Getting Ready for MAROON-X

MAROON-X is a fiber-fed, red-optical, high-precision radial-velocity spectrograph that will come to Gemini North as a visiting instrument beginning in 2019. Currently under construction at the University of Chicago, it is expected to have the capability to detect Earth-size planets in the habitable zones of mid- to late-M dwarfs using the radial velocity method. In order to do this, MAROON-X requires a carefully controlled environment, and in particular, milli-Kelvin temperature stability. In preparation for this, the instrument team has installed a walk-in enclosure in the Gemini North pier lab to house the spectrograph. For the next several months, before the instrument is shipped to Hawaii, we will be monitoring the environment inside the enclosure to ensure the best possible conditions to support this exciting capability.