Figure 1.
Computer-aided
design rendering of
the vacuum chamber
and cameras on the
MAROON-X bench. The
actual spectrograph is
expected to arrive at
Gemini North in May.
with Acting GNAO Project Manger Stephen
Goodsell during the Conceptual Design
Stage, allowing Stephen to step back from
the role after the Conceptual Design Review.
Preparations for MAROON-X
MAROON-X is the new radial velocity spec-
trograph being built at the University of
Chicago and expected to be deployed at
Gemini North within the next year (Figure
1). This high-resolution, bench-mounted
spectrograph has been designed to deliver
1 meter/second radial velocity precision for
M dwarfs down to and beyond V = 16, and
is expected to have the capability to detect
Earth-size planets in the habitable zones us-
ing the radial velocity method.
Following the success of the Front End com-
missioning, we are planning to install and
align the spectrograph in the dedicated en-
closure in the Pier Lab in May 2019. If all goes
well, we hope to complete commissioning
in time to include this exciting new visiting
instrument in the 2020A Call for Proposals.
14
GeminiFocus
Watch this space for more information as in-
tegration and commissioning progresses on
Maunakea.
Second On-sky Testing of GHOST
The Gemini High-resolution Optical Spec-
Trograph (GHOST) team completed the sec-
ond round of on-sky testing at Gemini South
in November, 2018. The team successfully
demonstrated proper operation of the at-
mospheric dispersion correctors (ADCs), the
instrument on the side-port of the instru-
ment support structure, and the interactions
between GHOST and the Observatory Con-
trol System (OCS) software.
GHOST uses ADCs to correct for the disper-
sion of light by the atmosphere. Rather than
a full-field ADC, GHOST features mini-ADCs
for each fiber positioner, which offers im-
proved efficiency. The build team tested
each of the mini-ADCs to ensure that the
hardware and software were working cor-
rectly to provide the optimal dispersion cor-
rection as expected. Each ADC was tested
April 2019