A heterogeneous telescope array optimized for low surface-brightness imaging

Advances in refracting optics and consumer-grade digital cameras have come together in an unconventional approach to telescope design, disrupting the field of low surface brightness astronomy. A new telescope design, first demonstrated on the Dragonfly array, employs arrays of telephoto lenses, enabling optical surveys reaching depths of 31 mag/arcsec2. The ultimate limits of this new approach are yet to be established. The Los Alamos Low Surface Brightness Array (LA-LSBA) is a new sixteen element telephoto array for ultra-low surface brightness astronomy. This array introduces a heterogeneous design, where the use of multiple pixel sizes allows for deep surveys that are less prone to source confusion. First light with this new instrument was achieved in the Winter of 2019, and science observations are underway.