A new instrument is being built for the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at ESO’s Paranal Observatory to reveal part of the hidden history of the cosmos. MOONS, or the Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph, is a third-generation instrument and multi-object spectrograph. Combined with the power of the VLT, MOONS’ unique capabilities will provide the tools needed to study the formation and evolution of galaxies over most of the Universe’s history with unprecedented precision.
Using a fast, highly precise fiber positioning system to transmit light to two identical cryogenic spectrographs (each with 500 fibers), MOONS will enable astronomers to obtain optical and near-infrared spectra for around 1000 objects at the same time! This instrument is the fruit of a unique development by a consortium of institutions from across Europe and Chile, including ESO.
MOONS’ unprecedented capabilities will enable us to study the different mechanisms by which galaxies form and evolve over an impressive cosmic timescale, from exploring the properties of millions of stars at the center of our own Milky Way to those of millions of galaxies in the early Universe.
