The 2 Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), a project shared between The University of Massachusetts (Mike Skruskie, Principal Investigator) and the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC, JPL/Caltech), funded primarily by NASA and NSF, is intended to produce the following data products:
2MASS utilizes two new, highly automated 1.3-m telescopes, one at Mt. Hopkins, AZ, and one at CTIO. Each is equipped with a three channel camera capable of observing simultaneously at J, H and K. The cameras use 256 × 256 arrays of HgCdTe detectors (more information about this project can be found at http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/2mass/).
The survey started in the North in April last year, and we are happy to announce that on the night of 4 March 1998 the southern observing system began acquiring its first three-channel images. The CTIO facility began nightly survey observations on 19 March 1998, and is presently operating routinely. CTIO provides observing and technical support under contract to 2MASS.
While everything is going smoothly, the delay between data taking and data processing is lengthier than in the North due to the transit time for the tapes. The data tapes pass from CTIO through NOAO Tucson to IPAC. The robustness of the packaging was improved after one tape case broke in shipment (the tape was recoverable). The largest operational problem encountered in the south is maintaining a high degree of cleanliness of the telescope against dust infiltration at its dry, barren site. Several actions have been undertaken to improve matters.
Patrice Bouchet (pbouchet@noao.edu)