TECHNOLOGY

World's largest camera will observe space

The 3,200-megapixel camera is almost ready. It is the world's largest camera. It will be destined for a telescope in Chile and will take 20 terabytes of photos per night for ten years. First shots in 2024, but satellites in low Earth orbit will be a problem. It is 3.73 meters long, 1.65 meters high and weighs 2,800 kg. Its sensor consists of 189 CCDs of 16.9 megapixels each, which together yield a resolution of about 3,200 megapixels. The machine's rear electronics draw 1,100 W of power because the 189 CCD sensors heat up so much and must be cooled to -100° C in a vacuum. The 64-centimeter-wide focal plane corresponds to a field of view of 3.5 degrees, and the 1.57-meter-diameter lens has been recognized as the world's largest by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
We are almost there...
The final realization of the 3.2-gigapixel (3,200-megapixel) camera that will be used by the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) in Chile to shoot 20 terabytes of raw data per night of the southern sky is just a short time away.
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Missing filters
The camera now has all the main components assembled but, according to "IEEE Spectrum," it is still missing the assembly of six lens filters that will allow the camera to pass only certain wavelengths of light, between 320 and 1050 nm.
Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Dimensions
It is 3.73 meters long, 1.65 meters high and weighs 2,800 kg. Its sensor consists of 189 CCDs of 16.9 megapixels each, which together yield a resolution of about 3,200 megapixels.
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Destined for the telescope in Chile
The destination of the LSST camera is the Vera C. Observatory. Rubin in northern Chile. The LSST camera will arrive in Chile in May 2023 aboard a Boeing 747 and will only begin taking its first photos in 2024.
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He will observe the space
The camera will be capable of capturing photos each night for a total of 20 terabytes of raw data, which, over the 10-year period of its planned operation, will amount to about 60 petabytes in total, useful to form a catalog of 37 billion southern sky celestial bodies 20 petabytes in size.
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