The world’s largest camera, part of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, will unveil its first images and videos of space on Monday. The observatory features a 8.4-meter telescope equipped with a 3.2-gigapixel digital camera.
Engineers are running final tests before the telescope starts its official survey later this year. However, initial data has already been captured, allowing people to see photos and videos of the southern sky in ultra-high definition through a live stream.
The Rubin Observatory will capture an area of the sky roughly the size of 45 full moons every 30 seconds, providing unprecedented views of the Southern Hemisphere sky approximately every three days. The data will be compiled into a time-lapse record, creating “the largest astronomical movie of all time.”
Over ten years, the observatory will study distant stars, supernovas, billions of galaxies, and millions of comets and asteroids. It will also search for dark matter and dark energy, two mysterious components making up over 95 percent of the universe.
The telescope’s namesake, Vera C. Rubin, discovered pivotal evidence of dark matter in the late 1970s by mapping galaxy rotations. The observatory will continue her legacy, providing insights into the cosmos that will help scientists better understand our place in the universe.
Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-worlds-largest-camera-is-about-to-unveil-its-first-photos-of-space-heres-how-to-follow-along-with-a-live-stream-180986851