First-generation instrumentation for the Discovery Channel Telescope
2014
The 4.3m Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) has been conducting part-time science operations since January 2013.
The f/6.1, 0.5° field-of-view at the RC focus is accessible through the Cassegrain instrument cube assembly, which can
support 5 co-mounted instruments with rapid feed selection via deployable fold mirrors. Lowell Observatory has
developed the Large Monolithic Imager (LMI), a 12.3' FOV 6K x 6K single CCD camera with a dual filter wheel, and
installed at the straight-through, field-corrected RC focal station, which has served as the primary early science DCT
instrument. Two low-resolution facility spectrographs are currently under development with first light for each
anticipated by early 2015: the upgraded DeVeny Spectrograph, to be utilized for single object optical spectroscopy, and
the unique Near-Infrared High-Throughput Spectrograph (NIHTS), optimized for single-shot JHK spectroscopy of faint
solar system objects. These spectrographs will be mounted at folded RC ports, and the NIHTS installation will feature
simultaneous optical imaging with LMI through use of a dichroic fold mirror. We report on the design, construction,
commissioning, and progress of these 3 instruments in detail. We also discuss plans for installation of additional facility
instrumentation on the DCT.
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