idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The integration and testing phase of 4MOST, one of the largest and most ambitious ground-based astronomical instrumentation projects ever undertaken in Europe, is nearing completion. Over the coming weeks, the final components of this powerful instrument are being carefully packed. Media representatives are invited for a behind-the-scenes look and a special event on June 10 ahead of 4MOST’s final shipment to Chile.
4MOST, the 4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope is a survey facility designed to revolutionize our understanding of the Universe by observing thousands of objects simultaneously. Once in operation at the VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile, 4MOST will deliver an unparalleled volume of spectroscopic data, supporting both consortium-led legacy surveys and community-driven science programs. 4MOST will enable research in Galactic archaeology, the mapping of the Universe’s large-scale structure and evolution, the chemical enrichment history of the Milky Way, and kinematic studies of stars and galaxies to reveal the distribution of dark matter. It will also capture short-lived phenomena and distant light sources such as transients and quasars.
Its unique capacity to perform both low- and high-resolution spectroscopy simultaneously makes 4MOST the only facility of its kind in the world. Since the beginning of construction in 2015, 4MOST has brought together the expertise of over 300 scientists, engineers, and technicians from more than 15 institutions across Europe and beyond. It stands as one of the most significant collaborative efforts in modern ground-based astrophysical instrumentation. Led by the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) key partners include Max Planck Institutes, and numerous university and national research centers across Germany, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. Selected by ESO to furnish the astronomical community with a cutting-edge fibre-fed spectroscopic survey facility, 4MOST will be able to simultaneously obtain spectra of ~2400 objects distributed over a hexagonal field-of-view of 4.2 square degrees.
Media representatives are invited to join a special event at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) on June 10, from 2:30pm to 3:30pm CEST, which will include short presentations on the 4MOST facility, its science goals, survey strategy, and upcoming operations in Chile. This will be a unique opportunity to gain background insights directly from project scientists and coordinators, just before the final instrument components leave Europe.
A comprehensive collection of photos and videos documenting 4MOST is available on a dedicated AIP webpage, offering additional background and materials for editorial use: https://www.aip.de/en/research/projects/4most/4most-material/
Journalists, photographers and videographers are also invited to contact the institute to schedule a visit to the AIP and its integration hall in Potsdam beforehand. This is a rare opportunity to document the scale and complexity of a world-class astrophysical instrument before it is finally shipped to Chile and permanently installed at the observatory. However, time is limited: most systems will be packed and crated soon. If the schedule remains on track, only the High-Resolution Spectrograph (HRS) will still be visible in the hall by June 10, 2025. Early appointments are strongly encouraged.
Systems currently still visible at the AIP include:
Fibre Positioner System AESOP
A robotic system that precisely positions 2436 glass fibres, each just 85 microns in diameter (about the diameter of a human hair), in the 0.5-metre focal plane of the telescope to catch the light of stars and galaxies and transfer it to the spectrographs.
Fibre System
A dense network of 2436 fibres encased in roughly 200 black conduits, transferring the light to the spectrographs.
Low-Resolution Spectrographs (LRS)
Instrument systems that breaks the light of 812 simultaneously observed objects in all their colours of the rainbow from the extreme blue to the near infrared. This allows measurements of velocity, temperature and chemical composition of these objects.
High-Resolution Spectrograph (HRS)
Offers deeper spectral precision in three wavelength ranges, vital for detailed chemical abundance studies and precise velocity measurements.
For press inquiries, to join the event on June 10, from 2:30pm to 3:30pm CEST or to schedule a visit to the AIP, please contact: presse@aip.de.
Roelof de Jong, 4MOST principal investigator,
Phone: +49 (0)331 7499 648
Email: rdejong@aip.de
Joar Brynnel, 4MOST project manager,
Phone: +49 (0)331 7499 310
Email: jbrynnel@aip.de
https://www.aip.de/en/research/projects/4most/4most-material/
4MOST final destination: the VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile.
AIP/ Allar Saviauk
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4MOST final destination: the VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile.
AIP/ Allar Saviauk
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