Publications

Lens and Camera Arrays for Sky Surveys and Space Surveillance

Ackermann, Mark R.; Cox, David D.; McGraw, John T.; Zimmer, Peter C.

In recent years, a number of sky survey projects have chosen to use arrays of commercia l cameras coupled with commercial photographic lenses to enable low - cost, wide - area observation. Projects such as SuperWASP, FAVOR, Raptor, Lotis, PANOPTES, and Dragonfly rely on multiple cameras with commercial lenses to image wide areas of the sky each n ight. The sensors are usually commercial astronomical change coupled devices ( CCD ) or digital single reflex (DSLR) cameras , while the lenses are large - aperture, high - end consumer items intended for general photography. While much of this equipment is very capable and relatively inexpensive, this approach comes with a number of significant limitations that reduce sensitivity and overall utility of the image data. The most frequently encountered limitations include lens vignetting, narrow spectral bandpass , a nd relatively large point spread function. Understanding these limits helps to assess the utility of the data, and identify areas where advanced optical designs could significantly improve survey performance.