A method for identifying bad pixels in a matrix imaging sensor comprises moving the matrix sensor in a prescribed motion with respect to a background landscape (FIG. 1, 10), acquiring a combined image of the landscape, and identifying bad pixels (16) in the matrix sensor from the combined image. The identification is aided by preferably applying filtering to the combined image. The prescribed motion is preferably rotation of the sensor or translation of the sensor around a circle, and the combined image includes a plurality of preferably similar landscape images. The identification of the bad pixels is performed on-line, in real-time, without requiring the use of a black body.