First Light Image of Epsilon2 Eridani
Moffat profile graph
Aerial view of Gemini South
The newly-coated primary mirror for Gemini South
The first photons were collected with the complete Gemini optics, comprised of the newly-aluminized primary mirror and light-weighted secondary mirror, at Gemini South on the night of November 21, 2000. This "first-light" image is of the bright star Epsilon2 Eridani, taken on the night of November 24, 2000 with the facility Acquisition Camera CCD. It has a full width half maximum of 0.6 arcsec and was obtained without using the primary mirror active optics control system. The graph shows a (Moffat profile) fit to the image data and demonstrates the FWHM of 4.6 pixels.
Moffat profile graph
Aerial view of Gemini South
The newly-coated primary mirror for Gemini South