[ASA] The UCLES spectrograph on the AAT - gauging interest for semester 2017B and beyond

[Duncan Wright]

To all potential users of the UCLES spectrograph on the AAT

In anticipation of the arrival of Veloce in semester 2018A, the Australian Astronomical Observatory is interested in gauging the demand for UCLES on the 3.9m Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) in semester 2017B and beyond.

Because the UCLES spectrograph has been primarily used by exoplanet-focused researchers over the last few years, and that the coming Veloce spectrograph will be more capable in most areas of exoplanet science, it is prudent to consider whether maintaining the UCLES spectrograph through 2017B and beyond is optimal use of AAT resources.

If you are interested in proposing to use UCLES in 2017B or later, or wish to make a comment on this topic, then please email duncan.wright at aao.gov.au with a very brief outline of your interest in UCLES before January 31st 2017.

For those who are unfamiliar with the instrument, the University College London Échelle Spectrograph (UCLES) is the high-resolution spectrograph capable of observing over the whole optical range (~380nm - 1000nm), which can be fed light from the AAT by several mirrors and a slit, or the CYCLOPS fibre bundle. More information on UCLES can be found on the AAO website (https://www.aao.gov.au/science/instruments/current/ucles/overview).

Regards, 
Duncan Wright (Instrument scientist for UCLES)

Reply to: duncan.wright at aao.gov.au