A group of scientists and engineers from California is developing a powerful camera with an amazingly high resolution. It has an admirable 3,200 megapixels and within months it will be integrated into an Observatory in Chile that will be inaugurated in 2022.
In the meantime the camera has already been tested and the first photograph you took is already known.
Scientists develop 3,200 MP camera
It is really amazing what technology is capable of creating. A group of scientists and engineers from California, USA is developing a powerful camera with extraordinary resolution. It has a capacity of 3,200 megapixels and will then be placed in a ground-based observatory in Chile, which will open in 2022.
The observatory is the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and its telescope is capable of making comprehensive records of the sky at once. But the team of researchers, who are working at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, wants this camera to be at the height of the telescope.
Individual image sensors from the 3,200 MP camera (Farrin Abbott / SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
A camera with almost 4 meters
The objective is for the camera to be able to capture large areas of the sky and, therefore, it is natural that it has large dimensions. According to Aaron Roodman, scientist responsible for assembling and testing the device:
THE CAMERA HAS A TOTAL OF ALMOST 4 METERS FROM THE FRONT LENSES TO THE REAR, WHERE WE WILL HAVE ALL THE SUPPORT EQUIPMENT, AND MEASURES ALMOST A METER AND A HALF IN DIAMETER.
Inside there are several components, such as a focal plane with 189 individual sensors, capable of taking a photograph with a resolution of 3,200 MP. In addition, equipment to cool the sensors to a temperature of -60º is also found inside.
3,200 MP camera (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
When the camera is fully assembled, a set of lenses helps to focus the light emitted by objects in the sky. However, the team intends to find a way to project images on the sensors in the focal plane, but without the need for lenses.
Thus, Roodman says that they managed to create what he calls a “pinhole projector”. At the bottom is a metal box with lights inside and a small pinhole. In this way, what is in the box will be projected on the sensors.
See how the camera works in the following video:
The first picture taken was of a broccoli
Yes, it is true, scientists chose a Romanesco broccoli to be the recipient of the first photograph captured by this equipment. The choice was related to the fractal structure of the plant.
Camera housing (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
Due to its detailed texture, this object served as a great test for the definition of the sensors of the camera.
The first photo, to Romanesco, can be seen below.
First photo captured by the 3,200 MP camera (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory)
But this was just the first image of a long testing phase that is now starting.
The objective is to adjust the camera's focal plane so that it can be integrated in the Observatory of Chile in the coming months.
Identifies objects 100 million times darker than the naked eye can
Once ready, this camera and the Simonyi Survey Telescope will be able to identify objects 100 million times darker than what you can see with the naked eye.
Chris Smith / SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
This sensitivity corresponds, for example, to the possibility of identifying the flame of a candle located thousands of kilometers away. Once the observatory is ready, you will then be able to produce images with a resolution and focal length capable of photographing a golf ball 25 km away from the lens.
But the pandemic also affected the development of this chamber, as it suffered delays in its completion. Testing of the equipment is therefore expected to end by the end of 2021, and Roodman's team hopes to finish the project in time for the Observatory to open in Chile in 2022.
