GHOST Starts 2017 With Inertia

The GHOST Cassegrain Integral Field Unit positioner sub-assembly on the orange tilt table (left) and the ballast frame sub-assembly (right) in AAO lab. Credit: AAO

The Cassegrain unit for Gemini’s next new instrument, the Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST), will reach the midpoint of its construction phase in February. Nearly all of the Cassegrain unit’s mechanical components are manufactured and the build is coming together nicely. The Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) is the lead contractor on the GHOST project and they intend to ship this Cassegrain unit, along with a prototype optical cable, for early testing at Gemini South by the end of this year.