Carnegie Science Embarks on Ambitious Telescope Instrumentation Projects

Carnegie Science, which is expanding its presence in Pasadena, is developing six cutting-edge telescope instruments whose functions range from exoplanet detection to dark matter exploration, underscoring the institution’s commitment to advancing our understanding of the universe.

The Commissioning Camera, set to capture the first multi-color images from the Giant Magellan Telescope, will play a crucial role in probing stellar evolution and galactic structure. This instrument will enable scientists to study nearby galaxies, identify distant gas clouds, and observe black holes at galactic centers.

Falcon, a multi-purpose facility instrument for the Magellan I Baade telescope, aims to map the intergalactic medium and measure stellar motions in nearby galaxies. The project, named for its bird-like optics layout, is currently in the conceptual design phase at Carnegie Science Observatories.

The Henrietta Infrared Spectrograph, destined for the Swope telescope at Carnegie Science’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, will focus on detecting exoplanet atmospheres in the near-infrared spectrum. Named after astronomer Henrietta Hill Swope, this instrument will provide crucial insights into the composition of distant planetary atmospheres.

MagNIFIES, a collaborative effort with other institutions, will revolutionize the study of cosmic bodies’ chemical signatures. Its ability to simultaneously capture multiple infrared wavelengths will make it up to 50 times faster than existing instruments.

MIRMOS, the Magellan Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph, will excel at observing both faint and bright objects in the infrared spectrum. This versatile instrument, to be installed on the Magellan telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, will address fundamental questions about galaxy formation and conduct a novel census of exoplanetary atmospheres.

The Via Project, a collaboration between Carnegie Science and other institutions, aims to use the Milky Way as a laboratory to study dark matter. This initiative will employ two sophisticated spectrographs, to be installed on the Magellan Clay at Carnegie Science’s Las Campanas Observatory in Chile and the MMT Observatory in Arizona, to detect dark matter structures by observing disruptions in stellar streams.

These projects highlight Carnegie Science’s long-standing expertise in telescope and instrument design, a tradition that has spanned over a century. The institution’s unique approach of designing tools on campus fosters close collaboration between astronomers and theoretical astrophysicists.

Carnegie Science’s instrument development efforts are bolstered by its expanded partnership with Caltech, announced in July 2023^[a]. This alliance builds on decades of collaboration in astronomy and physical sciences, enhancing Pasadena’s reputation as a hub for scientific research.

The partnership aims to address global challenges such as climate change, hunger, sustainable energy, and biodiversity loss. Carnegie scientists are expected to relocate to Pasadena in 2025 and 2026, facilitating closer collaboration with Caltech, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Garden, and other Southern California-based universities and research institutes.

This collaborative approach is expected to strengthen Carnegie Science’s position in astronomical research and instrument development, while contributing to the broader scientific community’s efforts to unravel cosmic mysteries.