The Keen-Eyed Vera Rubin Observatory Has Discovered A Massive Stellar Stream

The Vera Rubin Observatory found a stellar stream coming from the M61 galaxy, a spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster. It extends for about 50 kpc, or 163,000 light years. The face-on image of M61 comes from the PHANGS (Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS) survey. Image Credit: Romanowsky et al. 2025, RNAAS.

The Vera Rubin Observatory saw first light in June 2025. Its images from that time are called the Virgo First Look images because they focus on the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. M61 is one of the galaxies in that cluster, and the VRO has detected a stellar stream of stars around the distant spiral galaxy in Rubin's images.

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