FORCAST: A Mid-Infrared Camera for SOFIA
We describe the Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) which is presently operating as a facility instrument on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). FORCAST provides imaging and moderate resolution spectroscopy capability over the 5–40 μ m wavelength...
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Published in | Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation Vol. 7; no. 4 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Singapore
World Scientific Publishing Company
01.12.2018
World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte., Ltd |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | We describe the Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) which is presently operating as a facility instrument on the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). FORCAST provides imaging and moderate resolution spectroscopy capability over the 5–40
μ
m wavelength range. In imaging mode, FORCAST has a 3.4
′
×
3
.
2
′
field-of-view with 0.768
′
′
pixels. Using grisms, FORCAST provides long-slit low-resolution (
R
=
1
0
0
–300) and short-slit, cross-dispersed medium-resolution spectroscopic modes (
R
=
8
0
0
–1200) over select wavelengths. Preceded by both Spitzer and Herschel, the discovery phase space for FORCAST lies in providing unique photometric bands and/or spectroscopic coverage, higher spatial resolution and exploration of the brightest sources which typically saturate space observatories. |
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ISSN: | 2251-1717 2251-1725 |
DOI: | 10.1142/S2251171718400056 |