Wide Field Camera 3: a powerful new imager for the Hubble Space Telescope

Randy A. Kimble; John W. MacKenty; Robert W. O'Connell; Jacqueline A. Townsend

doi:10.1117/12.789581

12 July 2008 Wide Field Camera 3: a powerful new imager for the Hubble Space Telescope

Randy A. Kimble, John W. MacKenty, Robert W. O'Connell, Jacqueline A. Townsend

Proceedings Volume 7010, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2008: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter; 70101E (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789581
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2008, Marseille, France

Abstract

Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) is a powerful UV/visible/near-infrared camera that has just completed development for installation into the Hubble Space Telescope during upcoming Servicing Mission 4. WFC3 provides two imaging channels. The UVIS channel incorporates a 4102 × 4096 pixel CCD focal plane with sensitivity from 200 to 1000 nm and a 162 × 162 arcsec field of view. The UVIS channel features unprecedented sensitivity and field of view in the near ultraviolet for HST, as well as a rich filter set that complements the visible capabilities of the HST/Advanced Camera for Surveys, whose repair will be attempted in the Servicing Mission. The IR channel features a 1024 × 1024 pixel HgCdTe focal plane covering 850 to 1700 nm with a 136 × 123 arcsec field of view, providing a major advance in IR survey efficiency for HST. We report here on the design of the instrument, on recent activities that have completed the integration of the instrument for flight, and on results of the ground test and calibration program.

Citation Download Citation

Randy A. Kimble, John W. MacKenty, Robert W. O'Connell, and Jacqueline A. Townsend "Wide Field Camera 3: a powerful new imager for the Hubble Space Telescope", Proc. SPIE 7010, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2008: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter, 70101E (12 July 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789581

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