Megacam: A Wide-Field CCD Imager for the MMT and Magellan

Abstract

Megacam is a large-format optical camera that can be operated at the f/5 Cassegrain foci of the MMT on Mount Hopkins, Arizona, and the Magellan Clay telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. Megacam's focal plane is composed of 36 closely packed e2v CCD42-90 CCDs, each with 2048 × 4608 pixels, assembled in an 18,432 × 18,432 array. Two additional CCD42-90s are provided for autoguiding and focus control. The CCDs have 13.5 μm square pixels that subtend at the f/5 foci, yielding a 25' × 25' field-of-view. The camera system includes a focal plane shutter, two filter wheels, two liquid nitrogen reservoirs, a central chamber that holds the CCD mosaic array, and two electronics boxes. Megacam is equipped with a variety of broadband and narrowband filters. Software features include automatic calculation of twilight flat exposure times.