We are pleased to announce the availability of 8-25 µm imaging and spectroscopy capabilities to CTIO users. This results from an agreement between CTIO and a group at the University of Florida, led by Charles Telesco, for use of the instrument OSCIR.
OSCIR provides imaging at K through Q (20 µm) with broad and narrowband filters, and spectroscopy at 8-14 µm with resolutions of ~ 40 to ~ 1000. The detector is a 128 X 128 pixel arsenic-doped silicon array from Rockwell. Pixel scale is 0.18" per pixel with a 23" field (or slit length). OSCIR uses the f/30 focus of the 4-m telescope. Further technical and performance information can be found at the OSCIR Web site, www.astro.ufl.edu/~fisher/iral/oscir.html or by a link from the CTIO Web pages, or by contacting Charles Telesco by e-mail (address below) or telephone (352-392-4455). OSCIR has been available for collaborative use at the IRTF since December 1995. Initial engineering and science data obtained with it on the Blanco Telescope indicate a similar high level of performance is attained here at 10 µm; the 20 µm performance is as yet uncertain.
Our initial agreement is for first and second semesters of 1998, beginning in February 1998. Proposals to use OSCIR should be submitted in the same manner as any other proposal to CTIO, and there are no restrictions on its use. We are delighted to bring this capability to the Southern Hemisphere.
Ron Probst
Charles Telesco (telesco@astro.ufl.edu)