The World's Biggest Digital Camera Begins Engineering Phase - Polidicks

[QUOTE]The biggest digital camera in the world, both in terms of physical size and giga-capacity, just won an early approval from the U.S. Department of Energy, which is funding the project. The camera for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope will now proceed to a detailed engineering and design phase, another step toward the start of construction in two years. From its perch in the Chilean Andes, the LSST will make a survey of the entire sky every three nights, snapping the equivalent of 800,000 8-megapixel images and gathering 30 terabytes of data every night. The camera required to do this is a 3-ton monster, capable of capturing an area 49 times the size of the moon in a single image. Its deep, wide-field images will capture anything from near-Earth asteroids to the properties of dark matter and dark energy. The most recent decadal survey of astronomical priorities placed the LSST at the top of the list, with astronomers anticipating many detailed returns from a telescope that will spot new phenomena in near real-time. It will take images in five or more bands of the light spectrum, from 400nm to 1060nm (visible to infrared light). Now that it’s achieved “Critical Decision 1” status, the camera project can start a formal design and building phase, following a specific budget and time frame. The DOE and the National Science Foundation are sharing the cost of the entire telescope project, with the DOE funding the camera portion. The telescope is supposed to start construction by 2014. While the camera design review progresses, work has already started on the telescope’s 8.4-meter primary mirror and the telescope’s home atop Cerro Pachón in northern Chile. [img]http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/gigacam.png[/img][/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-04/worlds-biggest-digital-camera-designed-observing-space-gets-closer-reality[/url]

Can't wait to see pictures from this

[QUOTE=Bassplaya7;35725066]Can't wait to see pictures from this[/QUOTE] each image would be at least 3 or so TB large would probably take me several months to download

That won't stop me.

[QUOTE=Aurora93;35725360]each image would be at least 3 or so TB large would probably take me several months to download[/QUOTE] So start downloading in time for Christmas

Will this be going into space?

God dammit, and I just got a camera for my birthday. Time to toss it and do a heist with some skycranes and semi-trucks.

[QUOTE=Aurora93;35725360]each image would be at least 3 or so TB large would probably take me several months to download[/QUOTE] Fuck it. I know everyone hates .jpgs here but I think in this case it's justifiable. Maybe we can crunch it down to a few hundred gigabytes or so.

Tape a picture of a dick to the lens facing inward. :v:

[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;35727316]Tape a picture of a dick to the lens facing inward. :v:[/QUOTE] Bonus points if you put it on a spot that puts it near Uranus. "Um guys? I just found a giant cock heading for Uranus!"

[QUOTE=usaokay;35726481]Someday in the future, this will be compact sized.[/QUOTE] If you're talking about the sensor resolution, perhaps yes, but it would be pretty much useless with a smaller lens.

[QUOTE=Kabstrac;35726373][IMG]http://froknowsphoto.com/froknows/media/kunena/attachments/184/Sigma-200-500mm-F2.8-EX-DG-Super-Lens1.jpg[/IMG] Was gonna buy this, but maybe I`ll hold out for the lens in the article instead[/QUOTE] Is that a fucking [i]telescope[/i] mounted to his camera?

[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;35727630]Is that a fucking [i]telescope[/i] mounted to his camera?[/QUOTE] 600mm lens. Lenses become prohibitively large as you increase the focal length.

[QUOTE=Nipa;35727902]600mm lens. Lenses become prohibitively large as you increase the focal length.[/QUOTE] [url=http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/photo-news/538697/nikon-coolpix-p510-bridge-camera-sports-24-1000mm-super-zoom-update]Not really.[/url] [hd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dFOnLkWz0I[/hd]

[QUOTE=Nipa;35727902]600mm lens. Lenses become prohibitively large as you increase the focal length.[/QUOTE] It's actually a 200-500mm f/2.8 lens.

i gove it 10 years and this will be on your phone

[QUOTE=Nipa;35727902]600mm lens. Lenses become prohibitively large as you increase the focal length.[/QUOTE] No and no. But they become enormous when you want them to have a high focal lenght AND a big aperture.

Use THIS to photograph the Moon instead. high-definition Moon wallpapers, here we come!

I would take a picture and keep zooming in to see what shit looks like super close up, like skin, the iris or the inside of someone's nose.