NEON school
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Information for participants

The 7th NEON Observing School will take place from June 23 to July 5, 2008 at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the Island of La Palma, in the Canary Islands, Spain. NEON stands for the Network of European Observatories in the North. The NEON Observing Schools are supported by OPTICON and the European Astronomical Society (EAS).

The aim of the NEON schools is to provide the opportunity for young researchers to gain practical experience in observational techniques, data reduction and analysis. Students will carry out small research projects, centered on selected astrophysical topics, in small groups under the supervision of experienced astronomers. These practical exercises will be complemented by lectures on general observational techniques.

The observing school at the telescopes on La Palma will concentrate on the skills required to execute an observing programs (imaging and spectroscopy) and instrumental developments.

Location

The 2008 NEON school will be hosted by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes and the Nordic Optical Telescope. The observations will be carried out with the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope and the 2.5-m Nordic Optical Telescope.
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The telescopes are located on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, and form part of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory that hosts many other telescopes as well and is Europe's prime observatory in the Northern Hemisphere.

Key dates and schedule

For the latest detailed programme see this link.
The original preliminary programme can be found here.

Travel to/from and on La Palma

Some useful hints about traveling to La Palma can be found here. Note there is no need to complete the bookings form, as local transport and hotel bookings will be arranged for you.

Upon arrival at La Palma airport there will be a taxi or minibus waiting for you to take you up to the observatory. It is therefore essential that you let us know when you arrive. After having picked up your luggage, look out for someone with a "NEON" sign just outside the luggage collection area, and make yourself known.

The trip to the observatory takes just over one hour on a very nice but windy road.

Once you have made the arrangements for your flight to La Palma please send your travel details to Monica Abreu (email: mar@ing.iac.es) so that we are informed about your arrival and departure dates. In the unlikely event that you arrive not at the planned time please contact Monica Abreu by email or telephone (+34 922 425410).

Accommodation

The first week will take place at the Roque de los Muchachos observatory. Sleeping quarters will be arranged for everyone in the "Residencia" at the observatory site. Students will have to share rooms with a colleague. The Residencia also provides a basic catering service. Note that the observatory is quite isolated, so make sure that you bring everything you need with you for the duration of the stay at the mountain top.

Don't forget to bring warm clothes, good shoes and a flash light, as nights can be cold and will certainly be dark.

The second week will take place in Santa Cruz, the main town on La Palma. Accommodation will be booked in Hotel Castillete in town. During the day we'll work at the Mayantigo building where the observatory has its offices. The Mayantigo building is at walking distance from the hotel. Here is a map.

The cost of all accommodation and transport during the NEON school will be paid directly by the organizers.

If you have a (potentially) serious medical condition or need special requirements then please let Monica Abreu (email: mar@ing.iac.es) know before you arrive.

Finally, a useful entery point for preparing the visit to La Palma can be found here, but remember that accommodation bookings will be taken care of for you. Please pay particular attention to the section on Health and Safety.

Participants

Thomas Brozek
Alessandra Candian
Catia Cardoso
Denija Crnojevic
Istvan Dekany
Marek Husarik
Jonas Johansson
Jean-Christophe Leyder
Smriti Mahajan
Ingo Misgeld
Maria Monguio
Boyke Rochau
Marilena Sapvone
Dorota Szczygiel
Krisztian Vida
Emma Walker

Tutors and lecturers

Maria Jesus Arevalo, IAC, Tenerife
Romano Corradi, ING, La Palma
Michel Dennefeld, IAP, Paris
Richard Hook, ST-ECF/ESO, Munich
Johan Knapen, IAC, Tenerife
Heidi Korhonen, ESO, Munich
Tapio Pursimo, NOT, La Palma

Contact points and useful links

For all practical queries related to the organization of the NEON school the primary contact person is Monica Abreu, email: mar@ing.iac.es Some useful links for background information:

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Last Modified: 12 June 2008
by René Rutten (email: rgmr@ing.iac.es)