VIRCAM @ VISTA News

On this page, we list the main changes that affected the instrument and this web site, and point at science results with the instrument

  • 2013-02-20 - Press release: Sweeping the Dust from a Cosmic Lobster. New infrared VISTA image of NGC 6357
  • 2012-12-20 - First night of nominal observations after the end of the Cryo-Cooler maintenance.
  • 2012-12-08 - Start of the Cryo-Cooler maintenance, no observations
  • 2012-10-24 - Press release: 84 Million Stars and Counting. VISTA creates largest ever catalogue of centre of our galaxy
  • 2012-10-01 - Start of P90 (including various carry-over observations).
  • 2012-11-20 - Start of the VISTA building extension works.
  • 2012-05-09 - Press release: VISTA Views a Vast Ball of Stars
  • 2012-05-05 - VISTA underwent an intervention M2 unit from May 1 to 5, 2012, to exchange a hexapod leg. The telescope is back in normal operation.
  • 2012-04-01 - Start of P89 (including various carry-over observations).
  • 2012-03-21 - Press release: VISTA Stares Deep into the Cosmos
  • 2012-01-19 - Press release: The Helix in New Colours
  • 2011-12-20 - VIRCAM underwent an intervention for routine Closed-cycle Coolers' maintenance from 2011-12-10 to 2011-12-20. The instrument is back in operation.
  • 2011-10-19 - Press release: VISTA Finds New Globular Star Clusters
  • 2011-10-01 - Start of P88 (including various carry-over observations).
  • 2011-09-10 - The VIRCAM entrance window was cleaned. The effect to the users is somewhat lowered background.
  • 2010-09-01 - Messenger article by Petr-Gotzens et al: Science Results from the VISTA Survey of the Orion Star-forming Region
  • 2011-08-04 - Messenger article by Cioni et al: The VISTA Near-infrared YJKs Public Survey of the Magellanic Clouds System (VMC)
  • 2011-08-03 - Press release: VISTA Finds 96 Star Clusters Hidden Behind Dust
  • 2011-05-05 - VISTA has been taking data for a few days already, and as of 2011-05-04 the telescope is back in normal operation. The image quality is excellent, and the sensitivities are as expected for aluminum covered mirrors. More details will be provided on the VIRCAM@VISTA web page shortly.
  • 2011-03-14/2011-05-04 - Extended VISTA recovery period. A serious mechanical problem detected during the re-coating intervention requires an extended repair and preventive maintenance period. The VISTA telescope is expected to undergo on-sky tests by May 3/4, 2011.
  • 2011-04-07 - Start of P87 (including P86 carry-over observations)
  • 2011-03-04/2011-04-06 - Technical Time: Recoating of M1 and M2 with aluminium. The reflectivity of the silver coatings of M1 and M2 has degraded much more rapidly than expected. This led to significant loss in photometric sensitivity in particular at shorter wavelengths. Based on sample mirrors exposed to the conditions at various places in the Observatory it was decided to select this time an aluminum coating, rather then the more quickly degrading protected silver coatings.
  • 2011-01-05 - Press release: VISTA Stares Deeply into the Blue Lagoon
  • 2010-11-25 - Messenger article by Saito et al: VISTA Variables in the Vía Lactea (VVV): Current Status and First Results
  • 2010-10-06 - Press release: VISTA Reveals the Secret of the Unicorn
  • 2010-10-01 - Start of P86.
  • 2010-08-31 - First call for regular ESO proposals at VISTA for period 87 (April to September 2011). In period 87 at least 75% of the time will be reserved for public surveys.
  • 2010-08-21 - Technical time: Horizontal re-centering of VIRCAM
  • 2010-07-16 - Press release: VISTA Views the Sculptor Galaxy
  • 2010-07-01 - The VISTA User Manual was updated for the phase 2 preparations of the P86 service mode observation projects
  • 2010-06-16/2010-06-20 - Technical time: M2 improvements, replacement of the defect altitude gyro, which has since May caused larger image elipticity.
  • 2010-04-24/2010-05-06 - Technical time: Instrument warm-up, camera shim replacement, helium line cleaning, and other activities
  • 2010-04-21 - Press release: VISTA Captures Celestial Cat’s Hidden Secrets
  • 2010-04-01 - Nominal start of P85.
  • 2010-03-31 - Messenger article by Arnaboldi et al: VISTA Science Verification - The Galactic and Extragalactic Mini-surveys
  • 2010-03-31 - Messenger article by Emerson and Sutherland: The Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA): Looking Back at Commissioning
  • 2010-03-31 - updated Links with the VISTA Surveys Progress and QC as provided by CASU
  • 2010-02-10 - Press release: Orion in a New Light
  • 2009-12-21 - Updated VISTA Science Verfication page - the raw data and some reduced data were made public together with the description of the data.
  • 2009-12-18 - The VISTA User Manual was updated for the phase 2 preparations of the P85 service mode observation projects
  • 2009-12-11 - Press release: VISTA: Pioneering New Survey Telescope Starts Work; provisional acceptance of VISTA by ESO. Meanwhile, since November 4, 2009, VISTA has started to obtain "early science" data for the public surveys (ieffectively, an early start of P85).
  • 2009-10-16/30 - the VISTA Science Verification took place. The weather cooperated, and the aproved programs were executed nearly completely.
  • 2009-09-24 - All pages were updated to include the informations, user manuals and tools required for the preparation of the upcoming Science Verification Run and the Public Survey "Dry Runs".
  • 2009-09-18 - The mirrors have received a new silver coating in the past week. After reinstalling the components and recalibrating the systems we will start the Science Verification phase between October 16 an 30, 2009. A fact sheet with a preliminary summary of the performace was add to the instrument page
  • 2009-06-18 - Only minor updates, The VISTA WEB pages are now linked from the ESO science WEB
  • 2008-09-12 - The VISTA User Manual is now available for the public survey workshop
  • 2008-09-11 - The VISTA science verification page was created
  • 2008-09-11 - The public survey WEB page was updated
  • 2008-09-11 - The p2pp User Manual is now available for the public survey workshop
  • 2008-06-24 - ESO Public Surveys Phase 2 Workshop, Sept. 15-17, 2008
  • 2008-06-21 - First night of commissioning with camera on sky
  • 2008-04-16 - Paranal Receives New Mirror - Survey telescope nears completion

Last modified: 2013-04-27, vivanov