This page is a work in progress. Last update: Jan 27 2026.
Starting mid-2026, LCO will transition the 1-meter Sinistro imaging cameras to new Princeton Instruments Sophia 4K cameras with deep depletion CCDs. The new cameras will feature:
- Improved sensitivity and homogeneity over the field of view. The deep depletion CCds will improve the sensitivity in the near infrared end of the optical spectrum, whereas the AR coating on the detector sare chosen to provide excellent near-UV sensitivity.
- Lower readout noise and faster readout speeds.
- More robust operations due to integrated thermoelectric cooling.
The details of the transition and operating modes remain to be determined. However, observers can expect the following:
- We will continue to use the Sinistro filter wheel and photometric shutter assembly.
- The new Sophia cameras will have the same geometry: 4096 x 4096 15 um pixels.
- Initially we will offer one a single full frame readout mode. Details are too early to tell, but the full frame readout out time should be << 10 seconds. Overheads are expected to be dominated by system integration (e.g., mechanical shutter coordination).
- Additional readout modes (e.g., fast central 2k pixels readout) will be introduced based on user feedback and experience gained with the cameras.
The first two cameras have an expected delivery in Q2 2026; the baseline plan is to deploy those two cameras to our 1-meter telescopes at the McDonald observatory in Texas (ELP).
The delivery of the remining cameras is scheduled for Q4 2026, and their deployment to sites will last into early 2027. It is planned to upgrade telescopes site by site to minimize site travels.