Mosaic CCD imagers at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory's Blanco (Cerro Tololo) and Mayall telescopes (Kitt Peak) are being used.
Optical transient events (including moving objects such as minor planets and comets) and supernova candidates are released in real time.
The main goal of the survey is to produce unbiased maps of the large-scale structure of the mass distribution beyond the local universe, via very deep multicolor imaging of seven 2-degree fields and colour-redshifts.
These observations will directly constrain the clustering properties of matter, and, when compared with the results from microwave background anisotropy missions, will test the basic theory of structure formation via gravitational instability.
In addition, the group is acquiring the data in a way which makes it possible to detect variable objects on scales of hours to months, by spreading observations of individual subfields over 4 runs over two years.