, creating turbulence."

ALT Large observatory with open dome on rocky terrain under a pink and purple twilight sky.

ALT A large boot-shaped observatory on the left and small cylindrical dome on the right, both perched on rocky hills under a vibrant pink and purple sunset sky.

ALT Boot-shaped observatory building against a gradient sky transitioning from orange up to deep purple.

ALT White astronomical observatory dome with closed shutter against a pink and blue twilight sky with pink sunset clouds.

ALT Large boot-shaped observatory building under a clear star-filled night sky on a mountain. The glowing band of the Milky Way stretches low and parallel to the horizon on the left, while the faint, barely-there haze of zodiacal light stretches diagonally up and right.