SLAC Public Lecture | How we built the world's largest digital camera

The world’s biggest digital camera was built at SLAC, and shipped to the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in northern Chile last year. This observatory has a goal no less ambitious than to map the entire the southern sky and all of the galaxies out to 10 billion light years from earth.

At the center of the observatory is a digital camera the size of a small car, with a 5 1/2 foot entrance lens, 3.2 Giga-pixel resolution, and high precision built into each pixel to provide quality scientific data. This camera is a unique feat of engineering, designed and assembled at SLAC over the past 10 years. The huge data set from the camera will shed new light on cosmic phenomena, from the asteroids and minor planets in our solar system to the large-scale evolution of the universe.

In this talk, I will describe the camera design and discuss some of the challenges that we met during its construction. I will conclude by showing early images of the sky that the camera and the observatory have recently made public.

Join us at the Kavli Building or online. Registration is required if you plan to attend in person.

Site entry will be allowed starting at 6:30 p.m. Proceed directly to the Kavli Building to check in.

We will also be streaming the lecture live on our YouTube Channel. You do not need to register if you plan to watch online.

Click here for more information about the SLAC Public Lectures.

About the Speaker:

Travis Lange is a Senior Mechanical Engineer at SLAC. A Minnesota native, Travis obtained degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Minnesota. While completing his engineering degree, he was the lead mechanical engineer and project manager for the University of Minnesota's solar vehicle project.

Prior to joining SLAC, Travis spent nearly 12 years at Lawrence Livermore Lab developing the world’s most energetic, short pulse laser for the National Ignition Facility.

Also during this time, he spent nearly 4 years as an active adventure guide, taking clients on week-long hiking, biking, and cultural trips around the world.

Travis joined the Rubin LSST Camera team in October 2014 as the lead mechanical engineer for the Camera Integration and Testing. In his current role, he leads the management and planning for the operation of the LSST Camera.

Attend In Person:

The public lecture will be held in person at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, in the Kavli Auditorium in the Kavli Building (B51). Parking is free and can be found in front of the Science and User Support Building (B53). Doors open and site entry will be allowed starting at 6:30 p.m. Bring your registration ticket (printed or shown on phone) and a valid government ID (REAL ID or passport) for site entry. Proceed directly to the Kavli Building to check in.

Registered guests should arrive before 6:50 pm to secure a seat in the auditorium. After 6:50 pm, waitlist and walk-up guests will be admitted if space is available due to registered guest no-shows. The lecture will start promptly at 7 p.m. and conclude at 8 p.m. There will be opportunities to chat with the scientists following the event. Registration is required if you plan to attend the lecture in person. The deadline to register is Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

In order for SLAC to provide a safe environment for the public and our employees, and expedite access to the event, no handbags or backpacks larger than 12"x6"x12" will be allowed inside the venue. Exceptions to this policy will be made for all medically necessary items after proper inspection from SLAC-badged staff. To join the public lecture in person, you are required to follow all protocols and instructions from SLAC staff.