[ASA] Special Call for Blanco proposals in Semester 2018A

[International Telescopes Support Office]

In order to provide a more competitive pool of proposals for ATAC 
exchange time on the CTIO Blanco 4m telescope in Semester 2018A (1 Feb - 
31 July 2018) the proposal deadline has been extended until:

*5pm AEST Friday 6th October 2017 */
/

For details on how to apply see https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/drxzBeuxKO1mf8?domain=aao.gov.au

(As a reminder Magellan proposals for Semester 2018A are also due by 5pm 
AEST on Friday 6 Oct 2017 - see https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Db1pBJUZ8kE3HQ?domain=aao.gov.au)


*What's new for Semester 2018A?*

  * In Semester 2018A there will be 5 nights on the Blanco 4m telescope
    available to the Australian community. A three week shutdown for
    recoating of the Blanco primary mirror has been tentatively
    scheduled for April 2018. The Dark Energy Survey (DES) has been
    granted the first halves of Feb 2-11 inclusive, and the DECals
    survey has been granted 22 dark/grey nights distributed throughout
    the semester. The rest of the semester should have few restrictions
    with approximately 60 nights available for allocation by the NOAO
    and Australian TACs.
  * The DECam imager and the COSMOS spectrograph are available for
    Australian proposals. COSMOS is available in an imaging, longslit
    and multi-object spectroscopy modes. The Astronomy Research with the
    Cornell InfraRed Imaging Spectrograph (ARCoIRIS) instrument will be
    relocated to SOAR during the 2018 calendar year. Depending on
    demand, ARCoIRIS may be scheduled on Blanco early in 2018A before
    being taken out of service to carry out opto-mechanical
    modifications inside the dewar.




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

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