Together with an amateur astronomer friend from California, Mandel has traveled to Australia and set up a high-powered telescope, mount and CCD camera in Lee's own backyard observatory, which they've dubbed the Australian-American Imaging Station.
And because Pixim's chip is accumulating more data per pixel--14 bits versus 8 bits for a CCD pixel--it generates higher resolutions and truer colors with only 400, 000 pixels on a sensor versus millions in most CCD cameras.
One of the main features of the project is its CCD cameras which were produced in Belfast and can operate in conditions of very low light.
BBC: NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Scientists seek unknown planets
In essence the charged CCD now stores an image, albeit an analog (as opposed to digital) one.
When light strikes a CCD, it excites the electrons in the chip, creating a grid of charged elements or pixels (for picture elements).
The typical camera is a Samsung color CCD model with a power zoom lens in a weather-resistant housing.
Capture images with radiant colors, low noise and razor-sharp edges, thanks in part to the 16-megapixel CCD sensor.
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The next higher-end offering is the ELPH 115 IS, which packs specs more in line with the 130 IS, including the same 16-megapixel CCD sensor and 8x 28mm lens.
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.
The key difference is that instead of focusing the light on a strip of photochemical film as in traditional cameras, digital cameras use an image sensor, called a charge coupled device (CCD), to capture the image.
In addition, objects can be imbued with sensor capabilities if wrapped with the layer, and even CCD's could benefit from having a slice of the polymer slapped on them to take photos at different exposures.
Apart from the arrival of less pricey full-frame digital SLRs, the other recent development that has impressed your correspondent is the way imaging chips are migrating from CCD (charge-coupled device) technology to CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor), used widely in the computer industry.
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