Most Sensitive Astronomical Camera in the World Completed

Experts at the University of Montreal, in Canada, have recently concluded their work on the world's most advanced and sensitive video camera. The team was led by physics PhD student Olivier Daigle, and the first models of the new instrument were produced by Quebec-based Photon etc. The American space agency NASA and the Mont-Megantic Observatory will be the first two institutions to test the device, which reportedly dwarfs existing ones in terms of performance, ScienceDaily informs.

The entire camera is constructed around a groundbreaking CCD controller, which is able to produce as much as 25 gigabits of data per second. The digital-imagery device is able to count photons very accurately, even in low-luminosity situations, its creators report. It can also amplify photons detected by other instruments, and its imagery chips are powered by electrical signals that are at least 500 times more precise than the next best camera out there today. This approach ensures that the ratio of noise in images of distant cosmic objects is reduced considerably.

To put things into perspective, installing the new CCD controller on the Mont-Megantic telescope is equivalent to doubling the observatory mirror's diameter. “The first astronomical results are astounding and highlight the increased sensitivity acquired by the new controller. The clarity of the images brings us so much closer to the stars that we are attempting to understand,” Daigle explains. Photon etc. incorporated the controller in conventional cameras, and orders came immediately. Customers include NASA, the University of Sao Paulo, in Brazil, and an European-Canadian consortium that is building and equipping a new telescope in Chile.

“The sensitivity of the cameras developed by the Centre de recherche en astrophysique du Quebec (CRAQ) and Photon etc. will not only help us better understand the depths of the universe but also better perceive weak optical signals coming from the human body. These signals can reveal the early signs of several diseases such as macular degeneration and certain types of cancer. An early diagnostic leads to early intervention, hopefully before the disease becomes more serious thus saving lives and important costs,” the President of Photon etc., Sebastien Blais-Ouellette, adds.