doi.eso.org

• Maiolino, Roberto [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, UK; Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge, UK]
• Cirasuolo, Michele [European Southern Observatory (ESO)]
• Afonso, José [Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal]
• Bauer, Franz E. [Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS), Santiago, Chile; Instituto de Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile,; Space Science Institute, Boulder, USA]
• Bowler, Rebecca [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, UK]
• Cucciati, Olga [INAF – Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Italy]
• Daddi, Emanuele [CEA, IRFU, DAp, AIM, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Diderot, France]
• De Lucia, Gabriella [INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, Italy]
• Evans, Chris [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh, UK]
• Flores, Hector [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, PSL University, CNRS, Meudon, France]
• Gargiulo, Adriana [INAF, IASF-MI, Milano, Italy]
• Garilli, Bianca [INAF, IASF-MI, Milano, Italy]
• Jablonka, Pascale [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, PSL University, CNRS, Meudon, France; Physics Institute, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique, EPFL, Switzerland]
• Jarvis, Matt [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, UK]
• Kneib, Jean-Paul [Physics Institute, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique, EPFL, Switzerland]
• Lilly, Simon [Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland]
• Looser, Tobias [Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, Switzerland]
• Magliocchetti, Manuela [INAF – IAPS, Roma, Italy]
• Man, Zhongyi [Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, China]
• Mannucci, Filippo [INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Firenze, Italy]
• Maurogordato, Sophie [Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Nice cedex 4, France]
• McLure, Ross J. [Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, UK]
• Norberg, Peder [Department of Physics, Durham University, UK]
• Oesch, Pascal [Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva, Versoix, Switzerland; Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN), Copenhagen, Denmark]
• Oliva, Ernesto [INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Firenze, Italy]
• Paltani, Stéphane [Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva, Versoix, Switzerland]
• Pappalardo, Ciro [Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal]
• Peng, Yingjie [Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University, China]
• Pentericci, Laura [INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Monte Porzio Catone, Italy]
• Pozzetti, Lucia [INAF – Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Italy]
• Renzini, Alvio [INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Italy]
• Rodrigues, Myriam [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, UK; GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, PSL University, CNRS, Meudon, France]
• Royer, Frédéric [GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, PSL University, CNRS, Meudon, France]
• Serjeant, Steve [School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK]
• Vanzi, Leonardo [Instituto de Astrofísica, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile,]
• Wild, Vivienne [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews, UK]
• Zamorani, Gianni [INAF – Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna, Italy]

The MOONS instrument possesses an exceptional combination of large multiplexing, high sensitivity, broad simultaneous spectral coverage (from optical to near-infrared bands), large patrol area and high fibre density. These properties provide the unprecedented potential of enabling, for the very first time, SDSS-like surveys around Cosmic Noon (z ~ 1–2.5), when the star formation rate in the Universe peaked. The high-quality spectra delivered by MOONS will sample the same nebular and stellar diagnostics observed in extensive surveys of local galaxies, providing an accurate and consistent description of the evolution of various physical properties of galaxies, and hence a solid test of different scenarios of galaxy formation and transformation. Most importantly, by spectroscopically identifying hundreds of thousands of galaxies at high redshift, the MOONS surveys will be capable of determining the environments in which primeval galaxies lived and will reveal how such environments affected galaxy evolution. In this article, we specifically focus on the main Guaranteed Time Observation (GTO) MOONS extragalactic survey, MOONRISE, by providing an overview of its scientific goals and observing strategy.