4MOST is a new high-multiplex, wide-field spectroscopic survey facility under construction for ESO's 4m-VISTA telescope at Paranal, Chile. Its key specifications are: a large field of view of 4.4 square degrees, a high multiplex fibre positioner based on the tilting spine principle positioning 2436 science fibres, 1624 fibres going to two low-resolution spectrographs (R = λ/Δλ ~ 6500), and 812 fibres transferring light to the high-resolution spectrograph (R ~ 20,000). The instrument is entirely completed and is being shipped to Paranal Observatory, Chile in the first few months of 2024. Commissioning will take place summer 2024 with full operations expected to start early 2025. An overview will be given of instrument capabilities, the planned, and the unique operational scheme of 4MOST.
|