Astronomical wide-field imaging with the Mitsubishi PtSi 1040 x 1040 CSD

A new infrared camera equipped with a 1040 by 1040 PtSi CSD array is in operation as a common-use instrument at Kiso Observatory of the University of Tokyo. The camera attached to the prime focus (F/3.1) of the 105 cm Schmidt telescope gives a field of view of 18'.4 by 18'.4 with a spatial resolution f 1'.1 per pixel. The image resolution, detection limit, and other performances in an astronomical application are presented. Based on the observations of nearby galaxies and Galactic objects, we demonstrate that the camera is very powerful for wide-field imaging in astronomy.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.