tigator (PI), plans to determine if the host
stars of Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satel-
lite (TESS) exoplanet systems are binaries or
multi-component; the other, with Kim Venn
(University of Victoria) as PI, intends to spec-
trally resolve the signature of ancient metal-
poor stars in our Galaxy.
High spatial resolution speckle imaging with
visiting instruments ‘Alopeke (“Fox” in Ha-
waiian) and the Differential Speckle Survey
Instrument (DSSI) have studied the frequen-
cy of multiple star-systems in the exoplanet
host systems found by Kepler 2 (K2) and
TESS; In 2019, PI Steve Howell (NASA Ames)
will replace DSSI with a new speckle imager,
Zorro (“Fox” in Spanish). Additionally, recent
results from Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), and
plans for improving GPI’s sensitivity and ca-
pabilities, will be discussed at the Gemini
AAS Open House.
Meanwhile, Gemini’s high-resolution spec-
troscopic capabilities are also expanding.
The visiting instrument MAROON-X (PI Ja-
cob Bean, University of Chicago) is on track
for commissioning this year at Gemini North.
MAROON-X will provide the US community
with a state-of-the-art fiber-fed spectro-
graph with a resolving power of R = 80,000
at 0.5-0.9 microns, capable of ~ 1 meter/sec-
ond exoplanet radial velocity measurements
for late-type M dwarfs.
January 2019 / 2018 Year in Review
By the end of 2019, we also expect to be-
gin commissioning at Gemini South on
the new Gemini High-resolution Optical
SpecTrograph (GHOST) — a facility instru-
ment with high-throughput, high spectral
resolution (R
~
50-75,000) and continu-
ous coverage between 0.36-0.95 microns.
GHOST’s world-class efficiency, resolution,
wavelength coverage, and stability will en-
able a broad range of science by the Gemini
community, including exoplanet character-
ization, radial velocity studies of TESS exo-
planet transits, and high-resolution stellar
population spectroscopic studies.
For more details on high-resolution spec-
troscopy at Gemini, please attend the AAS
Winter 2019 meeting splinter session Re-
surgence of High-resolution Spectroscopy
at Gemini.
We look forward to seeing many of you
in Seattle, Washington, at the AAS Winter
Meeting 2019 at our booth, Open House,
and splinter sessions, and at the Korea Gem-
ini User’s Meeting in Daejeon in February.
May the new year bring clear skies, good
seeing, and many new scientific discoveries.
Jennifer Lotz is the Gemini Observatory Direc-
tor. She can be reached at: [email protected]
GeminiFocus
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