World’s biggest digital camera installed in Chile to explore universe
The world’s largest digital camera has been installed in Chile, where it will capture detailed images of the night sky.
The camera, built in the United States, is part of a major project to study the universe over the next ten years.
The camera was made in Menlo Park, California, at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
It is the size of a small car and weighs about 6,000 pounds. Scientists had to design special parts to build it, as no existing components were big enough for the job.
Once completed, the camera was flown to Chile on a chartered Boeing 747, along with other equipment needed for installation.
Now placed inside the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the camera will scan the sky repeatedly, creating a detailed time-lapse of the universe.
Scientists hope this will help answer big questions about space, including how galaxies form and why the universe is expanding so fast.
The camera will also help study dark matter, the invisible substance that makes up most of the universe, and map the Milky Way in greater detail than ever before.
The camera has a massive 3-billion-pixel sensor and the largest lens ever made for astronomy.
It was designed to capture as much of the sky as possible, making it one of the most powerful tools ever created for space research.
Aaron Roodman, the leader of the project, said, “We like to say that we're going to make a colour movie of the entire Southern Hemisphere sky.”
The first test images are expected next month. The data collected will be available to scientists in the U.S. and selected international partners.
Researchers believe the camera could lead to unexpected discoveries, as it will allow them to see space in a way never done before.
If all goes well, the full project, known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, will begin later this year.
