It is needed for the Vera Rubin Observatory
Scientists and engineers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have completed work on the world's largest digital camera.
This is a camera with a resolution of 3200 megapixels, that is, 3.2 gigapixels. And this is not a camera for any mobile device at all. On the contrary, the dimensions of the camera are comparable to a compact car, and the weight is 3 tons.
The camera is designed for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory — a ground-based observatory currently under construction in Chile, which will be distinguished by its very wide field of view and speed of operation. It is expected that the telescope will take about 200,000 photographs per year, which will create a completely new data array.
Consisting of 189 light-sensitive CCDs, the camera will allow you to see the golf ball from a distance of more than 24 km.
Given the size and fragility of the instrument, its delivery — This is a separate, very difficult task. Scientists had to create a «blank» the same size and weight and give it a large number of sensors, and then send it along the same route that the real camera will later take. This was necessary to assess the overloads and vibrations that the device will experience on the road.
After installation, the camera sensor will be cooled to −100 degrees Celsius. The first images are now scheduled for next spring.