Robotic Assisted Mapping

The 2dF Redshift Survey

©Anglo-Australian Observatory, from original diagram by Greg Smith

A robotic camera can survey the Universe more efficiently than photography. It captures light using optical fibers, one for each galaxy, and can automatically rearrange the fibers to record the spectra and brightnesses of thousands of individual galaxies in a fairly short time. This technique has been used by astronomers at the Anglo-Australian Observatory in Australia to map some 250,000 galaxies across 5 percent of the sky to a depth far greater than earlier surveys.

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Mapping Observations

Courtesy of Howard Lester, University of Arizona

The upgraded MMT Observatory in Arizona uses another robotically controlled instrument to gather spectra. Called Hectospec (for "hundreds of spectra"), it can record spectra from 300 objects at once, then reconfigure itself in about five minutes to record 300 more. Two robotic devices, nicknamed Fred and Ginger, position Hectospec's 300 optical fibers so each captures the light from a single object. The bundle of fibers relays the light from behind the 6.5-meter (256-inch) main mirror to the spectrograph.