First light (astronomy)

First light image from the Kepler space telescope with two points of interest outlined. Celestial north is toward the lower left corner.[1]

First light image from the Kepler space telescope with two points of interest outlined. Celestial north is toward the lower left corner.

In astronomy, first light is the first practical use of a new instrument, typically a telescope to take an astronomical image after it has been constructed. This is often not the first viewing using the telescope because optical tests have likely been performed to adjust the components.

File:Trifid and Lagoon nebulae.jpg

First released image from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae, released on 23 June 2025.

See also

• First light (cosmology)