Artifact Spotlight - RCA CCD chip and Dewar

CCD chip: RCA
Dewar: Unknown
Telescope interface: Coldwell Enterprises, Dartmouth NS
Date: 1979-1981
Artefact #: 2003.0222 and 2003.0223

This CCD chip was acquired by astronomers at Saint Mary’s University for a project to develop a new type of camera for use on telescopes. Because of their sensitivity to low levels of light, Charge Coupled Devices held great promise for astronomers.

In 1979 SMU Dr. Gary Welch and Dr. David DuPuy were awarded a NSERC grant to develop a CCD camera based on a CCD chip. The challenges included:

• cooling the CCD to a constant - 140 C to decrease the dark current (tiny electrical current generated by the chip when powered up but without any light falling on it), and
• developing software to read off, store and manipulate the large volume of data generated.

In less than 10 years CCDs revolutionized astronomy allowing space telescopes like Hubble and planetary probes like Mars Rover to surpass others using traditional imaging technology by hundreds of times in sensitivity. The revolution is as significant as the one begun by Galileo when he turned his telescopes to the sky 400 years ago.

The CCD shown here cost he same as 2 Volkswagen Beetles at the time.