Our cameras started out small and simple, but have grown in size and performance with each new model. Here is a short history of the hardware Tom Droege has built.
Back in 1994, Tom turned a one-dimensional FAX scanner upside down,
stuck a lens in front of it, and created the Mark I camera.
You can
read more about Mark I
and see an example of its images; a thumbnail sits below.
This strip is 30 degrees wide, and the scan proceeds downwards
(not across the screen).
The Mark II camera was a bit more sophisticated, and had a much
smaller field of view.
I have
little more information about Mark II,
including a picture of the Andromeda galaxy:
The Mark III system is actually 3 cameras, mounted side-by-side
in a single structure. It scans a strip on the celestial equator
3 degrees wide. One of the
very first Mark III pictures
is below:
it shows an area in the constellation Monoceros, centered on
RA = 07:59 and Dec = -02:00.
During 1997 and 1998, Tom has been working on the Mark IV,
which will be able to track the stars for a few minutes at a
time. Each Mark IV camera has 2048x2048 pixels, so its images
are 8 Megabytes each.
The
latest developments on the Mark IV
have a WWW page of their own.
Here's of the prototype's images -- the production units will
have CCD chips with better dynamic range.
