June 2024: First 4MOST subsystem on VISTA at Paranal

The Lyon Astrophysics Research Center (CRAL) is participating in the development of the 4MOST spectrograph, led by ESO, which will be installed on the European VISTA telescope to explore the Universe. As a wide-field fiber spectrograph, 4MOST will enable the simultaneous analysis of light from approximately 2,400 objects spread across a 4.2-square-degree field.

In this project, the CRAL teams are responsible for the two low-resolution spectrographs of 4MOST.

On June 9, 2024, a new milestone was reached in the instrument’s development with the installation of the first 4MOST subsystem on the VISTA telescope at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory. This is the 4MOST Cassegrain Cable Winder, or CaCW, which is an AIP deliverable with contributions from the MPIA. Since this subsystem is quite large and heavy, and had to be shipped via sea containers, ESO agreed to ship it ahead of the rest of the instrument. The two sea containers arrived safely at Paranal on April 19. CRAL teams will install the two low-resolution spectrographs in February 2025.
For more information, visit the 4MOST website.