CCD Sensors: Capturing Starlight Digitally

  1. CCD stands for charge-coupled device, a sensor that converts light into electronic signals.
  2. Invented in 1969, CCDs revolutionized astronomy by replacing photographic plates.
  3. They are far more sensitive, detecting faint light from distant stars and galaxies.
  4. CCDs capture images pixel by pixel, with each pixel storing incoming photons as electric charge.
  5. They have linear response, meaning brightness in the image matches actual light intensity.
  6. Most modern telescopes, from ground-based observatories to Hubble, rely on CCDs.
  7. CCDs made possible precise measurements in photometry, spectroscopy, and astrometry.
  8. Their efficiency allows astronomers to observe objects billions of light-years away.
  9. CCD technology also benefits everyday devices like digital cameras and smartphones.
  10. By capturing starlight digitally, CCDs opened a new era of precision astronomy.