Public

Because of FIRE’s affiliation with the MIT-Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (MKI) and the Magellan Consortium, the project will benefit the professional research community, the educational community and the broader public. 

The impact for research is clear, since the Magellan Telescopes—one of the world’s premier astronomical facilities—currently provide no permanent capability for IR spectroscopy.  We have applied to commission FIRE as a facility instrument, making it available year-round to observers, thus adding a fundamental new capability to Magellan's permanent instrument suite.  FIRE has been identified as a high-priority instrument by the observatory’s Science Advisory Council (SAC).

FIRE will enable new investigations on the forefront of astronomical research including: the very early universe, galaxy formation, low mass stars, brown dwarfs, and the most distant Gamma-ray bursts. Because FIRE will be a versatile instrument, its most exciting science may come from entirely unexpected avenues.