Observatory Utilizes Canon Optical System

Canon (Tokyo) — Canon Inc. announced today that 84 of the Company’s ultra-high-sensitivity CMOS sensors provided to the University of Tokyo Institute of Astronomy’s Kiso Observatory have been employed as part of “Tomo-e Gozen,” a new observation system on a 105 cm Schmidt telescope that will commence full operation from October 2019.

The main facility of Kiso Observatory, a 105-cm-diameter Schmidt telescope, has been used by astronomers for research activities since 1974. The Tomo-e Gozen system comprises an astronomical wide-field video camera and AI software and was newly developed with the aim of understanding the transient universe. Since 2014, Canon has provided the University of Tokyo with ultra-high-sensitivity CMOS sensors and cooperated in the development of the Tomo-e Gozen system. The camera part of Tomo-e Gozen was completed in April 2019 and, following a half-year engineering period, will commence full operation in October.

The wide-field video camera of Tomo-e Gozen uses Canon 35mm full-frame ultra-high-sensitivity CMOS sensors. While with typical image sensors noise tends to increase along with increases in pixel size, the Canon sensor features large 19µm x 19µm (micrometers) pixels and realizes ultra-high sensitivity with reduced noise. The 84 sensors of Tomo-e Gozen, with approximately 190 million pixels in total, obtain ultra-wide-field video data covering 20 square degrees of the sky.

The Tomo-e Gozen system—which can obtain a variety of ultra-high-sensitivity and wide-field videos of space—will make possible the observation of scientifically important phenomena, such as supernovae explosions just after they occur and small asteroids that present a risk of colliding with the earth. The system is also expected to contribute to understanding the origins of life and the universe.

Recent Articles

Kyoto Police Arrest Online Casino Operators

Akihabara News (Tokyo) -- Kyoto Prefectural Police and other authorities announced the arrest of seven individuals last month, including 36-year-old Randall Aaron...

Japan Space Program Gets Its Groove Back

Akihabara News (Tokyo) -- After a series of embarrassing stumbles, Japan's space program is putting some wins on the board again.

Wakayama Signs Pact on Flying Cars

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Wakayama Governor Shuhei Kishimoto made it clear at a press conference on January 30 that his administration is...

Qualified Success for Japan’s Moon Landing

Akihabara News (Tokyo) -- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) declared success in its "main mission" of conducting a Moon landing near...

Pioneering Hoverbike Firm Goes Belly Up

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Japan's most prominent hoverbike company, A.L.I. Technologies, has filed for bankruptcy. Although the firm reports that it hopes...

Related Stories