GHOST Gemini captures the first beautiful light observations of a bright, chemical-rich star

Gemini South, one of the most productive and powerful infrared-optical telescopes in the world, received a major capability upgrade with the successful installation of a new high-resolution spectrograph called GHOST built by an international consortium. This cutting-edge scientific instrument will expand our understanding of the earliest stars, the chemical fingerprints of distant planetary systems, and the formation and evolution of galaxies. Gemini South in Chile is half of the Gemini International Observatory, operated by NOIRLab NSF.

The latest scientific instrument from the Gemini South telescope — GHOST, Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph — achieved its first light by making excellent observations of HD 222925, a very bright and chemically complex star located more than 1,400 light-years to the south. hemisphere of the constellation Tucana. This star is a prime example of the type of object GHOST will investigate. Gemini South is half of the Gemini International Observatory.

“This is an exciting milestone for astronomers around the world who rely on Gemini South to study the Universe from this incredible vantage point in Chile,said Jennifer Lotz, Director of the Gemini Observatory. “Once this next-generation instrument is commissioned, the GHOST will become an essential component of the astronomer’s toolbox.”

The spectrograph is one of the most important scientific instruments in all of astronomy. Unlike high-resolution cameras that capture stunning detail of distant stars and galaxies, spectrographs precisely analyze the spectrum of light emitted by these objects, revealing detailed information about their chemical composition, motion and rotation, and their ancient counterparts at the edges of the Universe. which can be observed.

GHOST, which has ten times the spectral resolution of GMOS, Gemini’s other premier optical spectrograph, is the most sensitive high-resolution spectrograph in the full optical wavelength range of any spectrograph currently operating on a comparable-sized telescope. [1].

GHOST will also provide important follow-up observations of key targets emerging from many ongoing and upcoming surveys, such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy of Space and Time Survey, SkyMapper, and GAIA. This instrument is open access, meaning any researcher with an interesting scientific case will be able to submit a proposal to use it for their research. NOIRLab will provide a data reduction path for astronomers using the instrument.

Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) at Macquarie University led the GHOST team, which included the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Center in charge of spectrograph construction, and the Australian National University (ANU), leading in instrument control systems and data reduction software.

GHOST’s design and construction began in 2010 and took ten years to complete. The instrument was delivered to Gemini South in early 2020, although COVID-19 restrictions meant that installation by teams from Canada and Australia would have to wait until early 2022. With successful installation and first light observations, the commissioning team put GHOST through the steps to verify the system was working as it should. designed. Once the commissioning process is complete, it will join Gemini South’s diverse suite of advanced optical and infrared instruments and be offered to astronomers for use.

“Installation and commissioning is a long time coming, but the team has worked efficiently and quickly”, says Steve Margheim, GHOST Project Scientist at NOIRLab NSF. “It was a very special day when we saw our first rainbow from the instrument“

“With the successful commissioning of GHOST, NSF congratulates the instrument team for providing the international astronomy community with enhanced capabilities for exploring planets, stars and galaxies.,” said Martin Still Gemini Program Officer at the National Science Foundation. “We look forward to new discoveries.”

It is expected that GHOST will be available to the astronomy community during the first half of 2023.

Notes

[1] GHOST is an echelle spectrograph and consists of three main components; Cassegrain units mounted on telescopes, spectrograph benches located in the dock lab for image and wavelength stability, and fiber cables connecting the two.

Further information

NOIRLab NSF (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory), the US center for ground-based infrared-optical astronomy, operates the international Gemini Observatory (NSF facilities, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and Vera C. Rubin Observatory (operated in collaboration with SLAC Energy’s National Accelerator Laboratory Department). It is administered by the Association of Universities for Astronomical Research (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. The astronomical community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research at Iolkam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, at Maunakea in Hawai’i, and at Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We acknowledge and acknowledge the highly significant cultural role and respect these sites have for the Tohono O’odham Nation, for the Native Hawaiian community, and for the local community in Chile, respectively.

Link

Contact

Jennifer Lotz
Director, Gemini International Observatory
Email: jennifer.lotz@noirlab.edu

Amanda Koczo
Communication manager
NOIRLab NSF
Tel: +1 520 318 8591
Email: amanda.kocz@noirlab.edu

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by the contributing agency or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

#GHOST #Gemini #captures #beautiful #light #observations #bright #chemicalrich #star