The figures are impressive. A 3200 megapixel sensor (3.2 gigapixels or 3.2 billion pixels), the equivalent of the resolution of 260 smartphones cameras. It will take about 1000 high -definition images every three nights for ten years. Capture images with a field of vision 45 times greater than that of the full moon and use six color filters. It weighs 2,800 kilos and will generateApproximately 20 terabytes of data per night, in addition to an additional catalog database of 15 petabytes. It is about Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), part of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. And it is the largest camera in the world.
In 10 years, Rubin’s data processing will generate around 500 petabytesand the final data set will contain billions of objects with billion measurements
It is designed to capture incredibly detailed images of the entire southern sky for a period of ten years, mapping billions of galaxies and looking for dark matter and energy.
The camera is installed in the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, at the top of a mountain in the Chilean Andes, and has recently published His first images. In just a few hours of tests, The observatory registered millions of galaxies, thousands of asteroids and cosmic phenomena never seen.
“Through this extraordinary scientific installation, we will explore numerous cosmic mysteries, including the matter and dark energy that permeate the universe”, Says Brian Stone, director of the National Foundation of Science (NSF).
The first image of almost 5 gigapixels combines 678 exhibitions taken at just 7.2 hours of observation and was composed from about two billion data pixels in total. No other observatory is able to produce an image of such a wide area with such speed and depth, according to those responsible.
The camera acts next to an 8.4 meter telescope and the set receives its name in honor of The American astronomic pioneer Vera C. Rubinwho found conclusive evidence of vast amounts of invisible material known as dark matter. Understanding the nature of dark matter, dark energy and other large -scale cosmic mysteries is a central objective of the Rubin Observatory mission.
The Rubin Observatory will also be The most efficient and efficient solar system discovery machine ever built. It will also be a turning point for planetary defense by detecting many more asteroids than ever, and potentially identifying some that could impact the earth or the moon.
The amount of data collected by the Rubin Observatory only in its first year will be greater than that compiled by all other optical observatories together. This valuable data set will help scientists make innumerable discoveries about the universe and will serve as an incomparable resource for scientific exploration during the next decades.
Thanks to the regular publication of data, scientists will be able to carry out their own research with Rubin’s data remotely, which will allow and accelerate innumerable discoveries about our universe and will advance the science of ways that we still cannot predict.