CorMASS (Cornell Massachusetts Slit Spectrograph) is a compact,
low-resolution (R=300), double-pass prism cross-dispersed near-infrared (NIR)
spectrograph in operation on the Palomar Observatory 60-inch telescope. Its
2-dimensional spectral format provides simultaneous coverage from lambda ~ 0.75
microns to lambda ~ 2.5 microns (z'JHK bands). A remotely operated cold flip
mirror permits its NICMOS3 detector to function as a K_s slit viewer to assist
object placement into the 2 arcsec x 15 arcsec slit. CorMASS was primarily
designed for the rapid spectral classification of low-mass stellar and
sub-stellar objects identified by the Two-Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS).
CorMASS' efficiency and resolution also make it a versatile instrument for the
spectral observation and classification of many other types of bright objects
(K<14) including quasars, novae, and emission line objects.Comment: To be published in Feb 2001 PASP, 19 pages, 12 Figures, High
Resolution file can be retrieved from
ftp://iras2.tn.cornell.edu/pub/wilson/papers/cormass.ps.g
