HARPS3 - Instrumental Overview

The HARPS3 instrument is a next generation high-resolution, stabilised, fibre-fed echelle spectrograph designed for ultra-precise radial velocity measurements, aimed at exoplanet detection and stellar astrophysics. It is a modified version of HARPS-N at the TNG, housed in the Coudé room at the INT. The INT has been refurbished specifically to support the HARPS3 operations, now operating in fully robotic mode to allow automated night observing sequences, ideal for the time-series programmes.

For updated information on HARPS3 see HARPS3 latest news.

Spectral resolution	An average of 115 000 across the approximate wavelength range: 380-690 nm.
Fibre fed	Two octagonal optical fibres that allow simultaneous calibration, sky or dark observations, with fibre separation of ~160 arcsec.
Fibre size	1.4 arcsec projected on the sky.
Detector	4096×4096 e2V CCD chip, integrated into a continuous-flow cryostat. Pixel size is 15 µm, covering 3-4 pixels per resolution element. Predicted readout time is 34s.
Exposure time	For estimates of exposure time, use the HARPS3 SNR calculator.
Scheduling	Observations of both THE and Open Time targets will be automatically observed by a dedicated scheduler, allowing for fully autonomous nightly observations, probably starting when the Sun is 12 degrees below the horizon. More information: HARPS3 scheduling.
Telescope pointing	For the time being, INT will operate without the possibility of raising the lower shutter, hence the elevation limit is 33 degrees. See more on INT pointing limits and accesible sky