In February 2004 the old SBIG ST-7 CCD camera was temporarily replaced with the ST-8 - a bigger and more sensitive model from SBIG. The new detector has 1530 x 1020 pixels of 9 micron size. The CCD matrix is cooled thermoelectrically 45 degrees below the case temperature - in practice 15°C lower than ST-7. The camera is connected to a PC via a USB port what makes data readout very fast. With optics, described in the Hardware section, the field of view (FoV) of the instrument is 6 x 4 arc degree - the sky covarage is four times larger than in previous configuration. Figure below presents a crowded test field in Cygnus with 9000 stars brighter than 13.3 mag in V band. Click a thumbnail for high resolution image (536 KB).

The search for new variables with the new CCD is performed in 13 selected fields in three standard filters: B, V and R. Test colour images are presented below. They were conbined from single frames obtained in B (blue), V (green) and R (red) bands with exposures of 500, 180 and 120 seconds, respectively. The light pollution comes from nearby Torun city. Click a thumbnail for high resolution image.

The SBIG ST-8 CCD camera was funded by the Torun Centre for Astronomy. It will be moved to the 90/60cm Cassegrain-Schmidt telescope in May. The SBIG ST-7 CCD camera was shipped for upgrade. The old CCD matrix will be replaced with the more sensitive one and USB port will be implemented.