• Cut-away render of the telescope model showing the inner workings. Image: LSST Project/J. Andrew
    Cut-away render of the telescope model showing the inner workings. Image: LSST Project/J. Andrew
  • Members of the team building the LSST, a large survey telescope being built in Northern Chile, gather to celebrate the successful casting of the telescope's 27.5-foot-diameter mirror blank in August 2008. Image: Howard Lester / LSST
    Members of the team building the LSST, a large survey telescope being built in Northern Chile, gather to celebrate the successful casting of the telescope's 27.5-foot-diameter mirror blank in August 2008. Image: Howard Lester / LSST
  • A technician seen through the human-sized L1 lens of the Rubin Observatory camera. Image: LSST
    A technician seen through the human-sized L1 lens of the Rubin Observatory camera. Image: LSST
  • Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Milky Way. Image LSST.
    Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Milky Way. Image LSST.
  • Night Light over Vera C. Rubin Observatory with the brightening of the sky due to the artificial light that can be seen as clusters of bright lights on the horizon. Image: LSST By Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Quint
    Night Light over Vera C. Rubin Observatory with the brightening of the sky due to the artificial light that can be seen as clusters of bright lights on the horizon. Image: LSST By Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Quint
  • Construction progress of the LSST observatory building at Cerro Pachón as of 2022. Image: Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos
    Construction progress of the LSST observatory building at Cerro Pachón as of 2022. Image: Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos
  • Color-coded cutaway drawing of the LSST camera. Image by: Todd Mason, Mason Productions Inc. / LSST Corporation.
    Color-coded cutaway drawing of the LSST camera. Image by: Todd Mason, Mason Productions Inc. / LSST Corporation.
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World-record 2.7-tonne, 3,200-megapixel camera with 1.5m lenses set to begin operation

By Tim Levy | 18 March 2025

The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Camera is a monumental achievement in the world of astronomy and technology. This massive camera, designed to capture the most detailed images of the universe, is one of the most advanced instruments ever created for studying the cosmos.

It is a central component of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a groundbreaking facility located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The camera, with its extraordinary size and capability, will play a pivotal role in the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which is set to map the southern sky in unprecedented detail.

The total construction cost for the LSST and observatory is expected to be about US$680 million.

Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Milky Way. Image LSST.
Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Milky Way. Image LSST.

At the heart of the LSST Camera is its sheer scale and the technological innovation behind it. The camera is equipped with an extraordinary 3,200-megapixel sensor, which is the highest resolution of any camera ever built.

The camera’s design allows it to capture vast sections of the sky at once. In a single exposure, it can cover an area 40 times the size of the full moon. This remarkable field of view will enable astronomers to capture vast swaths of the sky, identifying celestial objects and events that were previously too distant or too faint to detect.

A technician seen through the human-sized L1 lens of the Rubin Observatory camera. Image: LSST
A technician seen through the human-sized L1 lens of the Rubin Observatory camera. Image: LSST

The LSST Camera is not only vast in its resolution and field of view but also in the data it generates. Every night, it will collect 20 terabytes of data, which will be transmitted to data centres for analysis. This data will be used to create the most comprehensive, high-definition map of the universe ever made.

The survey will observe a wide range of phenomena, including the evolution of galaxies, the behaviour of stars, and the discovery of new celestial objects like asteroids. One of the most exciting prospects of this survey is its potential to reveal insights into dark matter and dark energy, two of the universe’s greatest mysteries. The LSST is designed to detect subtle changes in the universe’s expansion and provide clues to understanding the forces that govern the cosmos.

Color-coded cutaway drawing of the LSST camera. Image by: Todd Mason, Mason Productions Inc. / LSST Corporation.
Colour-coded cutaway drawing of the LSST camera.
Image by: Todd Mason, Mason Productions Inc. / LSST Corporation.

The Rubin Observatory and its LSST Camera will also help track potentially hazardous asteroids, providing vital data that could help predict and prevent catastrophic collisions with Earth. The camera’s sensitivity extends across a broad range of wavelengths, from ultraviolet to near-infrared light, allowing it to detect a wide variety of cosmic phenomena, including supernovae, the birth of stars, and the movement of distant galaxies.

A technician seen through the human-sized L1 lens of the Rubin Observatory camera. Image By Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos
Construction progress of the LSST observatory building at Cerro Pachón as of 2022.
Image: Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/T. Matsopoulos

The LSST Camera is not just a tool for professional astronomers. The data collected by the camera will be made available to the public and to citizen scientists, ensuring that anyone with the interest and expertise can participate in this groundbreaking survey. The open-source nature of the project will foster collaboration and make it possible for discoveries to be made by individuals all over the world.

Perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring aspects of the LSST Camera is its size. The camera’s largest lenses are about 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide, making them some of the largest optical lenses ever constructed. The sheer scale of the camera, both in its physical size and its data collection capabilities, is a testament to the remarkable advancements in technology and engineering that have made it possible. It is a symbol of how far human ingenuity has come in our quest to understand the universe.

Night Light over Vera C. Rubin Observatory with the brightening of the sky due to the artificial light that can be seen as clusters of bright lights on the horizon. Image: LSST By Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Quint
Night Light over Vera C. Rubin Observatory with the brightening of the sky due to the artificial light that can be seen as clusters of bright lights on the horizon. Image: LSST By Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Quint

The Rubin Observatory is set to begin full science operations in 2025, and once it does, it will usher in a new era of astronomical discovery. The data produced by the LSST Camera will change the way we view the universe, providing answers to some of the most fundamental questions about the nature of space, time, and existence.

For the next decade, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time will serve as a window into the cosmos, offering scientists and the public alike a glimpse of the vast and awe-inspiring universe in which we live.

You can find out more about the project on the LSST website.