AuxTel Spectrograph First Light

On January 27th, the Auxiliary Telescope spectrograph took images on-sky for the first time. The team was able to take data in all modes, meaning both imagery and using dispersers. Reaching this milestone involved multiple Project members across the Telescope & Site, Data Management, and Camera teams over a period of years. The images collected also represent a significant milestone for system integration and commissioning efforts, as this system provides a realistic platform where all teams will continue to develop, deploy, and test their software, train personnel, and develop the operational environment and culture prior to commissioning the main observatory components. This is an example of how we will observe when the seeing is poor and higher spectral dispersion is required. You see the star at the bottom then the spectrum from ~400nm through ~1000nm just above.