28-Megapixel Camera to Monitor the Night Sky

StupendousMan writes "Scientists at Sonneberg Observatory in Germany will start monitoring the sky every clear night (starting in October), using a curious combination: a 28-Megapixel CCD camera behind a 30-mm f/3.5 fisheye lens. As the first light test images show, the device can record nearly the full sky down to ninth magnitude (about 20 times fainter than the naked eye limit) every 5 minutes. The goal is to create a permanent record of bright objects, which could be used to discover comets and novae."