Amazing Photos from Dark Energy Camera in Chile

Dark Energy Camera Photo

This zoomed-in image from the Dark Energy Camera of the center of the globular star cluster 47 Tucanae, which lies about 17,000 light years from Earth.

Dark Energy Galaxy

This photo from the new Dark Energy Camera, taken in September 2012, shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365, in the Fornax cluster of galaxies, which lies about 60 million light years from Earth.

Fornax Cluster of Galaxies

Zoomed-in image from the Dark Energy Camera of the Fornax cluster of galaxies, which lies about 60 million light years from Earth.

Fornax Cluster of Galaxies

Full Dark Energy Camera image of the Fornax cluster of galaxies, which lies about 60 million light years from Earth. The center of the cluster is the clump of galaxies in the upper portion of the image. The prominent galaxy in the lower right of the image is the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1365.

Globular Star Cluster 47 Tucanae

Full Dark Energy Camera composite image of the globular star cluster 47 Tucanae, which lies about 17,000 light years from Earth.

Dark Energy Camera CCD

The Dark Energy Camera features 62 charged-coupled devices (CCDs), which record a total of 570 megapixels per snapshot.

Dark Energy Camera

The Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the Blanco telescope in Chile.

Dark Energy Camera

The Dark Energy Camera, mounted on the Blanco telescope in Chile.

Small Magellanic Cloud

Full Dark Energy Camera composite image of the Small Magellanic Cloud (a band of greenish stars running from lower left toupper right), a dwarf galaxy that lies about 200,000 light years from Earth, and is a satellite of our Milky Way galaxy.

Scientists Build Prototype of Dark Energy Camera

Scientists build a prototype of the Dark Energy Camera, which will survey about one-tenth of the sky to measure 300 million galaxies and discover thousands of supernovae.

Dark Energy Camera Telescope Simulator

Dark Energy Camera telescope simulator at Fermilab.