World's Largest Astronomical CCD Camera Installed On Palomar Observatory Telescope

In message , Ron Baalke
writes
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/982.html

World's largest astronomical CCD camera installed on Palomar
Observatory telescope
Indiana University
July 29, 2003


In addition to the usual point-and-shoot mode, the new camera is
designed to work in the
drift scan mode. The telescope is pointed at the sky but does not move
to counteract the
rotation of the Earth. Instead, various objects in the sky gradually
drift across the field of
view at the same rate as the computer records data from the CCDs, producing
photographs that are long strips of the sky. Astronomers will use these
photographic slices
of the sky to look for quasars, supernovae, asteroids and more.

This must be the ultimate version of the technique Tom Droege was
working on a few years ago.
--
"Roads in space for rockets to travel....four-dimensional roads, curving with
relativity"
Mail to jsilverlight AT merseia.fsnet.co.uk is welcome.
Or visit Jonathan's Space Site http://www.merseia.fsnet.co.uk

"Jonathan Silverlight" wrote in message
...
In message , Ron Baalke
writes
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/982.html

World's largest astronomical CCD camera installed on Palomar
Observatory telescope
Indiana University
July 29, 2003


In addition to the usual point-and-shoot mode, the new camera is
designed to work in the
drift scan mode. The telescope is pointed at the sky but does not move
to counteract the
rotation of the Earth. Instead, various objects in the sky gradually
drift across the field of
view at the same rate as the computer records data from the CCDs,
producing
photographs that are long strips of the sky. Astronomers will use these
photographic slices
of the sky to look for quasars, supernovae, asteroids and more.

This must be the ultimate version of the technique Tom Droege was
working on a few years ago.

He still is: http://www.tass-survey.org

Interesting reading and much more.

--
"Roads in space for rockets to travel....four-dimensional roads, curving
with
relativity"
Mail to jsilverlight AT merseia.fsnet.co.uk is welcome.
Or visit Jonathan's Space Site http://www.merseia.fsnet.co.uk

Steve Willner wrote:

In article ,
Jonathan Silverlight writes:
This must be the ultimate version of the technique Tom Droege was
working on a few years ago.

I am not so sure about "ultimate," although that is not to denigrate
the project in any way. I'm sure it will do great things. The
technique, "TDI," is far from new, but that does not make it any less
valuable.

People interested in this sort of thing might want to see
http://www.noao.edu/lsst/

The plan is to have over 2 gigapixels. I don't think even this is
necessarily "ultimate."

"Ultimate" means "last", but not necessarily "the last ever".

--
Odysseus