The light from such objects is shifted in wavelength toward the infrared by the expansion of the universe. Infrared light from forming stars and planets penetrates dust more easily than light at optical wavelengths. Camera 1 has the highest resolution for very fine detail pictures at the shorter near infrared wavelengths. At longer wavelengths, Camera 2 has the next highest resolution for detailed pictures and Camera 3 has a much wider field of view to encompass extended objects. Each camera has its own wheel of filters and optical components.
Individual cameras can operate independently while other cameras also are taking images.
It also is a spectrometer, a cornograph, and a polarimeter. The filter wheels for cameras 1 and 2 contain polarizers for polarimetric observations. Camera 2 also contains special masks for coronographic observations, which mask the light from a bright object to allow nearby faint objects to be seen. Dr. Rodger I. Thompson of UA's Steward Observatory is the principal investigator.