17-07-2025
World's largest digital camera captures clear images of galaxies
A team at an astronomical observatory in Chile has released images by "the world's largest digital camera", which can capture 3.2 billion pixels.
The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, jointly set up by US institutions, is equipped with an 8.4-meter telescope and a 3.2-gigapixel camera. It has been recognized as the world's largest digital camera by Guinness World Records.
The equipment is said to provide the widest field of view achieved by a telescope of its class -- wide enough to capture an area of the sky equivalent to 45 full moons in a single exposure. Images taken between April and May were made public for the first time.
One composite image, compiled from 678 photos, reveals galaxies located thousands of light years from Earth in the direction of the Sagittarius constellation.
The image clearly shows gases and dust -- the materials that form stars.
Another composite, made from 1,185 photos captured in the direction of Virgo, reportedly contains around 10 million galaxies.
The team plans to continuously photograph the entire sky over the southern hemisphere over the next ten years. Scientists hope to make new discoveries, such as finding asteroids within the solar system and identifying how dark matter distorts space.
Dark matter is a mysterious substance making up the majority of a galaxy's mass and acting as an invisible glue that keeps stars, dust, and gas together.
Associate Professor Utsumi Yousuke of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and a member of the team said he expects numerous astronomical questions will be answered by observing the universe with an unprecedented breadth and depth.
