GPI Prepping First Light at Cerro Pachon

Since the arrival of the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) at Cerro Pachón, the GPI team had busy September and October months.  The instrument was reassembled, aligned, and cooled on September 6. The first “Chilean” image was collected on September 11 and on September 25 the system was bolted on the flexure rig. This is a useful configuration to test the flexure of the instrument and properly correct them before mounting it on the Cassegrain focus of the Gemini South Telescope.

GPI set up on the flexure rig on September 25. (credits: Gaston Gausachs)

Marshall Perrin from STSCI and  lead co-investigator data analysis & Archiving team is currently in Chile to help with the integration of the system. He sent us this video illustrating the flexure tests being done in the integration lab.

Additional tests, including software and performance testing, will be conducted by the GPI team and the Gemini Observatory for a  few more weeks. When one of the three instrument positions on the Cassegrain focus is freed up by removing the wide-field AO IR camera GSAOI in late October, GPI will be lowered off the flexure rig onto a wheeled cart, then attached to the telescope. Although if the U.S. government shutdown continues into November, of course, this may be delayed.

GPI I&T visitors looking into the Gemini South primary mirror. (credits: Jeff Chilcote)

This is an exciting time for the GPI team, and we can’t wait for the first data to be recorded. All bets are opened off the first targets, what do you think?

Clear skies

Franck M.