ERIS-NIX
In early 2021, we finished building and testing NIX, the near-infrared camera system for ERIS: a next generation instrument designed for the Very Large Telescope. Astronomers will use the unique capabilities of ERIS to directly image and characterise the atmospheres of young giant planets. These are planets similar to Jupiter in mass, but much younger and hotter. ERIS will work at longer wavelengths than most other ground-based planet-finding cameras, revealing new spectral features that have not been studied before.
Read more about the “luggage-sized” NIX camera, shipping off to Germany to become part of the ERIS instrument
ERIS-NIX comprises three distinct parts, a near-infrared imaging system, an integral field spectrograph and adaptive optics to deliver corrected light from the telescope into either the imager or the spectrograph. The UK ATC has led the design and build of the imager.
Listen to astronomer and exoplanet hunter Dr. Beth Biller talk about how she plans to use ERIS to photograph young giant exoplanets (Radio Astronomy podcast, episode 22 March 2021)