urn:nasa:pds:context:instrument:palomar.oschin_schmidt_1m2.tricam 1.3 1.25.0.0 Product_Context 2026-07-07 1.3 Removed duplicate Internal_Reference entries from Reference_List. 2025-12-24 1.2 Updated schema version. Adding missing "telescope" references. 2025-01-02 1.1 Updated schema version. Update instrument type/subtype to use valid CTLI LDD. 2020-08-06 1.0 Initial export from OLAF urn:nasa:pds:context:telescope:palomar.oschin_schmidt_1m2 instrument_to_telescope NEAT Palomar Tri-Camera Imager In 2001, the Palomar 1.2m Oschin Schmidt telescope located in northern San Diego, CA was incorporated into the NEAT inventory. The Palomar "Tri-camera" consists of three separate 4096 x 4096 pixel CCDs. The CCDs are arranged in a linear, north-south, orientation and denoted by "A, B or C." An approximate one-degree gap is between each CCD and each CCD covers nearly 1.0 square degree. The 15 micron pixels yield a pixel scale of 1.01 arc-sec/pixel. No filters were used, but matches closely with a Bessel- type R filter at 0.6 microns and TECs maintained an operating temperature of -30 degrees C. Four amplifiers readout the CCD in four quadrants. This camera, as well as the Maui camera, used "CCD485" chips produced by Fairchild Imaging. The central wavelength is 702 nm. The table below provides a comparison of the QUEST and tri-camera instruments used by NEAT at Palomar Observatory. -------------------------------------------------------------- | Site Pal/Tri-cam Palomar/QUEST | | Dates of Operation: 4/01 - 6/03 6/03 - 4/07 | | Telescope Diameter: 1.2m 1.2m | | f/ratio: 2.50 2.50 | | Camera: 4096 x 4096 x 3 600 x 2400 x 112 | | Pixel Size: 15 x 15 u 13 x 13 u | | Pixel Scale: 1.01"/pix 0.87"/pix | | Cooling: TEC @ ~-30C LN2 @ -120C | | Filter: None 610 nm | | IAU Site Code: 644 644 | | | | Latitude / Longitude: +33deg 21.4' 116deg 51.8'W | | Elevation / Timezone: 1726.3m UTC - 8 | |____________________________________________________________| Regardless of the camera, each CCD chip read to a unique output file. Filenames are based on the universal start time of the exposure and, if appropriate, identify the specific chip used. The Maui and tri-camera images contain the 4080 x 4080 imaging area. The initial orientation of the Maui and Palomar tri-camera images has East towards to left and North downward. Each uncompressed, 4k x 4k, image (Palomar tri-camera and Maui) is 66.6 and 33.3 Mb in size, respectively.