Abstract
We report on the design status of the Canarias InfraRed Camera Experiment (CIRCE), a near-infrared visitor instrument for the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC). Besides functioning as a 1-2.5 μ m imager, CIRCE will have the capacity for narrow band imaging, low and moderate resolution grism spectroscopy, and imaging polarimetry. Other design features include fully cryogenic filter, slit, and grism wheels, high-speed photometry modes, and broad-band imaging in J, H, and Ks filters. We anticipate that a myriad of scientific projects will benefit from CIRCE's unique combination of capabilities, which will also compliment the EMIR instrument. We will preview one such research project currently in progress: the search for and identification of very massive stars in our Galaxy.
