The Subaru Telescope, located in Hawaii, has a new instrument, the Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS), which will greatly expand its research capabilities. This instrument will allow the telescope to observe up to 2,400 objects in space simultaneously, providing a wide field of view and spectroscopic study of a large number of celestial bodies. The goal of the PFS implementation is to unravel the mysteries of galaxy formation and evolution, and to explore the Universe in which they exist.

The spectrograph is capable of collecting light in the visible and near-infrared bands, which increases its sensitivity to distant light sources. This opens up new possibilities for analyzing spectral data, helping scientists to obtain unique results.
“This is just the first step toward long-term goals such as producing unprecedented scientific results and spreading exciting news to the local community,” said Prof. Naoyuki Tamura of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. He said the discoveries made with the instrument would be a source of pride for the people of Hawaii and an example of meaningful international cooperation.

The team working with PFS plans to realize a large-scale sky survey that will last five years. This will utilize 360 nights of observations, during which the telescope will collect data on millions of galaxies and hundreds of thousands of stars. Special attention will be paid to our Galaxy — the Milky Way — and its nearest neighbor, Andromeda.

The Subaru telescope is already known for its multifaceted research. It explores various aspects of the Universe, from the composition of gases in distant galaxies to events near Earth. For example, thanks to the Hyper Suprime-Cam, it was possible to detect two merging quasars in the early Universe, and also to find out that the Kuiper belt may be much larger than previously thought. Thus, the telescope combines the exploration of deep space with the study of objects closer to our planet.
The new spectrograph will be an important addition to the legacy of the Subaru Telescope, laying the foundation for future discoveries. How exactly this instrument will change our understanding of the Universe will become clear in five years, when the planned study is completed.
We previously reported on how a bolide from the North Taurid meteor shower decorated the sky above the Subaru telescope.
According to bigislandnow.com