MOSFIRE will gather spectra (chemical signatures in the rainbows of light from everything from stars to galaxies) at near-infrared wavelengths (0.97-2.45 microns, or millionths of a meter). A long series of installation steps are already underway that will lead up to MOSFIRE’s first light on the sky and handover to the Keck community in August. Just shipping it to Hawaii is the first step. Los Angeles, who has been involved in the building of four instruments for the Keck telescopes. “This is a crucial and important step,” said MOSFIRE co-principal investigator Ian McLean of U.C. The spectrometer was made possible through funding provided by the National Science Foundation and a generous donation from astronomy benefactors Gordon and Betty Moore. It is the newest tool to survey the cosmos and help astronomers learn more about star formation, galaxy formation and the early universe. The new instrument is called MOSFIRE (Multi-Object Spectrometer For Infra-Red Exploration). Inside is a powerful new scientific instrument that will dramatically increase the cosmic data gathering power of what are already the world’s most scientifically productive telescopes. Keck Observatory near the summit of Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea, HI - A 10,000-pound package was delivered on Feb. The new instrument, called MOSFIRE, is 25 times more light-sensitive than others of its kind and can observe vastly more cosmic objects on any given night.īy mating MOSFIRE with the light-gathering power of the 10-meter Keck I telescope and the clear skies of Mauna Kea, scientists expect new, exciting discoveries will be made about the universe. 16 at the Keck I telescope near the summit of Mauna Kea. Support Astronomer Marc Kassis (shown here beside MOSFIRE) is involved in every step of the commissioning process and will be Keck Observatory's primary "instrument master" for MOSFIRE when it begins doing science in coming weeks.Ī much anticipated new scientific instrument arrived on Feb. The 4,500-pound MOSFIRE instrument is now being readied for use inside the Keck I dome on Mauna Kea.
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