Astrometry, as the process of measuring stellar positions is known, used to be done by taking pictures of a particular region of the sky and then measuring the relative positions of the stars.

ECONOMIST: A roadmap for planet-hunting

Putting even the highest-resolution bacteria-based cam to shame, the new 4-inch-square CCD features an array of 10, 560 x 10, 560 pixels, and was developed in conjunction with Semiconductor Technology Associates to aid the U.S. Naval Observatory's Astrometry Department in precisely determining the position and motion of celestial objects.

ENGADGET: DALSA ships 111 megapixel CCD