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June 24, 2008
The University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy's PS1 observatory on Maui is equipped with a digital camera capable of capturing 1.4-billion-pixel images (most consumer cameras grab only 6- to 12-million-pixel images). PS1 is part of the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS). Pan-STARRS's goal is to detect 99 percent of potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids that are 300 meters (984 feet) across or larger.

Photograph by Stephen Alvarez
Photo Date: November 8, 2007

Click here to see more of Stephen Alvarez's images from the August 2008 feature, "Target Earth."
Check out our interactive map of impact craters around the world.

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