[ASA] Call for Gemini proposals in Semester 2016B

[International Telescopes Support Office]

      2016B Call for Gemini proposals


Proposals for Australian access to the Gemini telescopes for Semester 
2016B (1 Aug 2016 - 31 January 2017) are due by

*5:00pm AEST, Thursday 31 March 2016.*

A separate call for Magellan proposals in Semester 2016B (with a 7 April 
2016 deadline) will be issued shortly. Calls for proposals for 
Australian community access to the Keck telescopes in Semester 2016B 
(https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/keck/apply) with a 22 March 2016 deadline, 
as well as on the Blanco telescope 
(https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/blanco/apply) with a 15 March 2016 
deadline, are also open.


*What's new for Semester 2016B?*

  * Australia ceased to be a full partner in Gemini on 31 December 2015.
    Astronomy Australia Ltd and the AAO have secured a limited-term
    partnership for 2016, providing a total of 7 classical nights over
    Semesters 2016A and 2016B split between Gemini North and Gemini
    South. ATAC allocated 3 of those nights in Semester 2016A, so for
    Semester 2016B there will be *2 classical nights on Gemini North
    plus 2 classical nights on Gemini South* to allocate. As a
    limited-term partner, Australia is *ineligible* to participate in
    the Gemini queue process; the exchange program with Subaru; or in
    the joint proposal process. Additionally, access to block-scheduled
    instruments is subject to scheduling constraints, and not
    guaranteed. The block-scheduled instruments in 2016B are *GSAOI,
    GRACES, DSSI, and Phoenix*.
  * Proposals should request at least half a night, and at most two
    nights on any one telescope. Applicants must indicate in the
    Observing Conditions section the poorest conditions (principally the
    Image Quality and the Cloud Cover) they can use and still achieve
    their science goals. They should also specify a backup program
    (which may employ a different instrument if available) they would
    carry out if conditions are worse than this.
  * Although requests for queue mode on Gemini are not being sought in
    2016B, ATAC may identify a subset of highly-ranked but unsuccessful
    programs submitted for classical time as being suitable for a
    "mini-queue" of programs to be executed by the scheduled PI (with
    assistance from Gemini staff), in case conditions are not good
    enough for their primary program. Applicants who would like their
    proposal to be considered for the mini-queue if not allocated
    classical time should indicate this in the technical justification
    section of their proposal.
  * Target-of-Opportunity (ToO) proposals cannot be submitted as
    classical programs. However, applicants may request classical time
    to follow up targets whose location and characteristics may not be
    known at the time of submission (e.g. supernovae, new objects of
    interest from ongoing surveys, etc.).
  * New Hamamatsu CCDsoffering improved and extended sensitivity out to
    1 micron are now in regular use in GMOS-South, and are expected to
    be installed in GMOS-North early in Semester 2016B. However
    GMOS-North applicants for 2016B should assume that only the current
    e2v Deep Depletion CCDs will be available for science, and be sure
    to select "CCD Type = EEV DD array" in the
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gmos/itc-sensitivity-and-overheads?q=node/10478>GMOS-North
    Integration Time Calculatorin planning their proposals.


        How to apply


Gemini proposals must be submitted using the 2016B release of the Phase 
I Tool (PIT). For full details on instrument availability and 
application procedures, please see:

https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/gemini/apply

as well as the official Gemini Observatory Call for Proposals at:

http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/observing-gemini/2016b-call-proposals


        Need help?


For general enquiries about Australian access to Gemini, please contact 
the International Telescopes Support Office (itso at aao.gov.au) at the 
AAO. For technical queries about a Gemini Phase I proposal, please use 
the Gemini Helpdesk:

http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/helpdesk/?q=sciops/helpdesk


Stuart Ryder
Head of International Telescopes Support
itso at aao.gov.au

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