Contributions by Gemini staff
On the Horizon
As Gemini Observatory’s remote access to the Canada-FranceHawai’i Telescope’s high-resolution spectrograph (ESPaDOnS) nears
scheduled operations, four independent instrument feasibility studies
— to help Gemini determine the requirements for its next new
generation instrument after GHOST — are approaching the deadline
for final drafts of their study reports; summaries of each instrument
study are provided here.
GRACES: Gearing Up for Operations
The Gemini Remote Access to CFHT’s ESPaDOnS Spectrograph (GRACES) is ready for its
first scheduled observing runs in 2015B. In the past quarter, the team made several improvements that make GRACES both more efficient and easier to operate. To improve ef-
July 2015
GeminiFocus
Figure 1.
Comparison of the
GRACES sensitivity
as measured for the
2-fiber spectroscopic
mode in May 2014
(dashed line) and
in June 2015 (solid
line). The sensitivity
is defined as the
magnitude of an object
that would provide a
signal-to-noise ratio
of 1 after an hour
of integration time.
This figure illustrates
GRACES performances
improvements in
the red part of the
spectrum.
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