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World's largest digital camera completed – captures 3.2 gigapixel photos

After two decades of development and construction, the LSST telescope has been completed. The telescope will photograph the widest ever image of the starry sky over the southern hemisphere.

Calle Rosenqvist
Calle Rosenqvist CALLE@KAMERABILD.SE
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With its 189 separate CCD sensors, each with a resolution of 16 megapixels, the new camera for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will take pictures of the southern hemisphere's starry sky to assist with both cataloguing objects and also creating the largest image of the universe to date. Now that the camera is fully complete, it will be mounted at the Rubin Observatory in Chile, where it will begin its work.

Each image has a resolution of a total of 3200 megapixels – 3.2 gigapixels, and together with its powerful lens construction becomes a sharp eye towards space. Every night, the camera will save down a dozen terabytes of image data which will then be analysed and compiled into an overall picture. The pixel density is 10 microns.

The camera's filter functions have a special mechanism that allows it to change filters in less than 90 seconds, something that is necessary to be able to photograph in different wavelengths to get different images of the objects it is to photograph. The mirror, the camera, and the three lenses that make up the optical construction weigh a total of 62 tons. The largest lens element is 157 centimetres long, making it the largest high-performance lens ever created.

The CCD sensors are being assembled.

The CCD sensors are being mounted.

The camera consists of 189 separate sensors, each comprising 16 megapixels. The total sensor area is approximately 60 centimetres in width.

The camera measures 1.65 meters in diameter and is three meters long, and weighs 2.8 tonnes. The camera is intended to be fully completed during 2023, what remains are tests to check all functions.

The camera consists of 189 separate sensors, each comprising 16 megapixels. The total sensor area is approximately 60 centimeters in width.

The first test images without the lens construction mounted have already been taken, something we have written about before. See the images and read morehere.

Would you like to read more about scientific photography or space photography? Read more on our page about space photography.

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