One of the many capabilities that the Subaru Telescope offers astronomers is its suite of observational instruments, ranging from ones for optical wavelengths to ones for mid-infrared wavelengths. There are 3 imager/spectrograph instruments for the Cassegrain focus. Each of them has dimensions of 2 m x 2 m x 2 m and weighs 2 tons, with the center of gravity at the center of the cube. There is an instrument rotator between the Cassegrain instrument and the telescope to compensate for the rotation of the field of view while tracking an object. Thanks to the Cassegrain Instrument Auto eXchanger (CIAX), a robot transporter, the day crews are able to securely transport the instruments between the Cassegrain focus and the standby rooms, as often as once per week.

Text by: Saeko Hayashi (NAOJ, Subaru Telescope)

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Related Link

• The Process of Cassegrain Instrument Exchange at Subaru Telescope (Subaru Telescope)