The two GHOST spectra. This mosaic shows the two GHOST spectra of HD 222925, a remarkably bright, chemically complex star. This star is a prime example of the type of object that GHOST will investigate. The two GHOST spectra shown here, which were produced in the same single observation, measure light from around 350 nm to around 1015 nm. Light that is ‘bluer’ than 380 nm is ultraviolet and is invisible to our eyes. Light that is ‘redder’ than around 750 nm is infrared and is also invisible to our eyes. The dark lines in the rainbow are like the fingerprints of the gasses present in the star, including hydrogen, calcium, iron and gold. See this image comparison to see the most prominent features labeled. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/GHOST Consortium. download Large JPEG
The two GHOST spectra (labeled). This mosaic shows the two GHOST spectra of HD 222925, a remarkably bright, chemically complex star. This star is a prime example of the type of object that GHOST will investigate. The dark lines in the rainbow are absorption lines — fingerprints of the gasses present in the star, including hydrogen, calcium, and also numerous metals like iron and gold. To the right a number of features from molecules in the Earth’s own atmosphere are seen. Any ground-based observation is subject to contamination from telluric (Earth-originating) sources like water vapor and oxygen. The effect of these lines is normally removed in subsequent steps of the analysis process. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/GHOST Consortium. download Large JPEG
The full GHOST spectrum. The image shows a representation of the full GHOST spectrum of HD 222925, a remarkably bright, chemically complex star. This star is a prime example of the type of object that GHOST will investigate. The spectrum measures light from around 350 nm to around 1015 nm. Light that is ‘bluer’ than 380 nm is ultraviolet and is invisible to our eyes. Light that is ‘redder’ than around 750 nm is infrared and is also invisible to our eyes. The wiggly line represents the data measured revealing detailed information about the star's chemical composition. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/GHOST Consortium. download Large JPEG
Diagram of GHOST. This diagram shows the three components of GHOST as they fit into Gemini South. GHOST is an echelle spectrograph and consists of three primary components; the Cassegrain unit mounted on the telescope, the spectrograph bench located in the pier lab for image and wavelength stability, and a fiber cable connecting the two. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/GHOST Consortium. download Large JPEG
GHOST installed on Gemini South. NOIRLab staff on the telescope floor with the GHOST instrument in the background. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Paredes. download Large JPEG
Cosmoview Episode 48: Gemini’s GHOST Captures Exquisite First Light Observations of a Bright, Chemically Rich Star. Credit:
Images and Videos: International Gemini
Observatory/PROGRAM/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, S. Brunier/Digitized Sky Survey 2,
E. Slawik, J. da Silva (Spaceengine), NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
Center/Scott Wiessinger, J. Bassett, Caltech/IPAC Image Processing: T.A.
Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s
NOIRLab) & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab) Music: Stellardrone -
Airglow
NSF’s NOIRLab-operated Gemini South telescope upgraded with next-generation, high-resolution spectrograph.
Gemini South, one of the world’s most productive and powerful optical-infrared telescopes, received a major capability boost with the successful installation of a new high-resolution spectrograph called GHOST constructed by an international consortium. This cutting-edge scientific instrument will expand our understanding of the earliest stars, the chemical fingerprints of distant planetary systems, and the formation and evolution of galaxies. Gemini South in Chile is one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab.
The Gemini South telescope’s newest science instrument — GHOST, the Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph — achieved first light by making exquisite observations of HD 222925, a remarkably bright, chemically complex star located more than 1400 light-years away in the direction of the southern hemisphere constellation Tucana. This star is a prime example of the type of object that GHOST will investigate. Gemini South is one half of the International Gemini Observatory.
“This is an exciting milestone for astronomers around the globe who rely on Gemini South to study the Universe from this exceptional vantage point in Chile,” said Jennifer Lotz, Director of Gemini Observatory. “Once this next-generation instrument is commissioned, GHOST will be an essential component of the astronomers toolbox.”
Spectrographs are among the most important science instruments in all of astronomy. Unlike high-resolution cameras that capture amazing details of distant stars and galaxies, spectrographs precisely analyze the spectrum of light emitted by these objects, revealing detailed information about their chemical composition, motion and rotation, and ancient counterparts at the edge of the observable Universe.
GHOST, which has ten times the spectral resolution of GMOS, Gemini’s other major optical spectrograph, is the most sensitive high-resolution spectrograph across the full optical wavelength range of any of the spectrographs currently in operation on comparably-sized telescopes [1].
GHOST will also provide crucial follow-up observations of key targets emerging from many ongoing and future surveys, such as Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time, SkyMapper, and GAIA. The instrument is open-access, meaning any researcher with a compelling science case will be able to submit proposals to use it for their research. NOIRLab will provide a data reduction pipeline for astronomers using the instrument.
Australian Astronomical Optics (AAO) at Macquarie University leads the GHOST team, which includes the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre which was responsible for the construction of the spectrograph, and the Australian National University (ANU), leading on the instrument control system and data reduction software.
The design and construction of GHOST began in 2010 and took ten years to complete. The instrument was delivered to Gemini South in early 2020, although COVID-19 restrictions meant that installation by the teams from Canada and Australia had to wait until early 2022. With its successful installation and first-light observations, the commissioning team put GHOST through its paces to verify its systems are performing as designed. Once the commissioning process is complete, it will join Gemini South’s diverse suite of advanced optical and infrared instruments and be offered to astronomers to use.
“The installation and commissioning have been a long time coming, but the team has been working efficiently and quickly”, said Steve Margheim, GHOST Project Scientist at NSF’s NOIRLab. “It was a really special day when we saw our first rainbow from the instrument”.
“With the successful commissioning of GHOST, NSF congratulates the instrument team on delivering to the international astronomy community enhanced capability to explore planets, stars, and galaxies," said Martin Still Gemini Program Officer at the National Science Foundation. "We eagerly await the new discoveries.”
It is expected that GHOST will be made available to the astronomical community during the first half of 2023.
Notes
[1] GHOST is an echelle spectrograph and consists of three primary
components; the Cassegrain unit mounted on the telescope, the
spectrograph bench located in the pier lab for image and wavelength
stability, and a fiber cable connecting the two.
Links
- Photos of Gemini South
- Videos of Gemini South
- Images of GHOST commissioning
- GHOST webpage
- NOIRLab Stories post about GHOST
- Live from NOIRLab about GHOST in English
- Live from NOIRLab about GHOST in Spanish
- Gemini Call for Proposals
Contacts
Jennifer Lotz
Director, International Gemini Observatory
Email: jennifer.lotz@noirlab.edu
Amanda Kocz
Communications Manager
NSF’s NOIRLab
Tel: +1 520 318 8591
Email:amanda.kocz@noirlab.edu
