- Vera C. Rubin Observatory has launched its first complete resolution image
- He was captured with a 3,200 ultra potential megapixel digital camera
- The telescope will scan the sky for dark matter, asteroids and planet nine
The most powerful digital camera in the world has taken its first photos, and reveal the cosmos with a surprising detail. Shared as part of the ‘First look’ campaign of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the compound image captures a panoramic view of the trifid and lagoon nebulae, a region where new stars are being formed.
The fixed images come from the largest digital camera ever made. With a 3,200mp resolution, it is the central component of the telescope in the Rubin Observatory in Chile. By capturing a scene about 4-5,000 light years from the Earth, the images offer a spectacular vision of the machinery of the star of our universe.
The full size image, which can be downloaded here, is composed of 678 individual exhibitions, which measures about five gigapixels in total. A closer look reveals stellar clouds of dust and gas in an impressive color and details. However, more impressive than the scale is the speed with which the observatory produced the image: it took only 7.2 hours.
That makes the Rubin unique among space telescopes. When working fast and covering an ultra width field of vision in each picture, you can map large areas in a short time. The results are as valuable scientifically as beautiful. By revealing regions of the universe in new depth, they allow researchers to advance their understanding of our cosmic environment.
All eyes to heaven
These first images mark the beginning of a new era in astronomy. The Rubin Observatory is about to begin the survey inherited from space and time (LSST), a ten -year mission to map the night sky with unprecedented details. It is a project that could fundamentally change our understanding of the universe, not only for what it reveals, but for the frequency.
Unlike traditional observatories that go to narrow slices of space, the Rubin telescope is designed to scan the entire sky of the southern hemisphere every three nights. The dome repositions quickly to cover the skies, capturing images more than once per minute for approximately ten hours. This regular cadence will allow astronomers to detect changes more easily.
The Observatory is located on Cerro Pachón, a mountain peak in northern Chile. The remote location, the great altitude and the dry climate create almost perfect conditions for astronomy: the thinner air and the lack of light pollution allow the telescope to take advantage of the lighter and dark night skies. That gives the Rubin Observatory a wide observation window.
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During its test phase, it detected more than 2,000 asteroids previously unknown in just 10 hours, highlighting the potential of the telescope as an early alert system for our planet.
The observatory is also expected to play a main role in the search for the hypothetical planet Nine, a massive heavenly body that some scientists believe that the distant edge of our solar system is hiding. Its powerful optics and scan scope make the Rubin telescope the perfect tool to detect what is beyond Pluto’s orbit.
But perhaps Rubin’s most ambitious goal is related to what cannot be seen. By capturing data from innumerable galaxies, the Observatory will help researchers build a better image of the invisible dark matter that constitutes most of the universe, and the mysterious dark energy that is causing its expansion.
The key to the mission is the camera itself, which is the largest ever installed in a telescope. The size of a small car, captures a portion of the sky equivalent to 45 moons filled in one shot.
In the course of his survey, Rubin is expected to generate more than 60 data petabytes. It depends on the world’s scientific community to analyze the results and decipher their secrets.
