On June 23, a giant digital camera gave astronomers a new look at the universe. Located at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, in Chile, the world’s largest digital camera was built to photograph distant reaches of outer space. The observatory revealed its first photos during a press conference. The new photos show stars, galaxies, and thousands of previously unseen asteroids.
The camera is powerful, capable of capturing clear images from far away. How far? The new images revealed two nebulas—giant, colorful clouds of dust and gas—located thousands of light-years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, or nearly 6 trillion miles.
Željko Ivezić directed the construction of the project. During the press conference, he called the camera “the greatest astronomical discovery machine ever built.” He explained that the camera will photograph deep space for the next 10 years. During that time, the observatory hopes to capture photos of 20 billion galaxies.
The camera will also allow astronomers to investigate dark matter, which NASA calls “a mysterious substance that affects and shapes the cosmos.” And the camera will help astronomers identify any asteroids that might be on a collision course with Earth.
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