ESO recently signed an agreement with an international consortium of institutions to develop and build the ANDES instrument for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The ANDES instrument aims to explore exoplanets for signs of life, study the first stars, test fundamental constants of physics, and measure the Universe’s expansion acceleration.
The agreement signing ceremony took place at ESO Headquarters in Garching, Germany, with ESO’s Director General, Xavier Barcons, and Roberto Ragazzoni, President of Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), in attendance. Sergio Maffettone, Consul General of Italy in Munich, and ANDES Principal Investigator Alessandro Marconi were also present, along with other representatives.
Formerly known as HIRES, the ANDES instrument is a high-precision spectrograph that can split light into different wavelengths to analyze astronomical objects’ properties. It will have unprecedented precision in the visible and near-infrared light regions, working in tandem with the ELT’s mirror system for groundbreaking research in various astronomy fields.
Marconi expressed excitement about ANDES’ potential for significant scientific discoveries that could impact our understanding of the Universe. The project scientist, Céline Péroux, highlighted the instrument’s capability to detect life signatures on exoplanets, study early Universe objects, and investigate physics constants variations.
ANDES will conduct detailed surveys of Earth-like exoplanet atmospheres, search for Population III stars’ signatures, and explore physics constants’ variations over time and space. Its data will also contribute to understanding the Universe’s expansion acceleration, a key cosmic mystery.
The ELT, currently under construction in Chile’s Atacama Desert, will become the world’s largest ground-based telescope when operational, ushering in a new era of astronomy research.
The ANDES project involves a consortium of research institutes from 13 countries, including Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each country’s institutions play a crucial role in developing and implementing the ANDES instrument for ELT research.
Overall, the ANDES instrument represents a significant advancement in astronomical research capabilities, with the potential to unveil new insights into the Universe’s mysteries and possibly discover signs of life beyond Earth. Its installation on the ELT marks a crucial step forward in ground-based astronomy, promising exciting discoveries and scientific breakthroughs in the years to come.