[ASA] Call for Gemini and Blanco proposals in Semester 2017B

[International Telescopes Support Office]

      2017B Call for Gemini and Blanco proposals


Proposals for Australian time on the Gemini North and South telescopes, 
and the CTIO Blanco 4m telescope for Semester 2017B (1 Aug 2017 - 31 
January 2018) are due by

*5:00pm AEST, Friday 31 March 2017.*

A separate call for Magellan proposals in Semester 2017B (with a 7 April 
2017 deadline) will be issued shortly. Proposals for Australian 
community access to the Keck telescopes in Semester 2017B 
(https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/keck/apply) are due by 22 March 2017.


*What's new for Semester 2017B?*

  * In Semester 2017B there will be 5 nights on the Blanco 4m telescope
    available to the Australian community. The Dark Energy Survey
    (DES<http://www.darkenergysurvey.org/>) has been granted 100 nights,
    and the DECals <http://legacysurvey.org/decamls/> survey an
    additional 15-20 nights during 2017B. As a result the range of dates
    and lunations**available <https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/blanco/apply>
    to the NOAO and AAO community will be restricted.
  * 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 2017, providing a total of 7 classical nights over
    Semesters 2017A and 2017B split between Gemini North and Gemini
    South. ATAC allocated 3 of those nights in Semester 2017A, so for
    Semester 2017B there will nominally 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 2017B are *GSAOI,
    GRACES, DSSI, and Phoenix*.
  * Starting in 2017B the Gemini Phase I Tool (PIT) will automatically
    add the time for the baseline partner calibrations to the total time
    requested for each target in the proposal.
  * The Gemini North Laser Guide Star (Altair with LGS) system will
    *not* be available for regular programs in 2017B. Natural Guide Star
    (NGS) programs with Altair will still be offered.
  * For FLAMINGOS-2, two new medium K-band filters
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/flamingos2/imaging/filters>
    are available for science observations in 2017B, in shared risk
    mode, pending installation and characterisation in 2017A. The
    FLAMINGOS-2 OIWFS is available for science observations requiring
    image quality IQ 85%-ile or better.
  * POLISH2, a high-precision polarimeter, will be available as a
    visitor instrument by arrangement with the PI at Gemini North in
    2017B. The Phoenix <http://gemini.edu/node/10239> high resolution
    near-infrared spectrograph will be available as a visitor instrument
    at Gemini South in 2017B, while the DSSI
    <http://gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/dssi> optical speckle camera
    will be available as a visitor instrument at Gemini North and at
    Gemini South.
  * New Hamamatsu CCDs are currently being installed in GMOS-North
    <http://gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gmos/?q=sciops/instruments/gmos>
    and are expected to be available for science in 2017B. Applicants
    should use the Hamamatsu CCD option when using the GMOS-N ITC for
    Semester 2017B.
  * The non-redundant mask in the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI
    <http://gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gpi/?q=sciops/instruments/gpi>)
    will be offered for Semester 2017B, in shared risk mode.
  * The use of an On-Detector Guide Window (ODGW) star for flexure
    compensation with the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/?q=node/10235>) is no
    longer required, opening up many targets which were previously
    inaccessible.
  * 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
    2017B, 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.).


        How to apply


Gemini proposals must be submitted using the 2017B 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/2017b-call-proposals


Blanco proposals must be submitted using the AAO's Lens 
<https://www.aao.gov.au/lens/home> proposal submission system. For full 
details on instrument availability and application procedures, please see:

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


        Need help?


For general enquiries about Australian access to the Gemini or Blanco 
telescopes, 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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