Sorry, I couldn't resist. The Homo-centric Wide field Cafe Array. Most useless photographic array invented. Also available in Grassed-Area Array and Pavement Array configurations, not any better.
But yes nice article. Bit heavy for my brain. I think there's good potential there for using multiple cameras in an array to provide a better than any single one effective camera. Tieing them together would be the trick to the project. We can easily use subs from lots of different cameras to gain depth but not resolution and cameras like the L16 use the multicamera approach but don't quite work yet. I would guess Canon cameras will be the path to success as they are the most "hackable" for software/firmware. Coming up with a way to calibrate the optics of each lens/camera and be able to adjust in software to a"standard" that all the cameras can contribute to would be great. But of course why stop with a box of old cameras to make an array, why not a bunch of spare 16" dobsonians? Maybe it'd be more practical to have observatories remotely anywhere (our home setups?) that can be synced together?hm, mind drifting off to an idea i had ages ago: a piece of software to go through all source files (images/videos) and build a sub archive. making sure fits information on location and time is embedded and plate solved information etc then let you search for an object or patch of sky and it'll pull all the subs you have ever taken meeting search criteria so you can examine or stack/process. How many of us have unknowingly captured supernovae occuring in recent years? or bolids, fireballs etc? that can be used to help recreate tracking information and landing locations/energies etc. I think an immense citizen science pool is feasible like this and the clever clods will figure out useful ways to use the data to make discoveries and refine measurements and of course help us make pretty pictures
