TIMMI, ESO’s new 10 μm camera/spectrometer

TIMMI stands for Thermal Infrared Multi Mode Instrument. TIMMI allows for imaging (at present 16 filters available) with variable magnifications as well as limited long-slit spectroscopy in the l0 μm atmospheric window. The instrument was built by the Service d'Astrophysique (SAP) according to ESO's specification in a period of 2 years. At the telescope the instrument is using the ƒ35 chopping configuration in conjunction with the special adaptor unit. TIMMI control and primary data-acquisition is performed by an VME-based computer (under OS9) while final data storage and online data processing with ESO's image processing system MIDAS is done using an UNIX workstation. While TIMMI will provide new observational possibilities for the ESO users community it is also supposed to become a test-bed to gain experience for similar instrumentation at the VLT.