Call for Proposals for Semester 2007A

The Instrumentation page summarises instrumentation options offered for the forthcoming semester.

Time Allocation Committees
TNG-WHT Timeshare Programme
Opticon Trans-national Access Programme
New Visitor Instruments
Telescope Support Model
General Information

Time Allocation Committees

There are four separate time-allocation committees for the ING telescopes:

• For Dutch-based applicants, the NFRA Programme Committee, NFRA PC
• For Spanish-based applicants, the Comité para la Asignación de Tiempo, CAT
• For UK-based applicants, the Panel for the Allocation of Telescope Time, PATT
• For International Time Programme applicants, the International Scientific Committee, CCI.

Each of the three national TACs will also accept proposals with PI or co-Is based in countries other than the operating countries.

Please refer to the web pages of each time allocation committee for further details on proposal submission and deadlines; detailed information for UK PATT applicants is available on the ING web pages.

TNG-WHT Timeshare Programme

As part of an ongoing formal collaboration between ING and TNG which gives the NL and UK communities guaranteed access to an echelle spectrograph, and the Italian community guaranteed access to a multi-object wide-field fibre-fed spectrograph, NL- and UK-based observers may apply to use three TNG instruments. These are:

• The high resolution spectrograph, SARG
• The near IR camera-spectrometer, NICS, in non-AO spectroscopic mode only
• The multi-object low-resolution optical spectrograph, DOLORES

Italian-based observers may apply to use three WHT instruments. These are:

• The multi-object wide-field fibre-fed spectrograph, AF2+WYFFOS
• The double-arm medium-resolution long-slit spectrograph, ISIS
• The Prime Focus Mosaic Imaging Camera, PFIP

A minimum of five nights on TNG is guaranteed for the NL and UK communities in this scheme, and in return the Italian community obtains access to the WHT for the same number of nights. Applicants should submit proposals on their standard, national application forms to INAF, NFRA PC and UK PATT respectively. For example a Dutch-based applicant to the timeshare should apply directly to the NFRA PC. Successful applicants who meet the Opticon criteria of eligibility will be entitled to apply to the Opticon Trans-national Access Programme for their travel, accommodation and subsistence costs.

NL- and UK-based astronomers who have the right to apply directly to their national TAC may not apply to use the WHT via the timeshare agreement, and Italian-based astronomers who have the right to apply directly to their national TAC may not apply to use the TNG via the timeshare agreement.

Opticon Trans-national Access Programme

Access to the ING telescopes under the auspices of the EC-funded Research Infrastructure Programme OPTICON is available to eligible astronomers from EU Member States and Associated States, and EC funding may be available to cover their travel, accommodation and subsistence costs. Applications from new users and young researchers, and astronomers from countries without similar research facilities, are strongly encouraged.

Prospective applicants are urged to read the local Opticon web pages for a description of the criteria of eligibility, lists of EU Member and Associated States, and detailed information on other aspects of the programme.

New Visitor Instruments

PIs planning to submit a proposal based on a new (to ING) visitor instrument should follow the procedure for New Visitor Instruments.

Telescope Support Model

Telescope Operator support is provided on each night of all WHT runs, and astronomical support is provided until 11pm on the first night of all WHT runs.

Due to the impact of cost savings at ING Telescope Operator support is no longer provided on the INT. Astronomical support is provided until 11pm on the first night of all INT runs by student Support Astronomers.

General Information

Half nights are not scheduled, and for the INT the minimum duration of observing runs is 4 nights unless explicity agreed in advance by the Director of ING or the Head of Astronomy.

See the online documentation areas for further details on the WHT and INT, and the data archive.

Signal may be used to calculate exposure times for any telescope-instrument-detector combination, and the following moonlight diagrams will be useful in helping you plan your observations.

[INGNEWS] is an important source of breaking news concerning current developments at the ING, especially with regard to instrumentation.

Proposals by postgraduate students are welcome; however, inexperienced observers should not come unaccompanied to make the observations.

At the end of your observing run please fill in the feedback form, and use this acknowledgement in any papers based on data obtained with ING telescopes.