The largest digital camera in history is finished. Scientists and engineers at the Department of Energy's National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) announced that after more than two decades of work, the construction process of the super-technological device is complete:
After two decades of work, scientists and engineers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and their collaborators are celebrating the completion of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) camera.
The purpose of the 3,200-megapixel camera is to help "researchers better understand dark matter, dark energy and other mysteries of our universe." It will also help researchers observe our universe in unprecedented detail":
Over ten years, it will generate an enormous trove of data on the southern night sky that researchers will mine for new insights into the universe. That data will aid in the quest to understand dark energy, which is driving the accelerating expansion of the universe, and the hunt for dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up around 85% of the matter in the universe.
"It could resolve a golf ball about 15 miles away"
The camera called Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) "is about the size of a small car and weighs about 3,000 kilograms (3 metric tons). Its front lens measures more than five feet across – the largest lens ever made for this purpose.” SLAC Professor Aaron Roodman, deputy director of the Rubin Observatory, and camera program lead said:
Its images are so detailed that it could resolve a golf ball from around 15 miles away, while covering a swath of the sky seven times wider than the full moon. These images with billions of stars and galaxies will help unlock the secrets of the universe.
At the end of the project, the device will help explore "numerous small objects" present in our solar system. According to Rubin Observatory estimates, "the project may increase the number of known objects tenfold. This could lead to a new understanding of how our solar system formed and perhaps help identify threats from asteroids that come too close to the planet."
Željko Ivezić, Construction Director of the Rubin Observatory, said:
With the completion of the unique LSST Camera at SLAC and its imminent integration with the rest of Rubin Observatory systems in Chile, we will soon start producing the greatest movie of all time and the most informative map of the night sky ever assembled.
