The Cambridge Infrared PAnoramic Survey Spectrograph (CIRPASS)

First light: 26 December 2003.

De-commissioned: 

Participating organisations:  Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge.

Description: CIRPASS is a near-infrared (0.9 - 1.8 microns) fibre-fed spectrograph. Two fibre feeds exist: a 490 element integral field unit (IFU) and a 150 fibre multi-object bundle. The large spectrograph is operated inside a freezer working at -40 degrees celsius. The spectrograph camera, the filters and the detector are inside a dewar which is cooled by liquid nitrogen. The optics deliver a high resolution (R>3000) spectrum on to a mirror surface which is then reimaged on to the detector. This provides the option to block out, or suppress, the bright OH emission by making the mirror (or mask) non-reflective at the positions of the OH lines.

Some scientific highlights:

• The Star Formation Rate at Redshift One