576-megapixel 'Zwicky Transient Facility' telescope sees first light

A sky survey destined to add yet another firehose of data to astronomy saw first light in early November. The 576-megapixel monster, known as the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) was installed on the 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope at Palomar, and captures 47 square degrees of sky in each image. As Caltech's announcement stated …

[Anonymous Coward]

Zwicky thought of it first

Nice to see old Fred Zwicky get a new scope named after him. Very interesting fellow, who called people he didn't like "spherical bastards" because any way you look at them, they're still bastards. He also did all his own maths, and dabbled in jet engine design, along with positing dark matter and how supernovas turn into neutron stars. Pretty cool dude.

[willi0000000]

Re: Zwicky thought of it first

"spherical bastards" . . . i might find a use for that.

[handleoclast]

Re: Zwicky thought of it first

spherical bastards" . . . i might find a use for that

Have another one I picked up years ago (can't remember where, may have been an SF story, may have been Dilbert). Coprolite. Often applicable to manglement. It means a fossilized turd.

[Michael H.F. Wilkinson]

Open data!

Will certainly have a go at applying tools we develop for BIG images (Gpixel to Tpixel range) on those. Great first-light image too.

[Tom 7]

Re: Open data!

I'm going to have to get a bigger monitor to use that as background. Though with my ADSL I'll have time to save up!

[Francis Boyle]

576-megapixels

is only 32K. Probably be the big thing for next Christmas.

[FozzyBear]

Now that's cool.

[Martin Budden]

More please

We need another one for the southern hemisphere to help find incoming asteroids, because I really don't fancy another Chicxulub any time soon.

Oh yeah, and we also need a way to deflect it once we've spotted it.

[Poe]

New item for the reg standards soviet?

1 Zwicky = 247 full moons

Applications limited, for now...

[Faux Science Slayer]

"Mysterious Dr X says, Universe is Not Expanding"

In archive at CanadaFreePress. In a Time magazine interview, "Shift on Shift" on Dec 14, 1936

the father of big bang said it was a hoax to get funding for the 200 inch Palomar telescope.