doi.eso.org

• Gonzalez, Oscar A. [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh, UK]
• Mucciarelli, Alessio [INAF – Astrophysics and Space Science Observatory Bologna, Italy; Università di Bologna, Italy]
• Origlia, Livia [INAF – Astrophysics and Space Science Observatory Bologna, Italy]
• Schultheis, Mathias [Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, France]
• Caffau, Elisabetta [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, France]
• Di Matteo, Paola [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, France]
• Randich, Sofia [INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy]
• Recio-Blanco, Alejandra [Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, France]
• Zoccali, Manuela [Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile; Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, Chile]
• Bonifacio, Piercarlo [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, France]
• Dalessandro, Emanuele [INAF – Astrophysics and Space Science Observatory Bologna, Italy]
• Schiavon, Ricardo P. [Liverpool John Moores University, UK]
• Pancino, Elena [INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy]
• Taylor, William [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh, UK]
• Valenti, Elena [European Southern Observatory (ESO)]
• Rojas-Arriagada, Álvaro [Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile; Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, Chile]
• Sacco, Germano [INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy]
• Biazzo, Katia [INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Italy]
• Bellazzini, Michele [INAF – Astrophysics and Space Science Observatory Bologna, Italy]
• Cioni, Maria-Rosa L. [Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), Germany]
• Clementini, Gisella [INAF – Astrophysics and Space Science Observatory Bologna, Italy]
• Contreras Ramos, Rodrigo [Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile; Millennium Institute of Astrophysics, Chile]
• de Laverny, Patrick [Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, France]
• Evans, Chris [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh, UK]
• Haywood, Misha [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, France]
• Hill, Vanessa [Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, France]
• Ibata, Rodrigo [Observatoire Astronomique, Université de Strasbourg, France]
• Lucatello, Sara [INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Italy]
• Magrini, Laura [INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy]
• Martin, Nicolas [Observatoire Astronomique, Université de Strasbourg, France]
• Nisini, Brunella [INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Italy]
• Sanna, Nicoletta [INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy]
• Cirasuolo, Michele [European Southern Observatory (ESO)]
• Maiolino, Roberto [Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, UK]
• Afonso, José [Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal]
• Lilly, Simon [ETH Zurich, Switzerland]
• Flores, Hector [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, France]
• Oliva, Ernesto [INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy]
• Paltani, Stéphane [University of Geneva, Switzerland]
• Vanzi, Leonardo [Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile]

The study of resolved stellar populations in the Milky Way and other Local Group galaxies can provide us with a fossil record of their chemo-dynamical and star-formation histories over timescales of many billions of years. In the galactic components and stellar systems of the Milky Way and its satellites, individual stars can be resolved. Therefore, they represent a unique laboratory in which to investigate the details of the processes behind the formation and evolution of the disc and dwarf/irregular galaxies. MOONS at the VLT represents a unique combination of an efficient infrared multi-object spectrograph and a large-aperture 8-m-class telescope which will sample the cool stellar populations of the dense central regions of the Milky Way and its satellites, delivering accurate radial velocities, metallicities, and other chemical abundances for several millions of stars over its lifetime (see Cirasuolo et al., p. 10). MOONS will observe up to 1000 targets across a 25-arcminute field of view in the optical and near-infrared (0.6–1.8 µm) simultaneously. A high-resolution (R ~ 19700) setting in the H band has been designed for the accurate determination of stellar abundances such as alpha, light, iron-peak and neutron-capture elements.