Four Andor frame transfer CCD cameras are helping Chinese astronomers scan the night sky above the South Pole for faint, transient sources of light, such as supernovae and minor planets.
Each of the DV435 1 x 1k cameras records the light captured by four separate 14.5cm Schmidt-Cassegrain optical telescopes that form the Chinese Small Telescope Array (CSTAR).
This has been deployed on Dome A - the highest point on the Antarctic plateau.
Dome A is an ideal site for high-resolution imaging since its extremely cold temperatures means very low levels of both background infrared and water vapour content.
As three of the telescopes have specially chosen filters, and one is filter-less, CSTAR can produce a data-rich photometric catalogue as it records the night sky.
During the field trials, more than 10,000 sources of light, down to ~16th magnitude, were successfully detected during each 30sec exposure.
Frame transfer technology is said to be ideal for this application since it does not require a mechanical shutter - a prerequisite for trouble-free operation when temperatures can fall to -80C.
In Andor DV435 frame transfer CCDs, half the chip is covered by an opaque mask for image storage, and the other half exposed to the signal.
This allows for rapid acquisition of sequences of image data at the peak quantum efficiency of ~95 per cent.
As soon as one frame is exposed, its charge is shifted to the masked area.
While the masked frame is being read out, data are still being acquired for the next readout.
With no shutter, there are no mechanical delays.
