Current Instruments

Read more about NOIRLab's instruments and other capabilities in the Capabilities brochure.

Instruments by Telescope

Blanco 4-m Telescope Instruments

Blanco Telescope Scientist: tim.abbott@noirlab.edu 
COSMOS Instrument Scientist: sean.points@noirlab.edu
DECam Instrument Scientist: alistair.walker@noirlab.edu
NEWFIRM Instrument Scientist: sean.points@noirlab.edu

Instrument FOV or slit
(arcmin)
Resolving Power or Scale
(arcsec/pix)
Detector Wavelegth range
(micron)
Status
DECam
Wide field
optical imager
132x132 0.263 62x
2048x4096
CCDs
0.32-1.10
(grizy filters)
Availablle
COSMOS
Optical Imager
10 arcmin diameter (imaging) 0.29 e2v (2048x4096) 0.32-0.98 Retired
COSMOS
Optical Spectrograph
0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 1.5, 3.0 arcsec (long slit) ~2200 (with 0.9 arcsec slit) e2v (2048x4096)  0.37-0.98 Retired
COSMOS
Multi-Object Spectrograph
5x10 arcmin (MOS) ~2200 (with 0.9 arcsec slits) e2v
(2048x4096)
0.37-0.98 Retired

NEWFIRM
Wide field NIR imager

27.6 x 27.6 0.4 4x
2048x2048
InSb detectors
1.0-2.4

Science Verification 2023B

Available 2024A

Scientific Staff Telescope and Instrument Responsibilities
Check the NOIRLab site to make sure that your favorite instrument and telescope are available before writing your proposal!

 

SOAR Instruments

See SOAR site pages:

SMARTS Instruments

Telescope Instrument Slit or FOV (arcmin) Resolving Power or scale
(arcsec/pix)
Wavelength range (micron)
or Filters
Observing Mode
1.5-m
(60-inch)  
CHIRON
Spectrograph
 
 one star <140,000 0.41-0.87 Entirely service/queue mode. 
 
0.9-m
(36-inch)
Tek2K
Optical imager
13.6x13.6 0.401 0.31-1.00 Mixture of classical and service/queue observing, each run is 7 nights duration.

 

CTIO Instruments No Longer Available

 

Instruments by Type

Instruments at CTIO by type for the telescopes Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope, SMARTS 0.9-meter, and SMARTS 1.5-meter telescopes.

See Instruments by Telescope.

Optical Imagers 

Telescope Instrument FOV
(armin)
Scale
(asec/pix)
Detector Wavelegth range 
(micron) or filters
Blanco DECam 3sq. degrees 0.263 62x 2048X4096 
LBNL CCDs
0.3-1.1 (ugrizY+VR)
Blanco COSMOS 10 arcmin diameter 0.29 e2v 2048x4096 0.32-0.98
0.9-m Tek2K 13.6x13.6 0.401 SITe 2048x2048 
CCD  
0.31-1.0

 

Optical Spectrographs

Telescope Instrument FOV Resolving Power Detector Wavelength
range (micron)
Blanco COSMOS Long slit - 10 arcmin long slit ~2,200 with 0.9 arcsec slit e2v 2048x4096 0.32-0.98
Blanco COSMOS MOS - 5.0x10.0 arcmin ~2,200 with 0.9 arcsec slit e2v 2048x4096 0.32-0.98
1.5-m CHIRON   one star <140,000 4096x4096 0.41-0.87

 

Infrared Imaging

Infrared Spectroscopy

Retired Instruments

  • ANDICAM - Ohio State Visual/IR Imager (on SMARTS 1.3m Telescope, reference only, retired since 2019)
  • OSIRIS - The Ohio State InfraRed Imager/Spectrometer (reference only, on SOAR 4.1m Telescope)
  • ISPI - Infrared Sideport Imager (reference only, on Blanco 4m Telescope)
  • 4m IRS Infrared  Spectrograph (reference only, retired)
  • 4m/1.5m CIRIM Cerro Tololo IR imager (reference only, retired)

 

Instruments by Telescope

See Instruments by type

 

Updated on September 5, 2023, 2:51 pm