English (UK)
Almeria, May 5th, 2026
The Calar Alto Observatory is renewing the instrumentation of its 1.23-meter telescope with the commissioning of a new camera based on sCMOS technology, which offers a wide field of view and a high sensitivity while capturing images at high speed.
This camera, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities through the State Research Agency (reference EQC2024-008783-P), ensures that the 1.23-meter telescope—the first installed at the observatory in 1975 and upgraded for remote operation—remains highly competitive.
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COSMOS-6k camera (connected via black tubes to the chiller visible on the left) installed at the focal point of the 1.23-meter telescope at Calar Alto. |
The Spanish Astronomical Center in Andalusia (CAHA) has successfully completed the installation and commissioning of a large-format scientific detector on the 1.23-meter telescope. This new instrument, based on state-of-the-art sCMOS technology (the COSMOS-6k model from Teledyne Princeton Instruments, with a 6504x6504-pixel sensor), is now fully operational and available for use by the national and international scientific community.
The acquisition of this detector was carried out under the EQC 2024 call for grants for the acquisition of scientific and technical equipment, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities through the State Research Agency (AEI), under reference number EQC2024-008783-P. This initiative enables the 1.23-meter telescope to be equipped with its own high-performance instrumentation, overcoming the limitations of recent years and decisively enhancing its scientific capabilities.
The new ultra-sensitive, large-format detector (nearly five times the area of a full-frame camera sensor) provides a field of view of approximately 23x23 arcminutes, nearly the apparent size of the Moon. It also offers low-noise readout speeds on the order of a few milliseconds, opening up a very wide range of scientific possibilities.
These capabilities allow for everything from large-scale sky surveys to the detailed study of short-lived transient phenomena (such as meteorite impacts on the Moon or occultations of stars by objects in the Solar System), as well as the application of advanced techniques like “lucky imaging” to improve spatial resolution under conditions of atmospheric turbulence.
Following the completion of the commissioning process for the 1.23-meter telescope, the system has been validated under real operating conditions and is now part of the observatory’s regular service offering. The user community can access this new equipment through the standard procedures for observing time allocation, representing a substantial improvement in the available capabilities.
This initiative is part of the Calar Alto Observatory’s technological modernization strategy, aimed at maintaining and strengthening its competitiveness as a Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) on the international stage. The progressive renewal of instrumentation and the incorporation of advanced technologies are key elements in continuing to offer the scientific community cutting-edge tools and ensuring excellence in astronomical research.
Jesús Aceituno, director of Calar Alto, concludes, “With this new capability, the CAHA solidifies the role of the 1.23-meter telescope as a versatile and highly competitive facility, well-suited to current and future scientific challenges.”
The Moon in a one-millisecond unfiltered exposure using only the COSMOS-6k camera (excerpt from a series of 100 consecutive images taken on April 23, 2026, at 19:55 UT). |
Jupiter and two of the Galilean satellites (Europa and io) in a 10 ms exposure in the visible band with the COSMOS-6k camera, taken on 22 April 2026 at 20:55 UT). |
The Calar Alto Observatory is one of the infrastructures that belong to the national map of Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (Spanish acronym: ICTS), approved on March 11th, 2022, by the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Council (CPCTI).
CONTACTS:
Calar Alto observatory (CAHA) - Gilles Bergond
COMMUNICATION - CALAR ALTO OBSERVATORY