Pan-STARRS 1 under construction

Filed under pretty pictures, optical telescopes

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This photo was taken on May 24, 2006, as Pan-STARRS 1 was nearing completion.

University of Hawai'i

Pan-STARRS stands for the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System. It will eventually consist of a total of four telescopes equipped with relatively small mirrors and the world's largest digital cameras, with 1.4-Gigapixel sensors. Pan-STARRS 1 is the first of the four telescopes to be completed and will serve as a prototype for the other three. The goal of the program is to observe the entire sky every month to discover and characterize faint near-Earth objects.

Original image data dated on or about May 24, 2006