A "Miniature" Test Camera is Installed at Rubin Observatory

The Rubin Observatory Commissioning Camera, referred to as ComCam, was installed on the telescope mount in August 2022, and it will take its first images in 2023! ComCam is a “miniature” (when compared to the 3200-megapixel LSST Camera) 144-megapixel camera that will be used to test the different systems that will eventually interact with the full 3200-megapixel LSST Camera, allowing Rubin engineers and scientists to troubleshoot issues in advance of the full LSST Camera integration. ComCam will also produce valuable scientific preview data that will help the Rubin Science Community as it prepares to do science with the much larger Rubin data set during Operations.

So if it's on the telescope mount, why isn't ComCam taking images of the sky already? That's because it's the first part of the telescope's optical system to be installed. The mirrors, which will collect light from the sky and direct it towards the camera, will go on the telescope in mid 2023. After some testing, we'll be able to take the first images of the sky with ComCam! Watch this website, and follow us on social media, to see the first images taken by Com Cam.