Although this mega-huge sensor (600 mm) is not meant for conventional filmmaking, it constitutes an amazing technological achievement in digital imagery. Meet the world’s largest digital camera, made of 189 CCD sensors, that is capable of producing 3,200-megapixel images, for space exploration purposes.
World’s largest digital camera
This camera was designed for the purpose of exploring cosmic mysteries as part of the Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, previously referred to as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), is an astronomical observatory currently under construction in Chile. The camera itself was built and assembled in SLAC, which is the National Accelerator Laboratory operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energy and located in Menlo Park, California. According to SLAC: “The images are so large that it would take 378 4K ultra-high-definition TV screens to display one of them in full size, and their resolution is so high that you could see a golf ball from about 15 miles away. These and other properties will soon drive unprecedented astrophysical research”.
The images are so large that it would take 378 4K ultra-high-definition TV screens to display one of them in full size, and their resolution is so high that you could see a golf ball from about 15 miles away.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Watch the video to shed some more light about this extraordinary digital camera:
Sensor Size of 2 feet wide (array of 189 small CCD sensors)
The LSST giant camera is armed with a revolutionary mega sensor with a size of 2 feet wide. The sensor is assembled from 189 individual sensors and is able to produce 3,200-megapixel images. Those individual sensors are similar to modern digital cameras but larger and more sophisticated. SLAC says that it took the crews six months to assemble the array of sensors that sits on the focal plane. A significant part of the process was Inserting the rafts (modules of 9 sensors which cost up to $3M) into the focal plane of the LSST Camera, which was a high-stakes operation that took about six months.
Watch the timeLapse video below that demonstrates this process:
3200-megapixel images
The LSST Camera team at SLAC has released the first images taken using the LSST Camera focal plane. These are the first 3200 megapixel images ever taken as single shots. Although those images don’t tell us much, it’s a fascinating discovery. Also, at this stage, the images are monochrome.
Click on the links below to explore the images taken with the focal plane of the LSST Camera in full resolution:
The sensor is assembled from 189 individual sensors and is able to produce 3,200-megapixel images. Those individual sensors are similar to modern digital cameras but larger and more sophisticated.
Over the next few months, the LSST Camera team will integrate the remaining camera components, including the lenses, a shutter, and a filter exchange system. By mid-2021, the SUV-sized camera will be ready for final testing.
Insights
Believe it or not, but the LSST camera reminds me of ALEXA 65, because of the stitched sensors. Although the sensors of the LSST are not stitched but assembled, it indicates a breakthrough regarding sensors technology and the creative approach of unique R&D processes. Nevertheless, this is just a fascinating and awe-inspiring piece of information I’m delighted to share with you. For more information, check out SLAC’s article.
