In the early 1990s, a group of scientists had a dream: a new type of telescope that would push astronomy, astrophysics, and imaging technology further than ever before. It would be a device that could see giant swaths of the sky and help unravel the mystery of dark matter. 30 years later, that dream is a reality.
After more than two decades and a few delays, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Camera is finally built and ready to be sent to the Rubin Observatory in Chile, where it will capture 3,200-megapixel photos of deep space and help scientists unravel the mysteries of the Universe.
While this surreal image looks like a planet floating in space, it is actually a 360-degree image of an astronomical observatory.
Researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory are nearly done with the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Camera, the world's largest digital camera ever built for astronomy.