Visible Multi Object Spectrograph
The Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph (VIMOS) is a wide field imager and a multi-object spectrograph installed at the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), in Chile. The instrument delivers visible images and spectra of up to 1,000 galaxies at a time in a 14 x 14 arcmin field of view.[1][2]
The instrument operates in the visible part of the spectrum from 360 to 1000 nanometers (nm). In the conceptual design phase, the multi-object spectrograph then called VIRMOS included an additional instrument, NIMOS, operating in the near-infrared spectrum of 1100–1800 nm.[3]
VIMOS saw its first light on 26 February, 2002, and has since been mounted on the Nasmyth B focus of VLT's Melipal unit telescope (UT3).[4][5]
Gallery
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Galaxy NGC 7424 seen by VIMOS -
VIMOS takes its first light image of galaxy NGC 5364 -
A triplet of galaxies seen by VIMOS -
The Antennae Galaxies, one of VIMOS' first images -
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VIMOS images the 500 million light years distant galaxy cluster ACO 3341 -
Galaxy NGC 2613, a spiral galaxy that resembles our own Milky Way -
VIMOS sees cluster NGC 6118 at a distance of 80 million light-years
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Messier 100 seen by VIMOS (left) and FORS 1. The difference in colors is due to different filters. The supernova SN 2006X is clearly present in the FORS1 image as the bright object in the middle, just above the lower main spiral arm. It is not seen in the VIMOS image
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Close-up of VIMOS
References
- ^ "VIMOS – Visible Multi Object Spectrograph (Summary)". ESO. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "VIMOS – General Description (Overview)". ESO. 23 March 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "VIMOS and NIRMOS: Status Report" (PDF). ESO. March 1998.
- ^ "VIMOS—Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph". ESO. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "VIMOS—a Cosmology Machine for the VLT. Successful Test Observations With Powerful New Instrument at Paranal". ESO (eso0209, Science Release). 13 March 2002.