According to Rubin Observatory Deputy Director Aaron Roodman, both components are in the Guinness Book of World Records due to their unprecedented size.
Something to look forward to: Engineers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California are finalizing work on what will be the world’s largest digital camera. The 3,200-megapixel camera (that’s 3.2 gigapixels) will be the crown jewel of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s telescope, which is currently under construction in Chile. The camera features a 25-foot mirror to collect light and a 5.5-foot lens for focusing duties.
According to Rubin Observatory Deputy Director Aaron Roodman, both components are in the Guinness Book of World Records due to their unprecedented size.
Rubin will collect a mind-melting 20 terabytes of data, each and every night, for 10 years. It’ll have a viewing angle of 18,000 square degrees and see roughly 20 billion galaxies and 17 billion stars in the Milky Way. The huge treasure trove of data will be used to essentially create a living record of the sky, allowing scientists to chart the progress of cosmic events like the movement of asteroids or comets as well as supernova explosions.
