The first all-digital survey of the skies is under way at Apache Point
Observatory in New Mexico, using an enormous metre-wide camera incorporating no
fewer than 54 microchip image sensors. The camera, built by University of
Chicago graduate student Connie Rockosi, collects almost all the available light
in the sky. Conventional film cameras capture just 1 per cent. The videotaped
data—called the Sloan Digital Sky Survey—will eventually catalogue
100 million celestial objects.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Why autism pioneer Uta Frith wants to dismantle the spectrum
2
Asteroid to miss Earth by a quarter of the length from us to the moon
3
PCOS has been officially renamed PMOS, and it’s a momentous move
4
Neanderthals treated a dental cavity by drilling into the tooth
5
Tiny 'metajets' could use light to steer sails for interstellar travel
6
Where did the laws of physics come from? I think I've found the answer
7
Natural sunscreen found in fish eggs can be made by E. coli factories
8
Ancient teeth hint at links between Denisovans and Homo erectus
9
A lost ancient script reveals how writing as we know it really began
10
Carbon credits are flawed, but they can still help save forests