BlueMUSE is a blue-optimised, medium-spectral-resolution, panoramic integral-field spectrograph proposed for the Very Large Telescope (VLT). It builds on the MUSE instrument, successfully deployed on the VLT in 2014. MUSE has become one of the most powerful and high-impact ground-based astronomical instruments; however, it left a fundamental gap in wavelength coverage. BlueMUSE is designed to fill this major spectral gap by providing integral-field spectroscopy in the 350–580 nm range (near-UV/blue optical).
The BlueMUSE concept is led by the University of Lyon and is being developed by an international consortium of institutes in Europe and Australia. Australia participates through Astralis–AAO at Macquarie University.
The BlueMUSE instrument concept has been validated through a successful Phase A (Conceptual Design Study) review. In Phase B – Preliminary Design, Astralis-AAO is leading the design of the opto-mechanical structure, including the field splitter, relay optics, spectrograph banks as well as the enclosure structures.