Chilean Observatory Camera to Grab Astounding Pics of Star-Space

The Rubin Observatory in Chile is considered one of the best and most advanced in the world. It’s located in the northern part of the country, after multiple ‘vision’ and clarity tests, to ensure best visibility.

   Now. The Site Has Fired Up An Unbelievably Powerful Camera

   According to Geekwire, the observatory began a new ambitious digital mapping of the night sky and starts, from horizon to horizon.

The camera they are employing is a stunning 3,200 mega pixels,  compare that to your new crisp cellphone camera which is between 12 and 24.

This decade-long survey of the sky is called the “greatest cosmic movie ever made.” As the camera rotates across the sky it snaps a picture every 40 seconds.  According to Geekwire:

“The observatory makes use of the world’s largest digital camera (3,200 megapixels per image) to capture a fresh picture every 40 seconds. If the skies over Chile are clear, the entire southern sky can be photographed over the course of just a few nights. Then Rubin begins the next round of picture-taking.”

 Northwest and Washington State Had a Hand in the Project.

University of Washington researchers helped develop software tools that will help the  Observatory analyze the multiple terabytes of data accumulated by the camera.

A terabyte is the largest unit of digital measurement. The camera is so powerful, scientists believe it could even shed light on dark matter and dark energy, which they say makes up 95 percent of what’s called the universe’s mass energy content.

According to Geekwire:

“Scientists say the key to Rubin’s success will be the ability to track changes in the night sky over the course of 10 years.”

So the next time you’re taking pics with your cellphone, imagine the power of 133 of them a once. (Video courtesy of NOIRLab  Astro Rubin Observatory on YouTube.)