A heterodyne starring array active imager for producing an image. The imager comprises a light source and a component for segregating the light into frequency bands, each band intermittently illuminating a region of a scene and an array of light collecting sites, each comprising: a coupling component optically coupling scene light into a first waveguide and a local oscillator light coupled into a second waveguide. First and second waveguides coupled to a third waveguide with scene light and local oscillator light propagating into the third waveguide. A square law photo detector at each light collecting site receives the merged light for heterodyning the scene light and the local oscillator light. Components receive and process the heterodyned light from the photo detectors to produce a frame signal for each light collecting site. A read-out device produces an array signal responsive to the frame signal from each light collecting site.