The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has “large” in its name for a reason. Yet, “large” just doesn’t seem sufficient enough once you’ve finished delving into this amazing panorama featuring a section of the machine, put together by photographer Peter McCready. Maybe the scientists at CERN are giving themselves some lexical breathing room for the next model up?
The panorama, which can be experienced in full over at Time magazine, shows off the LHC’s compact muon solenoid (CMS) as it was in 2008. While being one of the core components responsible for detecting proton collisions when the collider is in operation, at 21 metres in length, it represents just a tiny portion of the 27km long LHC. Those 21 metres more than carry their weight — literally — with the CMS constructed of some 12,500 tonnes of metal and hardware.
For iPhone and iPad users, the site features optimised versions of the panorama for these devices.
[Time]
Image: Peter McCready