This 3.2 gigapixel cauliflower is the largest photograph ever taken

By Leah Crane

A close-up image of a Romanesco cauliflower made to test the sensors for a telescope in Chile

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

It’s time to take a look at the big picture. This unassuming image of a Romanesco cauliflower is actually one of the largest digital photographs ever snapped, at 3.2 gigapixels. Larger composite images have been produced, but this is the biggest single photograph ever made.

The image was taken with the sensor array that will eventually be part of the world’s largest digital camera, which will be attached to a telescope at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in …