Megacam

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tbenedict

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Description

Megacam, which was integrated into its operating environment and commissioned in 2002, is still the largest CCD camera in scientific operation.

Megacam is part of a one degree field of view visible light imager that is used at prime focus on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is made up of 40 2kx4k EEV CCDs, 36 of which are in use. The total detector size is upwards of 360 megapixels.

The wide field corrector for Megaprime offers outstanding optical quality across the entire field of view, and includes an image stabilization unit. (Yes, the world's largest operational digital camera has image stabilization.) The camera is read out over proprietary fiber optic communication cards on a detector host running Linux. (Yes, it includes Linux drivers. Long standing joke here.)

For more information about Megacam and the other facility instruments at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, you can visit:

http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu

Keep looking up!
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Date Created 7/6/2009

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Comments

(3)
swami_worldtraveler Over 1 year ago
I love astronomy, and I love digital imaging. This is very cool. Tnx. And yes, I'm a BIG GEEK! (haha:) OK, I'm off to find images produced w/ this baby...
swami_worldtraveler Over 1 year ago
P.S. My astronomy field guide book is personally signed by Horkheimer, the Star Hustler! And yes, the inscription reads, "Keep looking up!"
tbenedict Over 1 year ago
That's one regret I have: I never met Jack Horkheimer. That's awesome that you did, and that he signed your book that way!

If you're interested in seeing an image off of Megaprime, here's one at full resolution:

http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/en/news/CFHT30/

It's the CFHT Legacy Survey Deep Field 1. There are apparently half a million galaxies present in that one field. For more on the science goals of the CFHT Legacy Survey, this is the project's web site:

http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/Science/CFHLS/

Keep looking up!

Tom
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