Gemini South Shutdown

The maintenance shutdown for Gemini South has been progressing according to schedule, thanks to the fantastic teamwork between staff from Gemini South, Gemini North and other NOIRLab staff. 

The Gemini South primary mirror has been removed from the telescope and taken down to the first floor where we expect to strip the mirror and start the coating process in early November. 

In the image below, the 8.1-meter-diameter mirror is being lowered from the fourth floor down to the first floor using the dome crane. 

In the second image below the primary mirror is being lowered onto the lower half of the coating chamber. After this, it was moved into the coating chamber where the mirror was rotated precisely into position to ensure a smooth coating process.