Renseignements généraux

Nº de série

S/O

Nº de partie

1

Nombre total de parties

1

Ou

Reticon

Brevets

S/O

Description générale

aluminum casing/ metal parts/ synthetic parts

Dimensions

Remarque : Cette information reflète la taille générale pour l’entreposage et ne représente pas nécessairement les véritables dimensions de l’objet.

Longueur

26,2 cm

Largeur

15,0 cm

Hauteur

26,5 cm

Épaisseur

S/O

Poids

S/O

Diamètre

S/O

Volume

S/O

Lexique

Groupe

Astronomie

Catégorie

Recherche

Sous-catégorie

S/O

Fabricant

Ou

EG&G

Pays

United States of America

État/province

Massachusetts

Ville

Wellesley

Contexte

Pays

Canada

État/province

Colombie-Britannique

Période

circa 1970+

Canada

The reticon was a experimental device used by Canadian astronomer Gordon A.H. Walker in the 1970s to develop more sensitive detectors for astronomical observations. He was in the Dept. of Geophysics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia and worked closely with staff (especially the tech staff during instrument development) at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria. Dr. Walker and his group at UBC were doing ground breaking research with these devices and they are (or almost) unique in Canada and rare world wide at least for astronomical use. Two or three groups were experimenting with similar technology in the US and UK. One of the major elements of Walker's research was to verify the accuracy of the systems compared to traditional techniques.

Fonction

A photodiode, part of an experimental system used to record images of astronomical phenomena in order to measure stellar and galactic spectra.

Technique

This device represents a major step from traditional photography based astronomical research and the associated equipment (e.g. microdensitometer (1998.0275), Cuffy Iris photometer) towards CCD based astronomical detectors. Its use enabled a large improvement in detector sensitivity and precision and made possible detection of rapid changes in astronomical spectra. The reticon was used with a spectrograph to determine the velocity shifts of spectral lines in stars and was a much more rapid method and with higher resolution. Typical best radial velocity measurements at this time (ca. 1970) were about 1 km/s but with the reticon, Dr. Walker and his collaborators achieved measurements of the order of 100 m/s. This technology with ever more improved detectors in the mid-1990s allowed astronomers to detect the first extra-solar system planet. By 2005, almost 200 have been discovered.

Notes sur la région

Inconnu

Détails

Marques

none

Manque

unknown

Fini

dewar: brushed metal

Décoration

S/O