Gemini Undertakes a Major Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Survey of Distant Quasars

Gemini Observatory, using the Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph on the Gemini North telescope in Hawai’i, has successfully launched in semester 2017B a Large and Long Program to observe the rest-frame optical spectra of approximately 400 luminous quasars at the epoch of peak quasar activity. Once completed, this six-semester program will have produced the largest and most uniform data set of its kind. The figure shows an example spectrum displaying the critical optical diagnostic lines used for the most reliable determinations of quasar redshift and black hole mass, which in turn will enable and improve a wide range of extragalactic investigations. Learn more here.