In Greek mythology, Metis was the spouse of Zeus and mother of Athena,
goddess of wisdom.
METIS is also the proposed mid-infrared imager and spectrograph for the
European ELT, Europe's next-generation ground-based telescope for optical
and infrared (IR) wavelengths. Covering the L, M and N bands, METIS will
offer imaging and medium-resolution spectroscopy over the full wavelength
range (3-14 microns), and high-resolution integral field spectroscopy in L
and M bands (3-5.3 microns).
METIS is one of eight proposed instruments for the European ELT, and the
only instrument to cover wavelengths beyond 3 microns. A Phase A study was
carried out from May 2008 to December 2009. During this time, a large team
of scientists formulated a detailed science case for METIS, and based on
these scientific goals, the instrumental concept was developed and
designed.
These pages contain information on the project and the consortium, the
exciting new science METIS will enable and the design concept for the
instrument. For more info, contact our MPIA CoI Dr. Rainer Lenzen.
