Contributions by Gemini staff
On the Horizon
A summary of instrumentation and development initiatives and
progress throughout the year — with a look to Gemini’s future.
January 2016
Vendor Quotes Received for New Gemini South Laser
On October 2nd, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy issued a request
for quotes (which were due in early December) for a new laser at Gemini South. The quotes
are now in, and we intend to announce vendor selection in early 2016 — after approval by
the National Science Foundation. The new laser will dramatically improve the reliability of the
Gemini Multi-conjugate adaptive optics System (GeMS) at Gemini South. It should also allow
us to reduce staff efforts in the daytime, prior to laser runs, and at nighttime, during laser runs.
Contract Signed for Natural Guide Star Sensor Upgrade
The Australian National University and the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy have signed a contract for the Natural Guide Star New Generation Sensor (NGS2)
and begun its design and construction; we expect delivery in 2016. The NGS2 upgrade will
allow the Gemini Multi-conjugate adaptive optics System (GeMS) at Gemini South to utilize guide stars four times (1.5 magnitudes) fainter than the current system.
Figure 1 shows the percentage of sky coverage versus Galactic latitude after the NGS2 upgrade (blue lines) compared to the current system (red lines) for 1, 2, and 3 guide stars
(dotted, dashed, and solid lines, respectively). On average, the upgrade will increase sky
coverage by about 2.5 times at the Galactic poles and to about 80% in the single guide star
case for targets within 50º of the Galactic plane.
GHOST News
During the first week of December, the Gemini High-resolution Optical Spectrograph
(GHOST) team completed the first of a two-part project milestone: the Critical Design
Review. The design team — led by the Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) and
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GeminiFocus
2015 Year in Review
January 2016