Andor Technology’s new application used for planet detection

Andor Technology has launched a new electron-multiplying CCD array.

The iXonEM+ DU-888 has a 1024×1024 sensor, featuring 13×13 mm pixel and back-illuminated quantum efficiency of more than 90 per cent.

Andor Technology’s cameras have been used by various astronomers, including those at Queen’s University Belfast, who used them to identify two planets last year together with help from SuperWASP.

Mark Donaghy, marketing manager for Andor Technology’s, told advancedimagingpro.com: "We have worked with [the SuperWASP] team over the last few years … These systems are extremely wide field – 2,000 times greater than a conventional telescope."

"The cameras continuously photograph the night sky, with each camera capable of up to 50,000 stars per image," he added.

Andor Technology’s partnership with SuperWASP is to be followed by observations of planetary systems by the Hubble Space Telescope to more accurately determine planet size and temperatures.

The imaging application manufacturer recently signed a new distribution deal in China with Titan Electro-Optics.