FIDEOS

Fiber Dual Echelle Optical Spectrograph

The Fiber Dual Echelle Optical Spectrograph (FIDEOS) is a high-resolution spectrograph that was mounted on the ESO 1-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory, Chile, in July 2016. It was designed and assembled by a team from the Center of Astro Engineering of Universidad Católica de Chile (AIUC).

The main goal for FIDEOS is to determine radial velocities of stars to high precision, thereby identifying candidate exoplanets.

FIDEOS is thermally stabilised and mounted on anti-vibration supports to provide high stability. The radial velocity stability is about just below 30 km/h over several consecutive nights of observation. The limiting magnitude is V = 11.

The instrument provides spectroscopic follow-up for photometric transit surveys searching for exoplanets around bright stars, such as the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission, the Multi-site All-Sky CAmeRA instrument and the Hungarian Automated Telescope PI project.

The spectrograph and calibration unit are installed in a thermally isolated room that is one floor above the ground which is favourable for maintaining good thermal control.

FIDEOS is the first instrument installed at an international observatory by a Chilean institute. The project was funded by Fondo de Fomento al Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico of Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (CONICYT).

FIDEOS

This table lists the global capabilities of the instrument.

Location: La Silla Observatory
Telescope: ESO 1-metre telescope
Focus: Cassegrain
Type: Spectrograph
Wavelength coverage: 420 – 800 nm
Spatial resolution: 1.9 arcsecond diameter
Spectral resolution: R ~ 43,000
First light: July 2016
Science goal: Photometric transit surveys searching for exoplanets.
Images taken with the instrument: N/A
Images of the instrument: Link
Press Releases with the instrument: Link
Consortium: AIUC