4.1 Overview

ACS employs two fundamentally different types of detectors: CCDs for use from the near-UV to the near-IR, and a Multi-Anode Microchannel Array (MAMA) detector for use in the far-UV. The CCD and the MAMA detectors impose unique limitations on the feasibility of observations. This chapter covers the properties of the ACS detectors and descriptions of how to optimize scientific programs and ensure the feasibility of observations. It is essential that observers proposing to use the SBC read and abide by the procedures and rules described in Sections 4.6 and 7.2 to ensure the safety of the MAMA detectors.