KMOS as it will be mounted on the telescope. The cryostat is in grey, the electronics cabinets in blue.

KMOS

KMOS, the K-band (2.2 µm wavelength) Multi-Object Spectrometer, is a second-generation instrument for one of the ESO Very Large Telescopes. The instrument combines the ability to carry out 3D spectroscopy using an integral field unit with a multi-object capability. In total, 24 objects randomly distributed over a 2 arcminute field can be observed simultaneously.

The type of modular instrument design employed in KMOS – using three small spectrometers instead of one larger one – is likely to become increasingly important when providing instrumentation for the next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes.

Detailed information regarding the project is available from the KMOS Project pages.