Cameras for Astronomy

Andor's product portfolio incorporates a range of performance solutions for Astronomy, from fast time resolution EMCCDs and sCMOS cameras to slow scan, very large area back-illuminated CCDs. Crucially, Andor’s unparalleled commitment to superb quality and ease of maintenance is designed to maximize your observing time and to minimize cost of ownership.

iXon EMCCD series - single photon sensitivity and > 90% QE at speed
Marana, Neo and Zyla sCMOS - resolution at very speed with - noise floor
iKon CCD series - up to 16.8 Megapixel back-illuminated CCDs with -100 °C TE cooling
Apogee CCD - resolution slow scan CCDs

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Large Area CCDs for Astronomy

Andor’s innovative approach to - performance has delivered iKon-XL, a very large area CCD platform that uniquely cools a back-illuminated 16.8 MP sensor to -100°C. The 4 MP iKon-L camera has long been the mainstay for many observing projects, including SuperWasp and Next Generation Transit Survey exoplanet programs.

16.8 Megapixel back-illuminated CCDs (e2v)
TE cooling to -100 °C - NO liquid nitrogen or cryo-cooling
Near Infra-Red optimization - dwarf star detection
18-bit Extended Dynamic Range technology

Key Application: Exoplanet detection (Transit and Radial Velocimetry), Wide Spectroscopic Survey, Photometry, Supernova detection.

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EMCCDs for Fast Time Resolution

Featuring single photon sensitivity, TE cooling to -100 °C and > 95% QE, the iXon EMCCD range has been central to many demanding observing initiatives, such as the RAVEN ‘Multi-Object Adaptive ’ system at the Subaru Telescope (Hawaii), CHIMERA, the Caltech speed multi-color camera for detecting transiting objects in the Kuiper Belt, and SOFIA (pictured).

Single photon sensitivity
efficiency > 95%
Up to 1 Megapixel
26 - 515 full frames per second

Key Applications: Wavefront sensors, time resolution astrophysics,
Speckle/Lucky imaging and Transit surveys.

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sCMOS for Fast Time Resolution

Including the new Marana back-illuminated solution, scientific CMOS (sCMOS) technology is especially relevant for fast time resolution astronomy, combining resolution / large of view coverage of the sky with very fast time resolution, yet without sacrificing - noise performance. We are currently developing a next-generation, very large area sCMOS camera – enquire for further details!

Extremely noise down to 0.9 e^-
Rapid frame rates up to 100 fps (full frame)
Large FOV up to 32mm diagonal (back-illuminated)
Wide dynamic range up to 53,000:1

Key Applications: Solar astronomy, Near Earth Object detection,
Space debris tracking, Transit surveys and Wavefront sensors

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Apogee High-Resolution CCD Range

Andor’s Apogee Camera Range presents a wide selection of ‘mid-range’ full frame and interline cooled CCD options, offering resolution imaging solutions across a variety of budget levels.

Up to 16 Megapixel cooled to 50 °C below ambient
USB 2.0 connectivity and Ethernet connectivity
Full range of filters, filter wheels and adapters

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Which Astronomy camera do I need?

The illustration below should help you to find the perfect solution for your Astronomy needs. Whether it is speed, resolution, of view or even budget that you care most about, you can find it here. Alternatively, contact our Astronomy specialists and let them know what it is you're looking for.

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