MUSE 3D spectrograph

The first of the 3D spectrographs inside the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) second generation instrument for ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) is now ready, after extensive testing at the CRAL optical laboratory. MUSE is an innovative 3D spectrograph with a wide field of view, providing simultaneous spectra of numerous adjacent regions in the sky. Such spectrographs are efficient explorers of the Universe in three dimensions (two for the sky positions, and one for the wavelengths). Poised to become a unique and powerful tool for discovering objects that cannot be found in imaging surveys, MUSE, which is based on a number of innovative technological developments, is bringing these advantages to a level never achieved before.