LSST Camera Arrives at Rubin Observatory

The LSST Camera is lifted out of its shipping crate on the third level of Rubin Observatory. The 3200-megapixel LSST Camera is the largest digital camera in the world, and it will soon be installed on the Simonyi Survey Telescope at Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. When Rubin begins the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) in late 2025, the LSST Camera will take detailed images of the southern hemisphere sky for 10 years, building the most comprehensive timelapse view of our Universe we’ve ever seen. Using the LSST Camera, Rubin Observatory will fuel advances — and brand new discoveries — in many science areas, including exploring the nature of dark matter and dark energy, mapping the Milky Way, surveying our Solar System, and studying celestial objects that change in brightness or position.

Alt text: The car-sized LSST Camera is lifted above the floor inside Rubin Observatory, surrounded by about 8 people in construction protective clothing. The camera looks like a super-sized version of the lens portion of a handheld DSLR or similar, with a 5.5-foot diameter lens cap displaying the Rubin and SLAC National Lab logos.