The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, claims that the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is the largest digital camera in the world to date.
The 7.62-meter mirror is one of the most important components of the camera. (Photo: SLAC).
According to Wired, astronomers have developed a device capable of capturing images of many distant objects in the universe with a resolution of 3.2 gigapixels, equivalent to 3,200 megapixels (MP).
This new device will support the telescope at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which has been operational for about two decades. By the end of September, scientists and technicians at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, completed the assembly of the mechanical components of this camera and are conducting tests before its official operation.
“With the combination of the camera’s enormous focal plane and a 7.62-meter mirror to collect light, we have created an unparalleled device,” said Aaron Roodman, an astrophysicist at SLAC and deputy director of the Rubin Observatory.
Additionally, he mentioned that both the 1.6-meter lens, accompanied by a massive lens cover and focal plane, are listed in the Guinness World Records due to their extraordinary size.
The LSST digital camera at the SLAC laboratory in the U.S. (Photo: SLAC)
The LSST telescope can capture the widest images of the universe with a resolution of 3,200 megapixels. It is also powerful enough to detect a golf ball from a distance of 24 kilometers or observe fine dust particles on the Moon.
SLAC reports that the imaging sensor of the LSST can detect objects that are 100 million times fainter than those visible to the naked eye. This sensitivity allows for the observation of a candle from thousands of kilometers away.
The LSST is nearing completion at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California. Experts are expected to carry out final adjustments to the LSST by the end of 2022, before transferring it to Chile in May 2023 for full operation the following year.
At that time, the LSST will take digital images of the entire southern sky from the Rubin Observatory on Cerro Pachón in Chile. The Rubin Observatory has been under construction since 2015 with the goal of conducting a deep survey of a vast region of the sky.
When operational, the Rubin Observatory using the LSST will produce the largest astronomical film and unveil some mysteries of the universe, including dark matter and dark energy.
The device will also conduct rapid, wide, and deep surveys of the night sky and classify the largest number of stars and galaxies ever observed.
Currently, final steps are being completed, including testing filters, sensors, and a special cooling system. Afterward, the device will be transported to Santiago, Chile, to fulfill its mission.
