CIRSI: progress with the Cambridge infrared survey instrument

We have built a panoramic wide field near infrared imaging camera based on 4 Rockwell HAWAII 1024 X 1024 detectors. The baseline survey instrument operates in the region 0.8 to 1.8 micrometers on non-IR optimized telescopes with an upgrade at K band in 1999. The instrument was commission on the 2.5m INT and 4.2m WHT telescopes in December 1997 and January 1998. The main design goals in this project were to produce a highly productive astronomical instrument in a very short space of time and for low cost. Survey instruments are by their nature very versatile and CIRSI will support the wide range of astronomical interests at the Institute of Astronomy. Furthermore, since CIRSI is a traveling instrument and we are able to operate at a number of different telescopes to take opportunity of a range of image sizes and scales.