Published: June 22, 2025, 03:51 PM
Astronomers have revealed the largest digital camera ever built — a technological marvel capable of capturing ultra-detailed images of the night sky and even spotting a golf ball from 15 miles away.
Housed at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, the camera is part of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) project and is nearing its final stages of development. The camera will be installed at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located atop Cerro Pachón in Chile, where it will photograph the entire visible southern sky every few nights.
With a staggering 3,200 megapixels, this camera is the most powerful of its kind. Its enormous lens — over five feet in diameter — and SUV-sized body allow it to take the broadest, deepest, and fastest digital survey of the night sky to date. Scientists say it will help catalogue more stars and galaxies than any previous astronomical survey.
Though not yet fully operational, the camera’s mechanical systems have been assembled. Recently, SLAC invited photographers into its clean room to catch a glimpse of the massive structure — a sight both scientific and photogenic.
According to SLAC, the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera measures about 5.5 feet by 9.8 feet (1.65 by 3 meters) and weighs roughly 6,200 pounds (2,800 kg).
At its heart lies the impressive focal plane, which contains 189 charge-coupled devices (CCDs). Each CCD has more pixels than an iPhone, and together, they create 3,200-megapixel images. Unlike a smartphone sensor, however, this focal plane is more than two feet wide, making it one of the most advanced imaging tools in astronomy.
