Billion-pixel camera to map the Milky Way
Technicians working on the 'billion-pixel array,' which will be used aboard the Gaia spacecraft to map a billion stars (Photo: Astrium)
Article Summary
At approximately one billion pixels, it’s the largest digital camera ever built for a space mission. Over a five-year period, the “billion-pixel array” will be used aboard the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft, to map upwards of a billion stars. While it will be focusing mainly on our own Milky Way galaxy, Gaia will also be mapping other celestial bodies, including galaxies and quasars near the edge of the observable universe.
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