Wendelstein
Short Description:
The OPINAS branch at the University Observatory Munich is currently commissioning a new 2m telescope on Mt. Wendelstein in the Bavarian Alps. The site has an altitude of 1840m, provides approximately 1100 clear hours per year and excellent Seeing (median <0.8”).
The telescope will be equipped with a wide-field imager (WWFI with 0.5˚x0.5˚ field of view and minimal ghosting), a three-channel camera (3KK which allows simultaneous observations in two optical bands and one NIR band) and two fiber-coupled spectrographs (FOCES, an R=70000 Echelle spectrograph for single object spectroscopy, and VIRUS-W, an R=9000 integral field spectrograph with 250 fibers for nearby galaxy kinematics and populations studies).
All instruments will be permanently mounted at/connected to the telescope; switching between instruments is possible within minutes. The telescope will be used to support and complement OPINAS projects at large telescopes or satellites, for transient follow-up and long-term monitoring projects.
As the telescope is run privately by the University Observatory Munich, it offers maximum flexibility in scheduling and fast response to data needs.
Project Type:
Observatory
MPE Contribution:
OPINAS is one of the four major MPE departments.
Status:
Commissioning of the new 2 m telescope.
Links:
Optical and Interpretative Astronomy (web pages of the MPE department involved in the project)
