MOONS: The New Multi-Object Spectrograph for the VLT
  MOONS is the new Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph
currently under construction for the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at ESO. This
remarkable instrument combines, for the first time, the collecting power of an
8-m telescope, 1000 fibres with individual robotic positioners, and both low-
and high-resolution simultaneous spectral coverage across the 0.64-1.8 micron
wavelength range. This facility will provide the astronomical community with a
powerful, world-leading instrument able to serve a wide range of Galactic,
extragalactic and cosmological studies. Construction is now proceeding full
steam ahead and this overview article presents some of the science goals and
the technical description of the MOONS instrument. More detailed information on
the MOONS surveys is provided in the other dedicated articles in this Messenger
issue.
