CCD Analogy
A common analogy for the operation of a CCD is as
follows:
An number of buckets (Pixels) are distributed
across a field (Focal Plane of a
telescope)
in a square array. The buckets are placed on top of a
series of parallel conveyor belts and collect
rain fall
(Photons) across the field. The conveyor belts are initially
stationary, while the rain slowly fills the
buckets (During
the course of the exposure). Once the rain
stops (The camera shutter closes) the
conveyor belts start turning and transfer the buckets of
rain , one by one , to a measuring cylinder
(Electronic
Amplifier) at the corner of the field (at the corner of the CCD)
The animation in the following slides demonstrates how
the conveyor belts work.
