From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Tue Oct 2 16:29:16 2012 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2012 16:29:16 +1000 Subject: [ASA] ngCFHT Workshop, 27-29 March 2013 Message-ID: <100E86C2-D84C-47D4-A15E-C2F69AA1E4FB@sydney.edu.au> ngCFHT Workshop 27-29 March 2013, Imiloa Center, Hilo, Hawaii *First Announcement, September 2012* A large number of wide-field photometric and astrometric surveys that are either underway, or planned for the coming decade, will soon map much the sky at a range of wavelengths. However, a gap in optical-infrared capabilities has emerged: there is an urgent need for complementary spectroscopic observations that can maximize the scientific return from these rich datasets and enable independent scientific programs that require large amounts of telescope time. There are number of wide-field spectroscopic instruments being commissioned or proposed on 4m-class facilities, as well as observational campaigns on existing 10m-class telescopes using current (ESO-GAIA) or planned (Subaru/PFS) facility instruments. To date, however, there is no dedicated, 10m-class, wide field telescope capable of conducting large spectroscopic surveys of faint targets (1E3 -1E7 with g>19) at a range of spectral resolutions (R ~ 2,000 to >=20,000), over large areas (1 - 10,000 square degrees). Such a capability is the natural complement to the large photometric studies of the next decade, and will provide the key data required for science areas as diverse as the mapping of the interstellar medium, stellar astrophysics, near field cosmology and Gaia follow-up, extragalactic astronomy, and the nature of dark matter and dark energy. The Next Generation CFHT is a proposal to replace the current 3.6m telescope with a wide-field 10m facility using the same pier and within the same three-dimensional envelope as the current telescope. The baseline for this facility is that it will be equipped with a dedicated multi-object spectrograph capable of obtaining more than 3,000 spectra simultaneously over a 1.5 square degree field of view at spectral resolutions spanning from R=2,000 to at least R=20,000. Developing such a facility requires establishing a new and expanded partnership. To this end, a team of more than 60 scientists and engineers from ten countries have been defining the science cases and capabilities required for such a facility, and have investigated key technical challenges in the construction of the telescope and spectrographs. This workshop is intended as a forum for discussion of the science cases and technical status that has emerged from the feasibility study. It will last for 2.5 days, with summary talks discussing the science drivers and current technical status. Contributed talks and posters are encouraged to highlight synergies with current and future facilities and to propose opportunities for subsequent development. A large amount of time will be made available for discussion. This will be a key opportunity to define a strategic roadmap for the scientific and technical development of the project, and establish a foundation for the growth of the new partnership that will deliver this unique scientific facility to the international community. Venue capacity limits the number of attendees. Pre-registration and abstract submission is now open and encouraged. Please check the website regularly for details. http://ngcfht.cfht.hawaii.edu/home.php Patrick Cote & Alan McConnachie (NRC Canada) Workshop & SOC Co-chairs *Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC)* Nobuo Arimoto (Subaru/NAOJ, Japan) Michael Balogh (University of Waterloo, Canada) Piercarlo Bonifacio (GEPI, France) Bruno Castilho (Lab?ratrio Nacional de Astrofsica, Brazil) Len Cowie (University of Hawaii, USA) Ken Freeman (Australian National University, Australia) Eric Peng (Peking University, China) Swara Ravindranath (Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, India) Doug Simons (CFHT, USA) Shiang-Yu Wang (ASIAA, Taiwan) Jong-Hak Woo (Seoul National University, Republic of Korea) SOC contact: ngcfhtSOC_2013 at cfht.hawaii.edu *Local Organizing Committee (LOC)* Patrick Cote (NRC Canada) Klaus Hodapp (Institute for Astronomy, UH-Hilo) Pam Lau (Institute for Astronomy, UH-Hilo) Nadine Manset (CFHT) Alan McConnachie, (NRC Canada) Doug Simons, (Chair), (CFHT) Mercedes Stevens (CFHT) *LOC contact:* ngcfhtLOC_2013 at cfht.hawaii.edu -- K.C. Freeman FAA FRS Phone: +61 (0)2 6125 0264 Duffield Professor FAX: +61 (0)2 6125 0233 Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics Email: kcf at mso.anu.edu.au The Australian National University -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From agreen at aao.gov.au Wed Oct 3 10:41:26 2012 From: agreen at aao.gov.au (Andy Green) Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2012 10:41:26 +1000 Subject: [ASA] AAO Observer August 2012 Message-ID: In this Issue SPIE Extravaganza The AAO's Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) concept First Cosmological Constraints from the 6dFGS Peculiar Velocity Field Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): GAMA Announces Second Data Release Evidence for Significant Growth in the Stellar Mass of the Most Massive Galaxies in the Universe The 5th Southern Cross Conference: A Joint CASS/AAO Conference GALAH: Preparing for Flight Observatory news Fire in the Sky HERMES: Assembly in Pictures AAT Refurbishment: Braking The AAT Shutter AusGO Corner DECam available to Australian astronomers Transit of Venus photos Farewell to a distinguished observer August 2012, Edition #122 You're receiving this newsletter because you're on the ASA mailing list. Having trouble reading this? View it in your browser. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Wed Oct 3 15:10:22 2012 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2012 15:10:22 +1000 Subject: [ASA] ASKAP opening webcast Message-ID: <3431CE7A-EADE-4453-9861-20AFDC07C44D@sydney.edu.au> Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, will officially open CSIRO?s newest radio telescope, the Australian SKA Pathfinder, on 5 October. The event marks the completion of the construction of ASAKP's 36 twelve-metre dishes and the start of commissioning. The opening ceremony will be webcast from 12 noon Western Standard Time (2 pm AEST) and will run for about an hour. URL: http://tinyvio.com/CSIRO_ASKAP_Opening_Ceremony (No login is required.) ------ Helen Sim Media Liaison and Public Relations CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science and Australian Astronomical Observatory T: +61 2 9372 4251 M: +61 419 635 905 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From agreen at aao.gov.au Wed Oct 3 11:51:44 2012 From: agreen at aao.gov.au (Andy Green) Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2012 11:51:44 +1000 Subject: [ASA] CORRECTION: AAO Observer August 2012 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <8365C810-B80E-4AFD-B0A7-64B943553CC8@aao.gov.au> Apologies, the link to the most recent copy of the AAO Observer was broken in my previous email. The correct link is: http://www.aao.gov.au/library/newsletter/aug12.pdf Enjoy, Andy Green AAO Observer Editor On 03/10/2012, at 10:41 AM, Andy Green wrote: > > > > In this Issue > SPIE Extravaganza > The AAO's Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph (GHOST) concept > First Cosmological Constraints from the 6dFGS Peculiar Velocity Field > Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): GAMA Announces Second Data Release > Evidence for Significant Growth in the Stellar Mass of the Most Massive Galaxies in the Universe > The 5th Southern Cross Conference: A Joint CASS/AAO Conference > GALAH: Preparing for Flight > > Observatory news > Fire in the Sky > HERMES: Assembly in Pictures > AAT Refurbishment: Braking The AAT Shutter > AusGO Corner > DECam available to Australian astronomers > Transit of Venus photos > Farewell to a distinguished observer > > > August 2012, Edition #122 > > > > You're receiving this newsletter because you're on the ASA mailing list. > Having trouble reading this? View it in your browser. > > > _______________________________________________ > ASA mailing list > ASA at physics.usyd.edu.au > Change membership status or contact information via ASA's Edit Membership page > http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~asamail/asa_membership/asa_members_user_edit.php -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From onken at mso.anu.edu.au Wed Oct 3 16:53:20 2012 From: onken at mso.anu.edu.au (Christopher Onken) Date: Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:53:20 +1000 Subject: [ASA] 2013A Gemini & Subaru proposal deadline extension Message-ID: <506BE0E0.7010409@mso.anu.edu.au> Owing to some confusion over the various partner proposal deadlines for 2013A, the deadline for Australian proposals for Gemini & Subaru time in 2013A has been extended until 5pm AEST on Tuesday 9 Oct. Thus, the new Gemini & Subaru deadlines are the same as for 2013A Magellan proposals. Note that only proposals seeking time from Australia can be accepted -- joint proposals will not be allowed during this supplementary call. How to apply ------------ Gemini applications must be submitted using the 2013A release of the Phase I Tool (PIT) software. Subaru applications are also submitted using the PIT. For full details on instrument availability and application procedures, please see: http://ausgo.aao.gov.au/cfp.html as well as the official Gemini Observatory Call for Proposals: http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/observing-gemini/2013a-call-proposals What's new for Semester 2013A? ------------------------------ - Minor improvements have been made to the completely new Phase I Tool that was introduced in 2012B. ATAC applicants must now prepare their scientific and technical justification using either the Gemini default LaTeX style file (GemPhase1_13A.sty) and proposal template (GemPhase1.tex), or Gemini default Word template (GemPhase1.doc) as used by all partners except the US, then upload this as a PDF attachment using the PIT. There is now a limit of one page of text for the scientific justification; up to 2 more pages of figures, tables, and references; and one page for the technical justification. - The RSAA-built Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI) on the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS) is being offered for early science from February to April 2013, limiting RAs to 6.5h - 19h, and declination to -70 to +10 degrees. Availability is dependent on successful System Verification (SV) during 2012B. An SV call for 2012B has been issued. 80 to 100 hours are available in 2013A as "shared risk" since instrument availability and data quality cannot be guaranteed, and reduced observing efficiency is expected. - After a major refurbishment in 2012B, GNIRS is available in all modes except those requiring the short red camera. This will exclude science at wavelengths 2.9 to 5.5 microns with the 0.15 arcsec/pixel scale. Some of this science can be done using the long red camera with the smaller pixel scale (or higher resolution for spectroscopy). GNIRS will be removed at the end of 2013A for a lens replacement; although the exact date will be driven by demand, applicants with targets at RA 22h to 1h are advised to have backup targets available at earlier RA. - This is likely to be the last A semester that NICI will be offered, with the arrival of GPI anticipated midway through 2013. - GMOS-South may be removed at the end of 2013A for replacement of the original E2V CCDs with new red-sensitive Hamamatsu CCDs; although the exact date will be driven by demand, applicants with targets at RA 0h to 2h are advised to have backup targets available. Need help? ---------- For general enquiries about Australian usage of Gemini, Magellan, or Subaru, please contact the Australian Gemini Office (ausgo at aao.gov.au). For technical queries about a Gemini Phase I proposal, please use the Gemini Helpdesk: http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/helpdesk/ Australian Gemini Office ausgo at aao.gov.au From smaddison at swin.edu.au Wed Oct 3 17:23:12 2012 From: smaddison at swin.edu.au (Sarah Maddison) Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2012 17:23:12 +1000 Subject: [ASA] ASA Women in Astronomy Workshop 2012 - live streaming Message-ID: *ASA Women in Astronomy Workshop 2012* *10-11 October 2012* *Swinburne University, Melbourne* http://asawomeninastronomy.org/meetings/wia2012/ We will be streaming the 2012 Women in Astronomy Workshop using GoToMeeting. To join, you do not have sign up or pay anything. On Wednesday 10 October from 8.30am, you can go to https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/733611157 A small software package (called Citrix Online Launcher) will automatically download which you can easily install to connect to the meeting. You won't have to sign up or enter any details, just a name and email address you want to display on the attendee list. Unfortunately this will only work from Mac or Windows. If you wish to join the workshop via streaming, please contact Anna Sippel ( asippel at astro.swin.edu.au). We suggest that you provide Anna with your Skype username - in case things go awry! Kind regards, Sarah Maddison (on behalf of the OC) -- A/Prof Sarah Maddison Associate Professor of Astrophysics Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing Swinburne University of Technology PO BOX 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, AUSTRALIA t: 61-3-9214 5971 f: 61-3-9214 8797 e: smaddison at swin.edu.au w: http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/maddison/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ausgo at aao.gov.au Fri Oct 5 08:46:16 2012 From: ausgo at aao.gov.au (Australian Gemini Office) Date: Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:46:16 +1000 Subject: [ASA] AAO Job Opportunity: AusGO Research Fellows Message-ID: <506E11B8.9060303@aao.gov.au> The Australian Gemini Office within the Australian Astronomical Observatory is currently advertising for two AusGO Research Fellows. These appointments are available from 1 Jan 2013 - 31 Dec 2015. The AusGO Research Fellows will spend 50% of their time on AusGO activities including supporting Australian users of the Gemini 8m and Magellan 6.5m telescopes, and 50% on their research. A summary of the position is available here: http://www.aao.gov.au/jobs/ and the full details and the online application process is here: http://innovationjobs.nga.net.au/ (Click on the "Australian Astronomical Observatory" link) Please note that referees must be requested to send letters of reference, by the deadline for applications, to "jobs at aao.gov.au". The closing date for applications is: *********************** Friday 30 November 2012 *********************** Further etails of the roles and responsibilities of the positions, as well as the application procedure, can be found from the above web pages. The Observatory comprises the 3.9-metre Anglo-Australian Telescope and the 1.2-metre UK Schmidt Telescope near Coonabarabran, NSW, and a brand new headquarters in North Ryde, just 15 km from the centre of Sydney. The AAO is a vibrant and diverse centre of research, with a scientific staff of 18 highly active and productive astronomers, as well as hosting the Australian Gemini Office. Regular interaction with universities, and a twice-yearly Vacation Student program for undergraduates, also provides excellent student supervision opportunities. Any questions about the position can be directed to the Australian Gemini Scientist (sdr at aao.gov.au) and about the application procedure to Rajni Prasad (jobs at aao.gov.au). The Australian Astronomical Observatory supports flexible working arrangements, including part-time positions where appropriate, and is an equal opportunity employer. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Stuart Ryder, FASA Tel: +61 (02) 9372-4843 Australian Gemini Scientist Fax: +61 (02) 9372-4880 Australian Astronomical Observatory Mobile: (0419) 970834 P.O. Box 915 North Ryde, NSW 1670 E-mail: sdr at aao.gov.au AUSTRALIA. URL: http://www.aao.gov.au/local/www/sdr/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- From louise at mso.anu.edu.au Sun Oct 7 12:46:19 2012 From: louise at mso.anu.edu.au (Louise Howes) Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2012 12:46:19 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Stromlo Student Christmas Seminars Message-ID: <6119_1349574376_q971kCuO021533_2F44C9B6-CE82-4844-8C1E-3B5D18156DB6@mso.anu.edu.au> The 10th Annual Stromlo Student Christmas Seminars! Dear Students of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Do you work in Megaparsecs? Have you taken measurements in nanometers? We would like to invite you the the 10th Stromlo Student Seminars, this year celebrating our momentous birthday with the theme: "What's an order of magnitude between friends?" We astronomers love working 'to the nearest order of magnitude', and so with that in mind, we invite you all to came and talk of big numbers, or little numbers, to students from around Australia. Whether you work on the large scale structure of the Universe, or the cross-sections of nuclear reactions in the Sun, the Stromlo Student Christmas Seminars are for you! ************************************************************************** WHAT? A two day workshop of talks by renowned astronomers and students WHO? Any astronomy or related physics graduate student in Australia - Honours, Masters, and PhD level WHERE? Mt. Stromlo Observatory, ANU, Canberra WHEN? 22nd & 23rd November 2012 ************************************************************************** Day 1: To celebrate the 10th anniversary of our first Christmas seminars, we have invited experts from various institutes to come and talk about their areas of research. From the very large, cosmological concerns, to the nuclear science underpinning much of our work, this day of talks will encourage and inform us all in the broader aspects of astronomy and astrophysics. Keep checking our website for up-to-date information on confirmed speakers! Day 2: Then it's your turn - this annual day of student talks gives you a 15 minute opportunity to talk to a group of your peers on whatever topic you like. This year we have bigger prizes than ever before to give away - those talks voted as the best science content, best use of the theme, and best overall will all be awarded generous cash prizes! ************************************************************************** Registration is free, and food will be provided throughout the two days. Some travel and accommodation support will also be available; contact the committee if you would like details on financial support. To register, visit our website at www.mso.anu.edu.au/xmas12. The deadline for registration is the 2nd November. If you would like a talk on day 2, you can indicate so when you register, or email us separately. The deadline for this is the 9th November. ************************************************************************** The seminars are designed for all astronomy and astrophysics graduate students, whether you have anything to talk about or just come to watch and listen, the invitation is open to you. Honours and Masters students might want to take the opportunity to come and find out what being a PhD student is really like! So please, come along to this year's Stromlo Student Christmas Seminars - catch up with students from other institutes, broaden your astronomical horizons and practise your public speaking skills. Please direct any questions to the organising committee at the email address xmas12 at mso.anu.edu.au. Thanks, and hope to see you all in November! Louise Howes (on behalf of the Organising Committee) We would like to thank the team at GMT and the ANU Student Extra-Curriculur Enrichment Fund for their kind sponsorship. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: