[ASA] AAT Call for Reserved Time

[Murray Riding]

2023B Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) Call for Reserved Time Proposals

The Call for Proposals for the AAT has changed. Please read these instructions carefully. The AAT will issue two separate calls in each observing semester, the Call for Reserved Time followed by the Call for Shared Time. For further information, please read the proposal web page<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/_cZBCJyBrGf86OR18fVecTx?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com> or email any questions to AATscheduler at mso.anu.edu.au<mailto:AATscheduler at mso.anu.edu.au>.

The proposal deadline for AAT Reserved Time in Semester 2023B (1 August 2023 - 31 January 2024) is:

24 March 2023, at 17:00
Australian Eastern Daylight Time (UTC + 11 hrs)

Only astronomers and researchers affiliated with Partner institutions can be listed on proposals requesting reserved and shared time.

Partners for 2023B are the Australian National University, Macquarie University, Monash University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, University of Southern Queensland, University of Swinburne, University of Sydney, University of Tasmania and Western Sydney University.

Night Availability

Each Partner institution has a different number of nights that can be allocated for the reserved time proposals.

Proposals for reserved time must be approved by the Partner institute of the PI and all other Partner institutions involved in the proposal before the proposals are submitted to the AAT's online application system Lens<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/azsACK1DvKTqXKlBqhvgs2E?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>. Each proposal must list the requested Reserved time for all Partner institutions in the table provided in Lens.

The rules for submitting proposals for reserved time differ for each institute. These details are available on request to the institute contacts, which are listed below.

 Institute

 Contact

 Australian National University

 Paul Francis

 Macquarie University

 Matt Owers

 Melbourne University

 Kate Auchettl

 Monash University

 Michael Brown

 Swinburne University

 Michelle Cluver

 Sydney University

 Julia Bryant

 University of New South Wales

 Sarah Martell

 University of Queensland

 Cullan Howlett

 University of Southern Queensland

 Duncan Wright

 University of Tasmania

 Andrew Cole

 University of Western Sydney

 Nick Tothill



Instrument Availability

Available AAT instruments include: 2dF+AAOmega, 2dF+HERMES, Hector, KOALA and Veloce.

It is anticipated that Hector will be provisionally accepted in late 2023B and will be offered on a shared-risk basis until it reaches full acceptance.

Veloce will undergo a major upgrade with the installation of the Veloce Azzurro and Verde arms in 2023A. It will be offered in shared risks mode 2023B, contingent on successful commissioning in late 2023A. See the Veloce pages<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/1IRlCL7EwMfPGqAmPTPOdtR?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com> for details on the new arms and performance.

AAOmega will be unavailable for 6 weeks in 2023B. The LN2 cans of the cameras are being replaced.

Additional instrumentation status information and updates are available on the AAT instrumentation website<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/Z452CMwGxOt5wPgR5TWcTcN?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>.

Important information:

1. COVID-19 pandemic update

    The observatory follows the advice of NSW Government Health<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/wC9WCNLJyQUNOLAENHr8KYT?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>. Further details are available from the AAT web pages.<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/9Kx7COMKzVTA7YJ0Ah5VDfj?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>

2. New access model to the AAT time

Since 1 July 2018, AAT operations have been managed and funded through a consortium of Australian universities. Access to the AAT changed from August 2022 (Semester 2022B) and is available through applications for the following types of time: Reserved Time, Shared Time and Paid Time. Reserved and Shared Time is available only to astronomers/researchers affiliated with the consortium universities (Partners). Only Shared Time proposals are assessed by ATAC.

Note that successful applicants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs to the observatory. Some funding for student travel and accommodation is available.

3. Proposal preparation

Due to the reduction in expert assistance at the telescope, proposers are required to describe the relevant experience and expertise of the team with the instrument(s) being applied for. Observers are encouraged to liaise with the Observatory staff sufficiently in advance of their run to gain such training as is needed for their run.

Based upon historical weather trends, about 33% of time is lost to bad weather. Proposers are therefore required to multiply their time requirement by a factor of 1.5 to allow for time lost to weather.

4. Lens proposal submission system

Proposals should be submitted with the AAT's online application system Lens<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/lI1-CP7LAXf4jgOo4sB35rz?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>. This system is a user account based system, which allows for improved security and better tracking of past and current proposals. There is a FAQ<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/FFQICQnMBZf62V836hQwTGm?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com> available for Lens online, or available via the FAQ tab in Lens itself. Lens system has recently been transitioned into Data Central. Any issues or bugs encountered by proposers should be reported to Simon O'Toole<mailto:simon.otoole at mq.edu.au>.

All new users must register with the system. Note that users cannot be added to proposals if they are not registered in Lens. Please make sure that all investigators on a proposal have registered well before the deadline!

For any queries or comments, and the additional user support please contact the ATAC Technical Secretary<mailto:aat at astronomyaustralia.org.au>.

6. Remote Observing

Remote observing is possible from the AAT remote observing stations. An experienced AAT observer can also observe from home using an appropriate setup. Observers who are not experienced with their requested instrument may need to find additional help or prior training, which may require eavesdropping on other observations that use the same instrument.

Remote observing stations are listed at the remote observing webpage<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/rB41CROND2urMYJRrsXKSn1?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>. The Observatory is open to establishing new remote observing stations.

How to Apply for AAT Reserved Time

All applicants are encouraged to check the ATAC Policies and Procedures<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/FDXoCVARKgClWB75lcM3QR6?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>, latest Instrumentation Status<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/S-BpCWLVXkUjM32Pjsr1oaG?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com> for the AAT and recent Policy Announcements<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/_F8YCXLW2mUn8A1qnsEYzwo?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>. In particular, the policies in regard to Shared time have changed.

For further clarification on any issue, please contact the ATAC Technical Secretary<mailto:aat at astronomyaustralia.org.au>.

Contact Representative of your Institution

The representatives of Partner institutions will provide the type and total time available for their institution (which may include any additional time bought by the institution as the Partner Paid Time, or time traded with other Partner institutions), and also Partner-specific requirements and internal deadlines.

Proposal submission details

Prepare your main proposal offline, including a title, an abstract, the instrument set up, the number of nights split according to partner and lunation, target list, science case, and technical justification. A detailed scientific justification is not required. Instead a brief summary of the science is sufficient. The science case and technical justification together should be in PDF format, no more than three pages total. Other document formats will not be accepted. Those three pages should include all references and figures, use 11pt font (or larger), and have at least 10mm margins. Colour figures are accepted.

Numerical referencing should be used (e.g. as shown by [1], instead of as shown by Smith et al. (2017)).

A list of the principal targets (field centres for 2dF programs) should be prepared as a separate PDF document. The target list should contain target name, RA (h m s), Dec (d m s), target brightness, and priority. There is a 2-page limit for this target list PDF file. Other document formats will not be accepted.

If feasible, please provide a list of backup targets that can be observed in the weather conditions that are worse than required for the principal targets. Any backup project must use the same instrument as the main project. More information on backup considerations can be found in Guidelines for AAT Observers.<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/IadMCYW8Noc3nYQN3u4zvfn?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>

Submitting your proposal

When your proposal details are ready, and approved by the Partner institute of the PI and all other Partner institutions involved, submit your application through Lens<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/GfVaCZY1NqiMkvEDMs9sM_q?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>, the AAT's online proposal submission system. As noted above, this is a user-account-based system and all investigators on a proposal must be registered.

 Acknowledgements

 The AAT Consortium requests all publications based upon data obtained through the AAT include the following acknowledgement:

 Based [in part] on data obtained at Siding Spring Observatory [via program XXX]. We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which the AAT stands, the Gamilaraay people, and pay our respects to elders past and present.

Contacting the ATAC Secretariat

Postal Address:

PO Box 2100
Hawthorn VIC 3122

Street Address:

AAO - Macquarie University
105 Delhi Rd, North Ryde NSW 2113
Australia

E-mail: aat at astronomyaustralia.org.au<mailto:aat at astronomyaustralia.org.au>
Web: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/9GhZC1WLPxcpPg1kpcq0IuB?domain=astronomyaustralia.org.au<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/PqF-C2xMQzikBrvRkTQJZ3h?domain=aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com>

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