From stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au Mon Mar 23 11:57:35 2020 From: stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au (stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2020 11:57:35 +1100 Subject: [ASA] ESO Period 106 Call for Proposals: Deadline extended to 23 April Message-ID: <001001d600ae$0b12a890$2137f9b0$@astronomyaustralia.org.au> Given ongoing developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, ESO has postponed the proposal submission deadline for Period 106 from 26 March to 23 April 12:00 CEST (8pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, 6pm Australian Western Standard Time). Furthermore, to minimise the risk of infection the presence of staff has been significantly reduced at the La Silla Paranal Observatory over the past week leading to a number of restrictions to the ongoing science operation. As a consequence science operation will cease at all ESO observatory sites from 23 March 2020 until further notice. Stuart Ryder, AAL ESO Period 106 Call for Proposals The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has released the Call for Proposals for Period 106 (for observations between 1 October 2020 - 31 March 2021). Under the terms of the Strategic Partnership between ESO and Australia, Australian-based astronomers have access to the facilities of the La Silla and Paranal Observatories, specifically the: * 3.6-m telescope (3.6 ); * New Technology Telescope (NTT ); * Very Large Telescope (VLT ); * Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI ); * Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA ); and * VLT Survey Telescope (VST ). Proposals for ESO time (in late August, Oct and Dec 2020) to use the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX ) antenna on Chajnantor will also be considered on the same basis as those from any ESO member state. Complete details on how to apply can be found at the P106 Call for Proposals web page . All applicants should consult the Call for Proposals document for Period 106 , and will require an ESO User Portal account to submit proposals. A wealth of information for Australian applicants can be found on AAL's Australian ESO Forum . Any questions about policies or the practical aspects of proposal preparation should be addressed to the ESO Observing Programmes Office, opo at eso.org . Applicants who may wish to seek advice on proposal or observing strategies, optimal choice of instrument, etc. are invited to contact AAL's ESO Program Manager at Stuart.Ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au . ESO will normally only cover the observing expenses for 1 observer per Visitor Mode run. However there have been cases where ESO has agreed to waive the costs of flights and accommodation within Chile for a student who accompanies their supervisor. Supervisors awarded observing time at La Silla Paranal Observatory in Visitor Mode are encouraged to contact the Visiting Astronomers section with any request for student support before submitting their Travel Form. What's new in Period 106? Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the expected changes in instrumentation offered and procedures for Period 106 given in Sec. 1.1 of the Call for Proposals . Among the items likely to be of most interest to the Australian community are: * New web-based proposal submission tool: Period 105 marked the transition away from the traditional ESOFORM LaTeX proposal file, to a new web-based Phase 1 tool ("p1"). Among the many new features on offer are the ability for the PI and Co-Is to edit proposals collaboratively; pull-down menus for selecting instrument options; querying Simbad for target information; and the ability to update submitted proposals right up to the deadline! See the ESO Messenger article for an overview of the new features, and try out the p1demo tool. Applicants who submitted a proposal in P105 using p1 will be able to "clone" the proposal for P106, which will pre-populate most of the fields and highlight those fields that will need to be updated. * New Large Programme proposals accepted in P106: Since Period 104, Large Programme proposals are only being accepted once per year during even Periods. Large Programmes can be requested to start either in P106 or in P107, but the programme can extend at most over four consecutive semesters (currently up to Period 109). ESO strives to execute Large Programmes over shorter periods of time (aiming at two semesters by default), while maintaining the ceiling set by ESO Council of 30% of the observing time allocated to Large Programmes. To that end Large Programme requests should not extend over a number of Periods larger than that set by their scientific requirements. All ongoing Large Programmes at the 3.6-m telescope will be completed during Period 105; therefore, Large Programme proposals for HARPS are encouraged. * Updating of ESO User Portal Profiles: ESO is now requesting all science users provide more detailed information in their User Portal profile, including gender, year of PhD, ORCID and a series of keywords for specifying scientific and technical expertise. Users failing to do this will not be able to submit a proposal as PI and/or as CoI in P106. * ESO Proposal Anonymisation: ESO strongly encourages applicants to begin formulating the scientific rationales in their proposals taking into account the anonymisation rules and principles of Dual-Anonymous Peer Review (DAPR). While DAPR will be implemented in full in the future and proposal anonymisation is not mandatory in Period 106, applicants should use this opportunity as a "dry run" to practice writing proposals in the required style. * Visitor focus availability: The Nasmyth A focus of UT1 is available for a Visitor Instrument during Period 106 until the start of preparatory work for the arrival of MOONS. In addition, a visitor focus for an interferometric instrument is available in the VLTI laboratory. Interested users should consult Section 3 of the Call for Proposals. * Survey Telescopes availability: P106 and P107 are the last periods for which the operation of the VST is guaranteed under the current agreement between ESO and INAF. P107 is also expected to be the last period of VIRCAM operations before the start of the modifications required at VISTA for the installation of 4MOST. * SOFI availability: The installation and commissioning of SoXS (the Son of X-Shooter) on the NTT is expected to start during P106. As a consequence, SOFI will be decommissioned one month beforehand. * nFLASH: Pending a successful commissioning in Q1 2020 nFLASH on APEX will contain two receivers replacing the PI230 and FLASH receivers: nFLASH230 (200-270 GHz) and nFLASH460 (385-500 GHz). Both are dual polarization receivers, and can only be used independently in P106. ______________________________ Dr. Stuart Ryder Program Manager (Mon, Wed, Fri) Astronomy Australia Ltd. T: +61 (02) 9372 4843 M: +61 (0419) 970834 E: stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au W: www.astronomyaustralia.org.au O: c/o AAO, 105 Delhi Rd, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia AAL is committed to equity and diversity and endeavours to create an environment in which every individual is treated with dignity and respect. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1036 bytes Desc: not available URL: From caroline.foster at sydney.edu.au Tue Mar 24 09:18:39 2020 From: caroline.foster at sydney.edu.au (Caroline Foster) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2020 22:18:39 +0000 Subject: [ASA] ESO Users Committee's annual poll - deadline 1 April 2020 In-Reply-To: <8F74B021-5DB8-46EF-95C9-5865BE9313EC@sydney.edu.au> References: <8F74B021-5DB8-46EF-95C9-5865BE9313EC@sydney.edu.au> Message-ID: Dear Australian astronomers, This is a kind reminder that this week is the last week to fill out the yearly ESO Users Committee. I understand that these are busy times, but I need to emphasise that I will need this feedback to best represent you at the next Users Committee meeting at the end of April (which will happen virtually for the first time). You will find details below. Thanks in advance, good health and clear skies! Caroline -- Dr Caroline Foster ASTRO3D Fellow & ESO Users Committee Representative Pronouns: she/her/hers The University of Sydney Faculty of Science, Sydney Institute for Astrophysics 360B, A28 | The University of Sydney | NSW | +61 286 276 411 | +61 430 453 532 caroline.foster at sydney.edu.au | www.carofoster.com Usual office days: Monday and Friday (@USyd), Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (until 2:30pm) INSPIRED ? the Campaign to support the University of Sydney sydney.edu.au/inspired CRICOS 00026A This email plus any attachments to it are confidential. Any unauthorised use is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and any attachments. Please think of our environment and only print this email if necessary. On 25 Feb 2020, at 11:21 am, Caroline Foster > wrote: Dear Australian astronomers, Please help me spread the word by forwarding this email to relevant colleagues and collaborators. I am contacting you as your European Southern Observatory (ESO) Users Committee (UC) representative. The Users Committee (UC) represents ESO?s astronomical community forming a direct link between the users and ESO. The UC acts as an advisory body to the ESO Director General on matters related to the performance, scientific access, operation and user interfaces to the La Silla Paranal Observatory and ALMA. The UC welcomes opinions and suggestions from the community either through direct contact with the UC members (e.g. by replying to this email) or through the annual basis we ask users for feedback through our User Committee Poll, which has just opened. This year there is a special focus on Time Domain Astrophysics. The poll is open until 1 April 2020. It is an anonymous survey that is conducted independently of ESO by the UC, so your answers will only be seen by the UC members who will use them as input for the UC annual report and discussions during the annual meeting of the UC and ESO scheduled on 29+30 April 2020. During the UC meeting updates from ESO and feedback from the user community are exchanged and openly discussed. The meeting webpage includes a record of the last meeting with recommendations that will be discussed in April. As Australian ESO users, it is important that you fill the annual UC poll or contact me directly with comments so I can use your feedback to best represent you. Clear skies! Caroline -- Dr Caroline Foster ASTRO3D Fellow & ESO Users Committee Representative Pronouns: she/her/hers The University of Sydney Faculty of Science, Sydney Institute for Astrophysics 360B, A28 | The University of Sydney | NSW | +61 286 276 411 | +61 430 453 532 caroline.foster at sydney.edu.au | www.carofoster.com Usual office days: Monday and Friday (@USyd), Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (until 2:30pm) INSPIRED ? the Campaign to support the University of Sydney sydney.edu.au/inspired CRICOS 00026A This email plus any attachments to it are confidential. Any unauthorised use is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and any attachments. Please think of our environment and only print this email if necessary. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Christopher.Lidman at anu.edu.au Thu Mar 26 12:24:45 2020 From: Christopher.Lidman at anu.edu.au (Christopher Lidman) Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 01:24:45 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Operations at Siding Spring Observatory In-Reply-To: <3B4D7147-34DB-4A64-8263-64DFF725D591@anu.edu.au> References: <3B4D7147-34DB-4A64-8263-64DFF725D591@anu.edu.au> Message-ID: <86F87916-8098-45DF-A85A-20B84888775F@anu.edu.au> Dear Colleagues, I wish to provide the astronomical community with an update on the measures the Australian National University is putting into place in response to the current threat posed by the spread of the COVID 19 disease. The ANU has ceased science operations at the AAT, the ANU 2.3m telescope, SkyMapper and the UKST. Last night was the last night of observing on these telescopes. The shutdown will likely last three months, meaning that science operations will probably not recommence before the end of June. Over the next 36 hours, SSO technical staff will be shutting down telescopes and instruments and securing buildings, making them safe. SSO staff will continue to visit site on a regular basis to ensure the security of the site. This is an unprecedented time in the history of the Observatory, and this decision has not been taken lightly. The health of staff at the Observatory and the community is our top priority. At this stage, the allocation of time for semester 2020B, (August 2020 to January 2021) will continue as normal. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Regards, Chris Lidman A/Professor Chris Lidman Director, Siding Spring Observatory, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia Work: +61-2-6125-0238 Christopher.Lidman at anu.edu.au From: Christopher Lidman Date: Monday, 16 March 2020 at 4:54 pm To: "asa at physics.usyd.edu.au" Cc: Christopher Lidman Subject: Operations at Siding Spring Observatory Dear Colleagues, As you are no doubt aware, the number of people in Australia and elsewhere with the COVID 19 disease continues to increase. Siding Spring Observatory (SSO) is putting in place measures to continue operations as the disease spreads. However, I do wish to advise you that operations may have to change or indeed stop as the situation develops. The health of staff at the Observatory and the community is our top priority. Observing from SSO is currently permitted, but we recommend that you observe remotely, if you are able to do so. If you need to travel to SSO to observe, please contact SSO at admin-sso at mso.anu.edu.au. For the AAT, remote observing is currently available from 6 national (USQ, ICRAR, ANU, UNSW, Swinburne, MQ) and 2 international locations. In anticipation that these remote observing sites will become unavailable, we will allow remote observing from other locations. Given that the bandwidth and screen real estate may be far less than that available at the official remote observing stations, this will be restricted to experienced AAT observers, and it will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Please send such requests to admin-sso at mso.anu.edu.au. For the 2.3m, remote observing is already available from any location. As the disease spreads, we can anticipate that operations at SSO will be affected. ? We may not have sufficient staff to do a top end change at the AAT, in which case the change to the top end will be delayed, or brought forward, thus leading to the cancellation or postponement of some observing runs and bringing other runs forward ? We may not have sufficient critical staff (night assistants and afternoon shift technicians) to continue operations at the AAT, in which case operations at the AAT will cease. ? All SSO staff may be required to self-isolate in which case operations at the AAT, 2.3m, and SkyMapper will cease, instruments will be warmed up, and there will be no technical support for external tenants (e.g. UKST). The situation is fluid and may change quickly. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Chris Lidman A/Professor Chris Lidman Director, Siding Spring Observatory, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia Work: +61-2-6125-0238 Christopher.Lidman at anu.edu.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Philip.Edwards at csiro.au Fri Mar 27 10:10:51 2020 From: Philip.Edwards at csiro.au (Edwards, Phil (CASS, Marsfield)) Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2020 23:10:51 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Reminder: vacancies on Australia Telescope User Committee (ATUC) and Time Assignment Committee (TAC) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Members of the Australian astronomical community are invited to nominate for positions on the * Australia Telescope User Committee (ATUC) and * Time Allocation Committee (TAC) of the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF). Below please find an outline of the vacant positions and a brief summary of each committee. The closing date for nominations is today, Friday 27 March 2020. Australia Telescope User Committee (ATUC) ATUC is a group of ten to fifteen scientists, including two student members, that represents the users of the Australia Telescope National Facility. ATUC meetings are a forum for users to raise any issues regarding the operation of the facility and to suggest changes to its operation. ATUC also discusses and recommends priorities for ATNF future development plans. ATUC meets twice a year, usually in April and October. Members are appointed for a term of three years, with student members being appointed for one year (two meetings). New members will join ATUC beginning at its October 2020 meeting. More information: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Y8hUCnx1jni6WONgc98IQh?domain=atnf.csiro.au ATNF Time Assignment Committee (TAC): The TAC is the committee that reviews and grades proposals for time on the Parkes radio telescope, Australia Telescope Compact Array and Long Baseline Array and host country time on antennas of the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla. The TAC meets twice a year, generally in early February and late July. Members are appointed for a term of three years. New members will join the TAC beginning at its February 2021 meeting. More information: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/yqb7CoV1kpfKwq35tzCqVJ?domain=atnf.csiro.au Next steps Nominees are asked to send their name, affiliation and a <100 word summary of their specialisation to Amanda Gray (Amanda.Gray at csiro.au) by Friday 27 March 2020. Please include in the subject line of your email which committee you are interested in. ATUC and the TAC are sub-committees of the ATNF Steering Committee (ATSC). At its May meeting, the ATSC will review nominations for membership, taking into consideration the range of specialisations and experience required for effective operation of its sub-committees. For further information, please contact Phil Edwards (Philip.Edwards at csiro.au). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From celine.dorgeville at anu.edu.au Sat Mar 28 08:50:46 2020 From: celine.dorgeville at anu.edu.au (Celine D'Orgeville) Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2020 21:50:46 +0000 Subject: [ASA] SPIE Photonics Europe: Digital Forum References: <1499604033.117270741585285277161.JavaMail.app@rbg81.tor01is> Message-ID: <2F053C80-97F8-441D-A3C4-3F968F13B2E5@anu.edu.au> Dear ASA members SPIE has moved the SPIE Photonics Europe conference (6-10 April 2020) entirely on-line and made it free for anyone who wishes to participate. If interested, you can register as specified below. In case the button may have disappeared in this ASA mail exploder message, the link to register is: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/M-gHC71R2NTW788KC8aL-f?domain=spie.org Best wishes ********************************** Professor C?line d?Orgeville Australian National University Translational Fellow Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre Adaptive Optics Group Manager ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics Mount Stromlo Observatory, Cotter Road, Weston Creek, ACT 2611, Australia Phone: +61 2 6125 6374 E-mail: celine.dorgeville at anu.edu.au https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/1lNfC81V0PTw4220i1ZxIO?domain=researchers.anu.edu.au Pronouns: she/her [cid:845AB9F5-C0DD-4B37-9E33-DE5804D8DA38][cid:3CE8F278-6274-4698-9575-2E4A95E6B62D] Begin forwarded message: From: SPIE Photonics Europe > Subject: SPIE Photonics Europe: Digital Forum Date: 27 March 2020 at 4:01:17 pm AEDT To: celine.dorgeville at anu.edu.au Reply-To: SPIE-Photonics-Europe at lux.spie.org Join us online Web Version [SPIE Photonics Europe Digital Forum] 6 - 10 April 2020 Free online forum [SPIE Photonics Europe Digital Forum] Cutting-edge research from the photonics community SPIE invites you to participate in the SPIE Photonics Europe Digital Forum, an online opportunity to review important optics and photonics research?from digital optics and quantum technologies to biophotonics, optical imaging, sensing, and metrology. A free space for valuable discussions and debate There is no cost to register for the Photonics Europe Digital Forum and view the presentations. During forum days, participants will be able to watch and listen to any of the recorded presentations on-demand and submit written questions for authors to answer. Move scientific discussion forward during this difficult time While this isn?t a substitute for meeting in person, we know how important it is for the community to hear the latest research and connect with colleagues. We look forward to hosting this forum for the community and hope this brings some respite to a very challenging global situation. Sign up in seconds and make your plans to participate remotely and stay connected. Yes, I want to participate SPIE Account | Customer Service | Event Policies [facebook] [twitter] [instagram] [SPIEtv] [LinkedIn] [https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/SETNCr81nytDJkkYc0qvqo?domain=contentz.mkt9026.com] SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics P.O. Box 10, Bellingham, WA 98227-0010 USA ? 2020 SPIE. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: unknown.png Type: image/png Size: 8534 bytes Desc: unknown.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PastedGraphic-1.png Type: image/png Size: 18491 bytes Desc: PastedGraphic-1.png URL: