The CCD Era

Abstract

In Chapters 5–10 we described the opening up of the electromagnetic spectrum to astronomers, partly as a result of the ability to put telescopes in space. It is now time to enter the fifth era of astronomy, in which visible light has once again become a cornerstone of progress. and ground-based telescopes are once again taking the lead in conducting astronomy surveys. A key to this resurgence has been the development of the charged coupled device (CCD)—a solid-state chip that is capable of capturing images electronically and then feeding them into a computer where they can be stored and analyzed. CCDs, and related devices called C-MOS chips, have completely replaced photographic plates as the technology of choice for recording visible and near-infrared images and spectra.