One of the things top most on my mind is how the world would end. I’m laying my bets on the idea, maybe hope, that it would be because of an asteroid shower. But if this idea worries you, then the PAN-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) project would help put you at ease.

PAN-STARRS is set to scan the skies for asteroids using four telescopes fitted with the world’s largest digital camera. From the top of Mt. Haleakala in Maui Island, Hawaii, each of these telescopes will view sections of the sky with the help of their 1.4 billion pixel digital camera strong enough to take pictures of asteroids and other NEOs (Near Earth Objects) of sizes as small as 300metres in diameter. The cameras have CCDs (Charge-Coupled Devices) which help provide clarity to the pictures taken notwithstanding atmospheric disturbances, according to Barry Burke, the creator of the cameras. The CCDs are arranged in a 40cm sq array and, using orthogonal transfer CCD technology, the lens of the cameras can be tilted to adjust the image producing a sharper visual without the need for this to be done mechanically.

The digicam-equipped telescopes would be functioning from December and would be on the lookout for asteroids and NEOs thrice a month.

Via: DeviceDaily