Instruments
The WHT is equipped with a wide range of scientific instruments, providing astronomers with the capabilities to conduct a large variety of scientific investigations. As of 2010, the current common-user instrumentation is:
- ACAM
- Auxiliary-port CAMera - optical imager/spectrograph, with broad- and narrow-band imaging over a 8' field and low-resolution (R < 900) spectroscopy. Permanently mounted at one of the broken-Cassegrain foci.
- AF2
- Autofib2 - robot fibre positioner, 150 science fibres and 10 fiducial bundles over a 1° field. Mounted at prime focus.
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- WYFFOS
- Wide field Fibre Fed Optical Spectrograph - bench-mounted optical spectrograph fed from AF2, R = 200-11,000. Located in one of the Nasmyth enclosures, though it does not use the Nasmyth focus.
- ISIS
- Intermediate dispersion Spectrograph and Imaging System - medium resolution (R = 1,800-20,000) long-slit dual-beam optical spectrograph. Mounted at Cassegrain focus. ISIS was one of the original first generation of WHT instruments.
- LIRIS
- Long-slit Intermediate Resolution Infrared Spectrograph - near-infrared imager/spectrograph, with imaging over a 4' field, spectral resolutions R = 700-2500, spectropolarimetry, and long slit and multi-object slit-masks. Mounted at Cassegrain focus.
- NAOMI
- Natural-guide-star Adaptive Optics for Multi-purpose Instrumentation - an adaptive optics feed, operating over the entire optical and near-infrared wavelength regions. Permanently mounted at one of the Nasmyth foci.
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- GLAS
- Ground-layer Laser Adaptive optics System - laser guide star for optional use with NAOMI
- INGRID
- Isaac Newton Group Red Imaging Device - high spatial resolution near-infrared camera for use with NAOMI
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- OSCA
- Optimised Stellar Coronograph for Adaptive Optics - high-contrast coronograph for optional use with INGRID
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- OASIS
- Optically Adaptive System for Imaging Spectroscopy - optical integral field unit for use with NAOMI
- PFIP
- Prime Focus Imaging Platform - wide field optical camera, with broad- and narrow-band imaging over a 16' field. Mounted at prime focus.
In addition the WHT is a popular telescope for single-purpose visitor instruments, which in recent years have included GHαFaS, INTEGRAL, PLANETPOL, PNS, SAURON, FASTCAM and ULTRACAM. Visitor instruments can use either the Cassegrain focus or one of the Nasmyth foci.
A common set of calibration lamps (Helium and Neon arc lamps, and a Tungsten flat-field lamp) are permanently mounted at one of the broken-Cassegrain foci, and can be used for any of the other instruments.
The ISIS and LIRIS are the workhorses of the WHT, and approximately two-thirds of all time awarded is for these two instruments.
Read more about this topic: William Herschel Telescope
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