New slit-viewing acquisition camera for the Goodman spectrograph

Submitted by cbriceno on Fri, 2015-12-18 16:57

A new slit-viewing acquisition camera has been installed and commissioned in the the Goodman High Throughput Spectrograph. The Goodman Acquisition Camera (GACAM) provides users with rapid target acquiring acquisition, alternative to the usual pre-imaging procedure. It operates by inserting a pick-off mirror behind the slit, ahead of the collimator, allowing observers to view the telescope focal plane with the slit removed, or to view targets through the slit to verify centering.

GACAM is best suited for brighter targets (V~<18), for which acquisition times can be as short as ~<1min depending on the experience of the user, the particular target and sky conditions. The field of view is limited, so it is not recommended for MOS acquisition. An added advantage is that, because GACAM does away with the need to pre-image the target with the spectrograph itself, the instrument can be left in its spectroscopic configuration, saving additional overheads by not having to move the grating in-out, move camera from imaging to spectroscopic mode, move blocking filter in-out, change readout times and region of interest, which in turn should improve instrument stability during the observations. We look forward to hear from our users about their experience with GACAM.
Look for the GACAM page directly in this link or under in the main Goodman HTS page.