This camera records at one trillion FPS and can capture moving light

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,291   +192
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Did you know that there exists a camera that can capture one trillion frames per second and is fast enough to capture moving light? Me neither, but apparently it’s been around for nearly two years and was created in the MIT Media Lab.

The video embedded above demonstrates how the camera is able to capture photos moving through space. As the narrator describes, you’ve probably seen images of a bullet traveling through an apple. Photons move about a million times faster than bullets, so capturing them is no easy feat.

This kind of technology could be useful in medical imaging, industrial or scientific use and perhaps even one day, consumer photography.

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"The video embedded above demonstrates how the camera is able to capture PHOTOS moving through space. As the narrator describes, you?ve probably seen images of a bullet traveling through an apple. PHOTOS move about a million times faster than bullets, so capturing them is no easy feat."

photos?

can't believe you mistyped PHOTONS twice, consistently :)
 
Photons move about a million times faster than bullets, so capturing them is no easy feat.

I don't get it. In order to see something a photon needs to enter your eye. In order to take a picture of something a photon needs to enter the lens and be recorded. So how could you possibly take a picture of a photon moving? That's sort of impossible by definition isn't it?
 
Photons move about a million times faster than bullets, so capturing them is no easy feat.

I don't get it. In order to see something a photon needs to enter your eye. In order to take a picture of something a photon needs to enter the lens and be recorded. So how could you possibly take a picture of a photon moving? That's sort of impossible by definition isn't it?

You're right - the camera doesn't record photons, but the scatter from light which occurs when it hits objects (read: that plastic coke bottle). The term photons is also misleading here, since even though it's true, you can see that the pulse of light is quite large, many magnitudes higher than a single photon (which allows all the scattering).
 
Photons move about a million times faster than bullets, so capturing them is no easy feat.

I don't get it. In order to see something a photon needs to enter your eye. In order to take a picture of something a photon needs to enter the lens and be recorded. So how could you possibly take a picture of a photon moving? That's sort of impossible by definition isn't it?
Yeah you have a point there. That's the way I understand it. Then again I didn't attend MIT.
 
Photons move about a million times faster than bullets, so capturing them is no easy feat.

I don't get it. In order to see something a photon needs to enter your eye. In order to take a picture of something a photon needs to enter the lens and be recorded. So how could you possibly take a picture of a photon moving? That's sort of impossible by definition isn't it?
Yeah you have a point there. That's the way I understand it. Then again I didn't attend MIT.
Its capturing the reflection of light off of objects into the camera lens.
 
Video uploaded on Dec 28, 2011, that was two years ago. Better late than never I guess.
 
LOL
I hate when that happens, you see someone that needs help listed on the main web page, click, and find out it is years old. WTF
 
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