If a Peltier cooling device can be bought for under $25, why are CCD cameras for astronomical imaging so expensive?
Not all CCD cameras are that expensive. The low range astronomical CCD cameras are less expensive than a good midrange (not even professional grade) digital camera. And if you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can save some money by building your own CCD camera for even less money (see the Cookbook CCD Camera FAQ at http://www.wvi.com/~rberry/cb245faq.htm for more information and pointers to other resources). But the Peltier device is not the only thing that results in higher costs for commercial astronomical CCD cameras. The specialized electronics and more robust designs mentioned in the previous question contribute to the cost, as does the fact that the CCD camera makers don’t have the economy of scales that makers of digital cameras (which are sold by the millions) benefit from.
