An Advanced, Large Monolithic Imager for the Lowell Observatory 4.2-meter Discovery Channel Telescope

发现通道望远镜(DCT)是由洛厄尔天文台建造的直径4.2米的宽视场光学-红外望远镜，计划于2011年年中首次亮相。这架耗资4200万美元的望远镜完全来自私人捐赠--主要来自探索通信公司及其创始人亨德里克斯家族--位于亚利桑那州弗拉格斯塔夫附近的快乐杰克山黑暗而高海拔的地点。除了计划用于了解星系的恒星内容、星际云中恒星的形成、彗星尘埃和气体以及柯伊伯带天体外，DCT还处于突出的地位，成为各种与天文有关的多媒体节目的焦点，为全球超过10亿用户提供服务。在美国国家科学基金会天文科学部通过其先进技术和仪器项目的支持下，洛厄尔天文台的菲利普·梅西博士打算使用最先进的CCD为DCT建造一台广域成像仪，这将是当今半导体铸造厂使用的150 mm硅晶片上可能出现的最大的单一正方形设备。这个6144x6144(3800万像素)的探测器将与校正器光学元件、一系列可远程选择的滤光片和导引硬件配合使用，以组成望远镜上的主要研究仪器，至少在使用的头几年内。该成像器还将提供科学材料和大型天文图像，以突出探索频道的教育节目，并为每年访问洛厄尔天文台的8万名公众提供外展节目。探索频道以制作与科学发现和成就有关的娱乐和教育节目而闻名。他们为DCT制作的作品将包括一部关于望远镜本身构造的纪录片，关于正在使用的天文仪器的特写，关于正在进行的研究计划的特写，以及名为《今夜在DCT》的短片。洛厄尔天文学家将参与准备和审查这些项目的科学准确性和相关性，以及在天文台赞助的许多教育项目中使用DCT。后者的范围从研究生研究计划到本科生研究经历(REU)计划，到弗拉格斯塔夫公立学校和周围的纳瓦霍族和霍皮族的外展活动。

The Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) is a wide-field 4.2-m diameter optical-infrared telescope being constructed by Lowell Observatory and scheduled for first light in mid-2011. The $42M telescope was funded entirely through private donations - largely from Discovery Communications and its founders the Hendricks family - and is located on the dark and high-altitude site of Happy Jack Mountain, near Flagstaff, AZ. In addition to its planned use toward understanding the stellar content of galaxies, star formation in interstellar clouds, cometary dust and gas, and Kuiper belt objects, the DCT is in the remarkable position of being the focal point of an ongoing variety of astronomically-related multimedia programming for an established world-wide audience of more than a billion subscribers.With support from NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences through its Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation program, Dr. Philip Massey of Lowell Observatory intends to construct a wide-field imager for the DCT using a state-of-the-art CCD that will be the largest single square device possible on the 150-mm silicon wafers used in today's semiconductor foundries. This 6144 x 6144 (38 megapixel) detector will be teamed with corrector optics, a wide assortment of remotely-selectable filters, and guider hardware to make up the workhorse research instrument on the telescope for at least the first several years of use. The imager will also provide the scientific material and large-scale astronomical images to highlight the educational programming on the Discovery Channel and for outreach programs to the 80,000 members of the public who visit Lowell Observatory annually.The Discovery Channel is renowned for producing entertaining and educational programming relating to scientific discovery and achievement. Their production for the DCT will include a documentary on the construction of the telescope itself, features on the astronomical instrumentation in use, on the research programs underway, and short spots called "Tonight at the DCT". Lowell astronomers will participate in preparing and vetting these programs for scientific accuracy and relevance, as well as in using the DCT for many of the educational programs that the observatory sponsors. The latter range from graduate student research programs, to Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs, to outreach activities into the public schools of Flagstaff and the surrounding Navajo and Hopi nations.