Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2000 · 26 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesAstronomyPhysicsObservational AstronomyOptical AstronomyOpticsInstrument DeploymentLens SystemsObservatory InstrumentationObservatory OperationsOptical InstrumentationTelescope OpticsLow-resolution SpectroscopyMulti-object SpectroscopyOptical Telescope SystemsRegular OperationsTelescope Array DesignTelescopes
FORS is an all dioptric focal reducer designed for direct imaging, low-dispersion multi-object spectroscopy, imaging polarimetry and spectropolarimetry of faint objects. Two almost identical copies of the instrument were built by a consortium of three astronomical institutes under contract and in cooperation with ESO. FORS1 was installed in September 1998 and FORS2 in October 1999 at the Cassegrain foci of the ESO VLT unit telescope nos. 1 and 2. FORS1 is in regular operation since April 1999. Regular observation with FORS2 are scheduled to begin in April 2000.