The SEDM (Spectral Energy Distribution Machine) is a very low resolution (R~100) integral field unit (IFU) spectrograph with “Rainbow Camera” (RC), a multi-band field acquisition camera which also serves as multi-band (ugri) photometer. Mounted on the Palomar 60-inch telescope (P60), the instrument is optimized for classification and high observing efficiency.

The SEDM is able to classify objects brighter than 20.5 mag with exposure times of close to an hour or less. Currently, the turn-around time from shutter close to output spectrum is 20 minutes or less. Our classification efficiency at 20.5 mag is roughly 50% and rises sharply with brightness.

The telescope is robotically scheduled and controlled and since early 2021, we can automatically report classifications to the Transient Name Server (TNS) almost in real time.

The SEDM development is funded by an NSF ATI grant #1106171.

SEDM Status SEDM Documentation