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VIMOS (Visible Multi-Object Spectrograph) is a new instrument of the
Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory in Chile.
Built by a Franco-Italian consortium under the responsibility of the Laboratoire
d’Astrophysique de Marseille (a research unit jointly funded by CNRS
and Université de Provence), VIMOS achieved its "first light"
on February 26, 2002. Its incomparable efficiency (the highest in its
category) will make it possible to measure the distances and properties
of a large number of very distant galaxies, and thus to determine the
evolution of the Universe.
Installed on one of the 8.2
meter diameter telescopes (Melipal) of the Very Large Telescope of the
European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile, the VIMOS (Visible Multi-Object
Spectrograph) instrument achieved its "first light" on February
26, 2002. This instrument makes it possible to provide both imaging and
spectroscopy of the galaxies in the visible wavelength domain. It was
built by a Franco-Italian consortium under the responsibility of the Laboratoire
d’Astrophysique de Marseille. This consortium further includes the
following partners: the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique of Toulouse,
the Observatoire de Haute-Provence, the Istituto di Radioastronomia of
Bologna, the Istituto di Fisica Cosmica e Tecnologie Relative of Milan,
the Osservatorio di Capodimonte of Naples, the Osservatorio Astronomico
of Bologna, the Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera of Milan and ESO. VIMOS
has been funded by ESO, CNRS (INSU), and the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
(PACA) Region.
VIMOS is equipped with four CCD cameras covering the observed field. The
spectrometer makes it possible to observe nearly 1,000 galaxies simultaneously
in a field equivalent to one half the full Moon, or over 6,400 compact
object spectra. The slits of the spectrometer are cut out by laser at
a rate of 200 slits in less than 15 minutes. In another configuration,
VIMOS will be capable of observing galaxies of magnitude 23, i.e. objects
that are 15 million times fainter than can be perceived by the unaided
eye, with an exposure time of about one hour.
VIMOS is designed for studying galaxies, in particular faraway galaxies.
With this instrument, it will be possible, in a single exposure, to measure
the distances of several hundred galaxies, or to measure the properties
of the gas and the stars over several thousand points at the core of a
cluster. The goal is to observe several hundreds of thousands of galaxies
in the remote Universe. Such a genuine "survey" of the populations
of galaxies will make it possible to understand the evolution of the Universe,
and to determine the properties of the galaxies by going back in time
to when the Universe was younger (only 90% of its current age), i.e. to
go back more than 13 billion years.
The first series of observations has shown the huge potential of this
new facility. VIMOS is the most efficient instrument of its category in
the world. It is two to three times more efficient than its American rivals,
which are expected to be put into operation later this year.
For further
information:
ESO: http://www.eso.org/eso-homepage.html
Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille: http://www.astrsp-mrs.fr/virmos/
Researcher
contact:
Olivier Le Fèvre
Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (CNRS – Université
d’Aix-Marseille I)
Mobile: +33 6 08 90 50 43 or secretariat: +33 4 91 05 59 38
e-mail: Olivier.LeFevre@astrsp-mrs.fr
CNRS-INSU contact:
Philippe Chauvin
Tel: +33 1 44 96 43 36
e-mail: philippe.chauvin@cnrs-dir.fr
CNRS press contact:
Stéphanie Bia
Tel: +33 1 44 96 43 09
e-mail: stephanie.bia@cnrs-dir.fr
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