Revisiting the Impact of Atmospheric Dispersion and Differential
  Refraction on Widefield Multiobject Spectroscopic Observations. From
  VLT/VIMOS to Next Generation Instruments
  (Abridged) Atmospheric dispersion and field differential refraction impose
severe constraints on widefield MOS observations. Flux reduction and spectral
distortions must be minimised by a careful planning of the observations --
which is especially true for instruments that use slits instead of fibres. This
is the case of VIMOS at the VLT, where MOS observations have been restricted,
since the start of operations, to a narrow two-hour range from the meridian to
minimise slit losses. We revisit in detail the impact of atmospheric effects on
the quality of VIMOS-MOS spectra. We model slit losses across the entire VIMOS
FOV as a function of target declination. We explore two different slit
orientations at the meridian: along the parallactic angle (North-South), and
perpendicular to it (East-West). We show that, for fields culminating at zenith
distances larger than 20 deg, slit losses are minimised with slits oriented
along the parallactic angle at the meridian. The two-hour angle rule holds for
these observations using N-S orientations. Conversely, for fields with zenith
angles smaller than 20 deg at culmination, losses are minimised with slits
oriented perpendicular to the parallactic angle at the meridian. MOS
observations can be effectively extended to plus/minus three hours from the
meridian in these cases. In general, night-long observations of a single field
will benefit from using the E-W orientation. All-sky or service mode
observations, however, require a more elaborate planning that depends on the
target declination, and the hour angle of the observations. We establish
general rules for the alignment of slits in MOS observations that will increase
target observability, enhance the efficiency of operations, and speed up the
completion of programmes -- a particularly relevant aspect for the forthcoming
spectroscopic public surveys with VIMOS.
