Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes

Covid-19 Procedures for Visiting Astronomers and Contractors

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Covid-19 Procedures for Visiting Astronomers and Contractors.

Forest Fire in the North of La Palma

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 19:00:00 GMT

On the afternoon of Friday August 21 a forest fire started in Garafia in the north of La Palma, at an elevation of approximately 700 meters above sea level, some 6 km north of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM). Thanks to this effective response, the fire was declared under control by the evening of Monday 24th, and science observations at ORM are due to resume on the night of August 25.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2021A

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 17:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2021A.

The Isaac Newton Telescope Galactic Plane Surveys

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:00:00 GMT

The Isaac Newton Telescope Galactic Plane Survey (IGAPS) is the merger of two photometric surveys in the optical wavelenght range, IPHAS and UVEX, both based on data obtained in ~1860 square degrees covering the northern Galatic plane using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) from 2003 to 2018. The IGAPS point-source catalogue contains 295 million objects, and it provides measures of 174 parameters.

In Memory of Rebeca Galera (1988-2020)

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 13:00:00 GMT

In Memory of Rebeca Galera (1988-2020). With great sadness, we report that Rebeca Galera, support astronomer at the Isaac Newton Group (ING), died on June 11 on La Palma after a sudden illness.

WHT 20A Awards and Telescope Time in the WEAVE Years

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 12:00:00 GMT

A paper is available describing ING's plans for how surveys and open time share the WHT time in the surveys era. We regret to inform successful proposers that completion of their programmes in 20A is not planned. Only in the event of serious setbacks with WEAVE integration we would consider carrying out such 20A scientific programmes, in service mode, during July and possibly August.

Coronavirus: News Update from the ING

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Sun, 10 May 2020 21:00:00 GMT

We are pleased to let you know that INT observations resumed on Wednesday 6 May 2020. Maintaining the protection and wellbeing of the staff as a first priority, all observations are carried out in service mode by ING students, who have gladly volunteered to take on the observing. We are not accepting visiting observers. Observations have a number of restrictions, such as no instrument changes; schedules have been reworked to maximise the scientific use of the telescope in the present constraints.

Discovery of a Young Blazar Produced by the Merger of Two Galaxies>

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 09:30:00 GMT

A blazar is a particular type of active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a central supermassive black hole which emits a jet, a flux of highly energetic particles and radiation moving almost at the velocity of light, and which is aligned along the observer's line-of-sight. An international team of researchers has observed the birth of one of these objects for the first time by combining observations from several telescopes, among them the William Herschel Telescope (WHT).

The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes Joins the Fight Against the Coronavirus COVID-19 on La Palma

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 09:30:00 GMT

The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) joins the fight against the coronavirus COVID-19 on the island of La Palma with the delivery of masks, full-body overalls and boot covers to the health personnel of the Geriatric Hospital Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores de Santa Cruz de La Palma, dependent on the Cabildo Insular de La Palma.

ING Operations on Hold Due to Coronavirus

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 14:00:00 GMT

Following the declaration of a state of emergency ('Estado de Alarma') by the Spanish Government on Saturday 14th March, ING has stepped up measures to protect its staff and visitors. With immediate effect and until further notice, staff are working from home, with minimal visits to the telescopes (for essential maintenance) and to the sea-level offices. There will be no day-time or night-time activity at the WHT or INT, i.e. no visiting observers and no observing, until further notice. ING staff will travel outside La Palma only when strictly necessary.

Public Visits to ING Telescopes Cancelled

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 14:00:00 GMT

ING announces that, starting Friday 13 March 2020, general-interest visits to the ING telescopes are being cancelled until further notice.

ING Procedures to Deal with the Coronavirus Outbreak

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 9 Mar 2020 14:00:00 GMT

ING wants to reassure astronomers and guests that we are responding to the coronavirus outbreak, with the goal of ensuring that the ING facilities will remain safe for staff and visitors. Our approach is to follow the recommendations of National Authorities and the World Health Organisation, as well as the procedures established by the STFC.

Studentship Programme at the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Fri, 6 Mar 2020 10:00:00 GMT

We welcome applications for four places on the ING studentship programme 2020/21. The deadline for applications is 6th April 2020. The programme provides a unique opportunity for up to four PhD, MSc or undergraduate astronomy students to get hands-on experience of work at an international observatory. Successful applicants will spend one year on La Palma, supporting imaging and spectroscopy runs at the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) and working on projects supervised by the ING staff. The studentship programme is open to anyone, but we particularly welcome applicants from our three partner countries: the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

Two Stars Merged to Form Massive White Dwarf

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 2 Mar 2020 14:00:00 GMT

A massive white dwarf star with a bizarre carbon-rich atmosphere could be two white dwarfs merged together, and which only narrowly avoided destruction, according to an international team led by University of Warwick (UK) astronomers, who observed the star with the William Herschel Telescope.

Call for Proposals to the OPTICON H2020 Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 14:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access programme is now open. It will close at exactly 23:59 UT on 1 March 2020.

Call for Proposals to the CCI's International Time Programme on the Canary Islands

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 15:00:00 GMT

The International Scientific Committee (CCI) of the Roque de los Muchachos (ORM, La Palma) and Teide (OT, Tenerife) observatories invites applications for International Time Programmes (ITP) on telescopes installed at these Observatories. Deadline is 29th February, 2020. More information: https://www.iac.es/en/observatorios-de-canarias/international-scientific-committee

Progress on the New WHT Prime Focus Rotator and Corrector Systems for WEAVE

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 3 Feb 2020 12:00:00 GMT

During the stand-down last November, the new rotator system was successfully integrated within the WEAVE Prime Focus Assembly, and then mounted on the WHT top-end where an exhaustive campaign of tests took place over several weeks. In December 2019 an extensive inspection of the WEAVE Prime Focus Corrector lens L1 began at SENER's premises in Barcelona.

INT Schedule and Time Allocations 2020A Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 8 Jan 2020 12:00:00 GMT

INT schedule and time allocations for semester 2020A are available online.

WHT Schedule and Time Allocations 13 Jan-16 Feb Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 14:00:00 GMT

WHT schedule and time allocations 13 January-16 February, 2020 are available online.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2020A

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 7 Nov 2019 09:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2020A.

Near-Earth Asteroids Spectroscopic Survey at the Isaac Newton Telescope

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 14:00:00 GMT

In the framework of the EURONEAR collaboration, a group of astronomers performed a spectroscopic survey of NEAs using the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) equipped with the Intermediate Dispersion Spectrograph (IDS). The ING studentship programme, aimed at providing hands-on training of 4-6 students per year, was at the core of this research.

Didier Queloz, Physics Nobel Prize Winner 2019, Develops an Advanced Terrestrial Planet Hunter for the Isaac Newton Telescope

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 9 Oct 2019 14:00:00 GMT

This Nobel Prize Award has special relevance for the ING, which in 2017 signed an agreement with Prof. Queloz for the installation of a powerful new spectrograph at the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). Queloz and a European/North American consortium that includes the IAC, are building this instrument (HARPS-3), to carry out the Terra Hunting Experiment (THE).

Delivery of the New WHT Prime Focus Rotator for WEAVE

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 8 Oct 2019 11:00:00 GMT

This summer, the WEAVE rotator was delivered by IDOM to the William Herschel Telescope (WHT). At the WHT, the rotator was mounted on a 'telescope simulator', i.e. a rig allowing it to be positioned at any elevation angle, for a campaign of tests. The main aim of the tests was to verify the functionality and performance of the rotator before integrating it with the rest of WEAVE.

Mark Thomson, Executive Chairman of STFC, Visits ING

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 4 Oct 2019 15:00:00 GMT

On the 2nd and 3rd of October Prof Mark Thomson, Executive Chairman of the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) visited the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING).

Astronomers Detect Gas Molecules in Comet from Another Star

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 23:00:00 GMT

An international team of astronomers have made a historic discovery using the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), detecting gas molecules in a comet which has tumbled into our Solar System from another star. It is the first time that astronomers have been able to detect this type of material in an interstellar object.

ING Participates in the Macaronesia's Researchers' Night

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 21:00:00 GMT

On 26th September, 2019 ING participates in MacaroNight broadcasting live from the Isaac Newton Telescope right at the beginning of the astronomical observations. Cecilia Farina, ING support astronomer, is responsible for introducing the telescope and the kind of research it generates.

Announcement of Opportunity for WEAVE Science Verification Projects

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 10:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for WEAVE Science Verification Projects.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2020A

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 12:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2020A.

Discovery of Many New Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies in Galaxy Clusters

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 1 Mar 2019 14:00:00 GMT

Using the capabilities of the Wide Field Camera (WFC) at the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) to explore large areas of the sky and detect faint ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs), a collaboration of astronomers in the Netherlands and Spain performed a study to investigate these galaxies in detail, the Kapteyn IAC WEAVE INT Clusters Survey (KIWICS).

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2019B

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 14:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2019B.

A Ground-based Near-ultraviolet Secondary Eclipse Observation of the Hottest Exoplanet

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 3 Jan 2019 14:00:00 GMT

A team of astronomers led by Matthew Hooton at Queen's University Belfast (United Kingdom) used the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) to observe the hottest known exoplanet during its secondary eclipse, which is the first published example of any ground-based secondary eclipse observation at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths.

Comet 46P/Wirtanen

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 14:00:00 GMT

Comet 46P/Wirtanen photographed by Abel de Burgos Sierra on the night of 16th December 2018 at perihelion.

All the Best for 2019!

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 14:00:00 GMT

The staff of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes wish you all the best for 2019.

ING Schedules and Time Allocations 2019A Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 12:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2019A are available online.

The Extended Planetary Nebula Spectrograph (ePN.S) Early-type Galaxy Survey

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 7 Dec 2018 11:00:00 GMT

Cosmological simulations predict that early-type galaxies (ETGs) are the results of extended mass accretion histories characterised by different numbers of mergers and merger mass ratios, their timing, and gas fractions. Depending on the sequence and nature of the mergers following the first phase of in-situ star formation, these accretion histories may leadto ETGs that have low or high mass halos, and that rotate fast or slow. In order to study the transition from the inner regions of ETGs to their outer accretion dominated halos, astronomers carried out a survey of 33 ETGs, the ePN.S sample, using planetary nebulae as tracers.

Visit of Simon Manley, Her Majesty's Ambassador to Spain

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 4 Dec 2018 13:00:00 GMT

Simon Manley, Her Majesty's Ambassador to Spain, visited the GTC and WHT telescopes accompanied by Charmaine Arbouin (British Consul for the Canaries) and Helen Keating (British Vice Consul for the Canaries) on 28 November, 2018.

Searching for the Weakest Detectable Magnetic Fields in White Dwarfs

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 13:00:00 GMT

Magnetic fields are present in a large variety of stars across the Hertszprung-Russell diagram, during all evolutionary stages from pre-main sequence stars, to main sequence stars and evolved stars, up to the final stages when the star explodes as a supernova. Magnetic fields play important roles in stellar evolution. Even a fairly weak magnetic field can suppress convection in stellar atmospheres and affect cooling times of extremely old white dwarfs. While the effects of the magnetic fields are well observed and sometime even understood, the origin of stellar magnetic fields is often unknown, and we do not know how fields evolve as stars evolve.

Time Resolved Spectroscopy of Dust and Gas from Extrasolar Planetesimals

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 2 Nov 2018 13:00:00 GMT

An international team of astronomers led by Marie Karjalainen (Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, Spain), used electron-multiplying frame-transfer CCDs mounted on ISIS at the William Herschel Telescope to obtain time resolved spectroscopy of dust and gas from the extrasolar planetesimals orbiting WD 1145+017. The new results confirm previous findings showing the u'-band excess and a decrease in line absorption during transits. Both can be explained by an opaque body blocking a fraction of the gas disc causing the absorption, implying that the absorbing gas is between the white dwarf and the transiting objects.

First Results from Lucky Spectroscopy, an Equivalent Technique to Lucky Imaging

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 15:00:00 GMT

Following the principles of Lucky Imaging, a team of astronomers led by Jesus Maiz Apellaniz (Centro de Astrobiologia, Madrid) obtained Lucky Spectroscopy for five multiple massive-star systems on the nights of 2017 September 7 and 8. The spectra were obtained with the standard GOSSS-survey configuration using ISIS on the William Herschel Telescope, with some modifications (narrower slit and detector window, and tens of shorter exposures) to allow for lucky spatial separation of the individual component spectra. The spectra of delta Ori Aa+Ab and sigma Ori AaAb+B were successfully separated.

A Feasibility Study on the Photometric Detection of Quiescent Black Hole X-ray Binaries

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 11:00:00 GMT

Jorge Casares and Manuel A.P. Torres from the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) have tested a novel photometric technique that can help unveil new quiescent BHXBs to unprecedented depths\ . They used an allocation of (IAC) Directors Discretionary Time with the instrument ACAM on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), equipped with an OASIS r-band filter MR661 and two Halpha filters, kindly loaned by the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT), to observe four dynamical BHXBs. This research opens the door to efficient selection of BHXBs since very deep gravitational wells are required to produce Halpha lines broader than FWHM > 2200 km/s. Monte Carlo simulations have shown that a cut-off at FWHM > 2200 km/s would allow selection of half of the BHXBs while rejecting other (dominant) populations of Halpha sources.

An Alternative Technique for Detecting Forming Exoplanets Around Young Stars

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 16:00:00 GMT

The large number of detected exoplanets around evolved stars sharply contrasts with the lack of detections of forming planets in protoplanetary disks around young stars, mainly because of the observational difficulties. Earlier this year, an international team of astronomers led by Ignacio Mendigutia (Centro de Astrobiologia, Spain), decided to use the ISIS spectrograph on the WHT to study the nature of the exoplanet LkCa15 b, by means of a technique called spectro-astrometry. This allowed them to derive not only the intensity spectrum around the H-alpha emission, but also the so called photocentre spectrum and the full width half maximum (FWHM) spectrum.

Approaching the Galactic Metallicity Floor with the Discovery of an Ultra-Metal-Poor Star

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 8 Oct 2018 14:00:00 GMT

The Pristine Survey allows astronomers to look for and research the oldest stars in our universe, with the goal of learning more about the young universe right after the Big Bang. Recently, the survey team reported on the discovery of a particularly metal-poor star, Pristine 221.8781+9.7844, in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Three Dynamically Distinct Stellar Populations in the Halo of M49

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 1 Oct 2018 14:00:00 GMT

Using data obtained with the Planetary Nebula Spectrograph (PN.S) on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), astronomers pursued an original investigation to constrain the mass of the satellite progenitors of the stars in the halos and determine a proxy for their dynamical age by measuring the motions along the lines of sight of hundreds of stars that are in a particular stage of their evolution: the Planetary Nebulae (PNe). Instead of a uniform stellar population floating in the gravitational potential of the galaxy, astronomers identified three populations, one associated with the smooth halo of M49, a sub-component of bright planetary nebulae associate with the recent accretion of a dwarf galaxy (VCC 1249), and a population of stars associated with the intra-group light.

Almost 500 Explosions Found in Galaxy Cores

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 07:00:00 GMT

A team of astronomers from SRON, Radboud University and the University of Cambridge have found out that by tweaking the existing automated system, Gaia can be used to detect hundreds of peculiar transients in the centres of galaxies. They found about 480 transients over a period of about a year. Their new method will be implemented in the system as soon as possible allowing astronomers to determine the nature of these events.

Evidence for Hot Clumpy Accretion Flow in a Transitional Millisecond Pulsar

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 14:00:00 GMT

Astronomers analysing simultaneous data obtained using the William Herschel Telescope and the Gran Telescopio Canarias, have been able to model the observed light curves of a transitional millisecond pulsar and conclude that the accretion of clumpy material through the magnetic barrier of the neutron star can produce the observed near-IR/optical variability and correlations.

Quantum Entanglement Confirmed with Light from Distant Quasars

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 15:00:00 GMT

A team of scientists led by quantum physicist Anton Zeilinger from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Vienna has made a new test of quantum entanglement this time using photons from distant astronomical objects as collected by the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) and the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG).

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2019A

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 15:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2019A.

Call for Proposals to the OPTICON H2020 Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 14:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access programme is now open. It will close at exactly 23:59 UT on 2 September 2018.

Extraordinary Call For WHT Service Proposals

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 20:00:00 GMT

Thanks to early completion of a recent pre-WEAVE standdown, a block of 7 bright nights (July 27 - August 2) has become available for service observations with the WHT's ISIS and/or ACAM.

New Telescope Control System at the WHT

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 10:00:00 GMT

The ING has been working on equipping the Willaim Herschel Telescope (WHT) with new, digital electronics to replace the telescope's original analog electronics. After deployment and successful commissioning, the WHT resumed routine science observations on Friday, 22nd June, using the new electronic components as well as several updated software packages.

ING Schedules and Time Allocations 2018B Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 20:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2018B available online.

Discovery of a Massive Pulsar

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 28 May 2018 10:00:00 GMT

Researchers from the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) report the discovery of one of the most massive known neutron stars using the William Herschel (WHT), the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and the IAC80 telescopes.

The ESO Wendelstein Laser Guide Star Unit

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sun, 6 May 2018 12:00:00 GMT

A sodium laser beam is launched from the ESO Wendelstein Laser Guide Star Unit (WLGSU) as part of laser guide star field tests for validating the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) laser guide star baseline performance. The WLGSU is located 40 metres from the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), and is used together with CANARY adaptive optics system on the WHT.

Exhibit 'Light Years' in Barcelona

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 16:00:00 GMT

The exhibit Light Years by Catalonian artist Eugenia Balcells, was inaugurated recently on 16th of March in the museum Cosmocaixa, Barcelona.

A New Method for Galaxy Density Wave Analysis

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 10:00:00 GMT

Astronomers from the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) have produced a complex velocity analysis of the spiral galaxy NGC 3433 with surprisingly precise results. They compared observations using the 2D Fabry-Perot spectrometer GHaFaS on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) with those of the same object taken with the IFU spectrograph MUSE on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. They found four corotation radii.

Wonders of the Moon

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 14:00:00 GMT

Wonders of the Moon is a BBC documentary which uses the latest, most detailed imagery to reveal the monthly life cycle of the moon and it was partially filmed on La Palma and at the William Herschel Telescope site (minutes 5 to 9 approximately).

A Key Element to Life is Lacking in the Crab Nebula

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 12:00:00 GMT

Astronomers using the William Herschel Telescope find that there may be a cosmic lack of a chemical element essential to life, phosphorus, from observations of the Crab Nebula where they unexpectedly find very little. If this element is lacking in other parts of the cosmos, then it could be difficult for extra-terrestrial life to exist.

A 3D Map of the Infant Universe

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 6 Apr 2018 12:00:00 GMT

A team of astronomers led by Dr David Sobral of Lancaster University, UK made one of the largest 3D maps of the infant universe using the Subaru telescope in Hawaii and the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). Looking back in time to 16 different epochs between 11 and 13 billion years ago, the researchers discovered almost 4,000 early galaxies, many of which will have evolved into galaxies like our own Milky Way.

Visit of Prof Harry van der Laan

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 14:00:00 GMT

On 14 March Prof Harry van der Laan visited the ORM. Prof van der Laan was ESO's Director General in the eighties when the VLTs were conceived and designed. Earlier, he had been a key architect of the UK-NL partnership that led to the establishment of the Isaac Newton Group on La Palma.

Studentship Programme at the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 20:00:00 GMT

We welcome applications for four places on the ING studentship programme 2018/19. The deadline for applications is 31st March 2018. The programme provides a unique opportunity for up to four PhD, MSc or undergraduate astronomy students to get hands-on experience of work at an international observatory. Successful applicants will spend one year on La Palma, supporting imaging and spectroscopy runs at the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) and working on projects supervised by the ING staff. The studentship programme is open to anyone, but we particularly welcome applicants from our three partner countries: the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2018B

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 15:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2018B.

Call for Proposals to the OPTICON H2020 Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 14:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access programme is now open. It will close at exactly 23:59 UT on 28 February 2018.

Call for Proposals to the CCI's International Time Programme on the Canary Islands

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 15:00:00 GMT

The International Scientific Committee (CCI) of the Roque de los Muchachos (ORM, La Palma) and Teide (OT, Tenerife) observatories invites applications for International Time Programmes (ITP) on telescopes installed at these Observatories. Deadline is 28th February, 2018. More information: http://www.otri.iac.es/cci/

HS2231+2441: A Star Killed Prematurely By Its Companion

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 15:00:00 GMT

HS2231+2441, an HW Vir type, is a binary system composed of a low-mass white dwarf, with only 0.2-0.3 of a solar mass, with an effective temperature of 28,500 K, and a brown dwarf with 36-46 Jupiter masses. The binary system has an orbital period of approximately 3 hours. HS2231+2441 is the least massive HW Vir system known.

Spectroscopy and Thermal Modelling of the First Interstellar Object 1I/2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 15:00:00 GMT

Astronomers using ACAM on the William Herschel Telescope report the spectroscopic characterisation of ‘Oumuamua, finding it to be variable with time but similar to organically rich surfaces found in the outer Solar System. This is consistent with predictions of an insulating mantle produced by long-term cosmic ray exposure. This coating could have protected an ice-rich interior from being vaporised during its recent passage close to the Sun. An internal icy composition cannot therefore be ruled out by the lack of activity, even though ‘Oumuamua passed within 0.25 AU of the Sun.

The Staff of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes Wish You All The Best for 2018

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 14:00:00 GMT

The staff of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes wish you all the best for 2018.

ING Schedules and Time Allocations 2018A Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 20:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2018A available online.

A/2017 U1, the First Known Small Body from Interstellar Space

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 6 Nov 2017 15:00:00 GMT

A/2017 U1 is the first known small body from interstellar space. It is visible in the centre of this 5-minute exposure using the ACAM imager on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on October 28, 2017.

HiPERCAM Successfully Commissioned on the William Herschel Telescope

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 2 Nov 2017 15:00:00 GMT

HiPERCAM was successfully commissioned on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on 17 October 2017 by a team from the Universities of Sheffield, Warwick and the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh. HiPERCAM was designed as a next generation version of ULTRACAM.

WHT Helps to Measure the Size of a Stellar-Mass Black Hole Jet

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 09:00:00 GMT

Nothing can emerge from a black hole. Yet, in nature, we find ultra-powerful jets of energy that shoot out from the immediate vicinities of growing black holes. How these jets form remains a puzzle. In a new study appearing in the journal Nature Astronomy, astronomers announce that they have new clues to this mystery.

50th Anniversary of INT's First Light on the Canarian Television

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 14:00:00 GMT

50 years since INT's first light (1967), report broadcasted on the Canarian Television on the 4th of October, 2017.

The Fastest-Spinning Known Millisecond Pulsar in the Galactic Field

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 09:00:00 GMT

Using observations across the entire electro-magnetic spectrum, astronomers have discovered a radio pulsar spinning 707 times every second, making it the fastest known spinning pulsar in the Galactic field and the second fastest known overall.

Solar Eclipse August 21, 2017

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 14:00:00 GMT

The total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 was seen as a partial eclipse from the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory at sunset. Shown here is the eclipsed Sun over the dome of the William Herschel Telescope.

Transmission Spectroscopy of Hot Jupiters Reveals Contrasting Atmospheres

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 13:00:00 GMT

A team of researchers led from the University of Warwick, UK is undertaking a transmission spectroscopy survey of hot Jupiters using the ACAM imager and spectrograph on the William Herschel Telescope. By observing spectroscopically an exoplanet's transit across the face of its host star the team is able to detect changes in opacity in the exoplanet's atmosphere as a function of wavelength. These early results have demonstrated the capabilities of ACAM to detect atmospheric opacity sources such as Rayleigh scattering, and to distinguish between clear and cloudy atmospheres with errors in the transmission spectrum of around 1 atmospheric scale height, comparable to Hubble Space Telescope.

The Puzzle of Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 10:00:00 GMT

With the naked eye, we can see some 3000 stars in a dark night. However, if Earth would reside within an ultra-diffuse galaxy, we would only spot a few dozen stars on the sky. Galaxies of this type were either not able to produce more stars in the first place, or they got stripped of their stars by tidal forces. Intriguingly, though, larger telescopes and improved imaging techniques have recently led to the discovery of many ultra-diffuse galaxies in the harshest environments possible: galaxy clusters.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2018A

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 21:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2018A.

Art from The La Palma Telescopes: The Exhibit Light Years Opens in Panama

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 10:00:00 GMT

The art exhibit Light Years, of Catalonian artist Eugenia Balcells, filmed at the William Herschel Telescope, Isaac Newton Telescope, and Gran Telescopio de Canarias and on locations in La Palma, opened on 12 July at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Panama.

ING Schedules and Time Allocations 2017B Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 12:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2017B available online.

A Large Fraction of Rapidly-Growing Supermassive Black Holes Evade Census

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 16:00:00 GMT

Highly obscured and rapidly growing supermassive black holes (SMBH), known as active galactic nuclei (AGN), might represent the key phase when SMBH accreted most of their mass and when the relationship between galaxies and their central SMBHs was established. A new study by an international team of astronomers led by Dr Silvia Mateos from the Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (CSIC-UC) in Spain, now suggests that many of the brightest SMBH may be escaping our detection as they hide in heavily obscured environments.

Heavens on Earth

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 11:00:00 GMT

Time-lapse video of the WHT and La Palma, by Vikas Chander.

Superbubbles in the Interstellar Medium of the Antennae Galaxies

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 08 May 2017 10:00:00 GMT

A team of scientists led by members of the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), in collaboration with the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), have detected and measured a complete "carpet" of expanding bubbles in the interstellar medium of the "Antennae", a pair of galaxies in interaction which will eventually merge. The work, published in Monthy Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society is based on observations with GHaFaS on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT). This instrument is capable of making a map of the velocities of a complete galaxy using the emission from the ionized hydrogen in its interstellar medium.

Planetary Nebula Abell 63

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 02 May 2017 12:00:00 GMT

Image of the planetary nebula Abell 63 in the light of Halpha+[N II] taken using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) on the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). Credit: David Jones (Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias).

Planetary Nebula NGC 1514

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 15:00:00 GMT

Colour-composite image of the planetary nebula NGC 1514 obtained from narrow-band H-alpha+[NII] and [OIII] images taken using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) on the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). Credit: David Jones (Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias).

Stars Regularly Ripped Apart by Black Holes in Colliding Galaxies

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 12:00:00 GMT

Based on spectroscopic observations taken with the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) in 2015, astronomers from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University of Sheffield have found the first evidence for a stellar tidal disruption event (TDE) in a galaxy with a massive on-going starburst.

Studentship Programme at the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 15:00:00 GMT

We welcome applications for four places on the ING studentship programme 2017/18. The deadline for applications is 31st March 2017. The programme provides a unique opportunity for up to four PhD, MSc or undergraduate astronomy students to get hands-on experience of work at an international observatory. Successful applicants will spend one year on La Palma, supporting imaging and spectroscopy runs at the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) and working on projects supervised by the ING staff. The studentship programme is open to anyone, but we particularly welcome applicants from our three partner countries: the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

Newly Discovered Planets Could Have Water on Their Surfaces

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 14:00:00 GMT

An international team of astronomers has found a system of seven potentially habitable planets orbiting a star 39 light years away, three of which could have water on their surfaces increasing the possibility they could host life. Using ground and space instruments and telescopes, including the ACAM imager on the William Herschel Telescope, the team identified the planets as they passed in front of the ultracool dwarf star known as TRAPPIST-1. The star has around eight per cent of the mass of the Sun and is no bigger than Jupiter.

Signing of the Agreement for the Scientific Exploitation of the William Herschel and Isaac Newton Telescopes

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 10:00:00 GMT

The future of the William Herschel and Isaac Newton telescopes on La Palma has been guaranteed through a new operation agreement between the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), current owner of the telescopes. After signature by STFC and NWO in 2016, the agreement became effective on 20 February 2017 with the signature of IAC, in a ceremony at the Headquarters of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) in Santa Cruz de La Palma.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2017B

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 23:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2017B.

Call for Proposals to the OPTICON H2020 Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access programme is now open. It will close at exactly 23:59 UT on 28 February 2017.

Call for Proposals to the CCI's International Time Programme on the Canary Islands

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:00:00 GMT

The International Scientific Committee (CCI) of the Roque de los Muchachos (ORM, La Palma) and Teide (OT, Tenerife) observatories invites applications for International Time Programmes (ITP) on telescopes installed at these Observatories. Deadline is 28th February, 2017. More information: http://www.otri.iac.es/cci/

New Light on Dark Matter Halos

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 15:00:00 GMT

For the past twenty years observers have been trying to test the effects of the predicted dark matter halos on the bars in barred galaxies. The basic idea is that according to simulation models which include the halos, these should have acted as a gravitational brake and slowed down the rotation of the bars during the lifetimes of galaxy discs.This could be tested by measuring the corotation radius corresponding to the bar, which is the radius at which the angular pattern speed of the bar is equal to the angular speed of the stars in the disc. The problem has been the difficulty of measuring the corotation radius. However, a group at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), devised a new method for corotation, using data from high resolution two-dimensional spectra taken with Fabry-Perot spectrographs, the most accurate among them GHaFaS on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT).

An Intrinsically Very Luminous Lensed High-Redshift Galaxy

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 6 Feb 2017 11:00:00 GMT

An international team led by researchers from the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of La Laguna (ULL) has discovered one of the brightest non-active galaxies in the early universe. This galaxy, called BG1429+1202, is a gravitationally lensed Lyman-Alpha Emitter (LAE) located at a redshift of 2.82, and intrinsically very luminous.

Turbulence Velocity Profile Characterization with Stereo-SCIDAR

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 6 Feb 2017 11:00:00 GMT

Stereo-SCIDAR is a high-altitude resolution and high sensitivity optical turbulence profiler. By measuring the intensity pattern of two nearby stars astronomers can triangulate the altitude and strength of optical turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere. And by introducing a temporal delay between these two signals, they can also calculate the horizontal velocity of each layer. Stereo-SCIDAR was developed by Durham University, UK as part of the Canary Adaptive-Optics demonstrator project (CANARY) on the William Herschel Telescope, and it has been operated on the Isaac Newton Telescope for a total of 28 nights.

Lyman-alpha Giant Halos Around Early Milky Way Type Galaxies

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 11:00:00 GMT

Astronomers from the Universities of Lancaster in the UK and Leiden in the Netherlands report the discovery of giant halos around early Milky Way type galaxies which are composed of Lyman-alpha photons that have struggled to escape them.

A Deficit of Dark Matter in Elliptical Galaxies

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 15:00:00 GMT

The missing mass problem is a long-standing issue in astrophysics, being present in galaxies, cluster of galaxies and even at the cosmological scale. Astronomers from Taiwan have used archival data from PN.S and SAURON to study the internal dynamics of seven nearby elliptical galaxies, and report finding a dearth of dark matter. They conclude that the dynamics of these galaxies are well explained by MOdified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND).

All the Best for 2017

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 21:00:00 GMT

The staff of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes wish you all the best for 2017.

ING Schedules and Time Allocations 2017A Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 17:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2017A are available online.

Call for Proposals to the OPTICON H2020 Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 11:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access programme is now open. It will close at exactly 23:59 UT on 25 September 2016.

CANARY's Sodium Laser Guide Star Successfully Commissioned

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 17:00:00 GMT

The latest upgrade to CANARY was commissioned between the 19th and 25th July, 2016 with the installation of the European Southern Observatory's 'Wendelstein' sodium Laser Guide Star Unit (WLGSU) near the William Herschel Telescope. CANARY is an open-loop Adaptive Optics (AO) system that uses multiple laser-guide stars and deformable mirrors, providing the first on-sky test of combined wide-field Laser Guide Star (LGS) tomography and open-loop AO control.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2017A

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 18:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2017A.

AF2-WYFFOS Available in 2017A

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 4 Aug 2016 22:00:00 GMT

ING would like to make its users aware that AF2-WYFFOS, the WHT's multi-fibre MOS, will continue to be offered through semester 2017A.

Successful Removal and Replacement of the WHT's Flip Ring

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 12:00:00 GMT

In preparation for the arrival of the WEAVE MOS spectrograph, and for the first time in 30 years, the WHT's inner top-end ring (flip ring) has been successfully removed, craned to the ground floor, and the next day, re-installed on the telescope.

A Radio Pulsing White Dwarf Binary Star

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 11:00:00 GMT

Astronomers have discovered a new type of exotic binary star. In the system AR Scorpii a rapidly spinning white dwarf star powers electrons up to almost the speed of light. These high energy particles release blasts of radiation that lash the companion red dwarf star, and cause the entire system to pulse dramatically every 1.97 minutes with radiation ranging from the ultraviolet to radio. The research is published in the journal Nature on 28 July 2016.

An Extremely Weak Magnetic Field in a White Dwarf

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 12:00:00 GMT

A team of astronomers reports the discovery of one of the very weakest magnetic fields ever securely detected in a white dwarf. The observation was made using the ISIS spectropolarimeter on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), in just one hour of exposure time and using the red and the blue arms of the spectrograph. This is part of a large survey of bright white dwarfs to search for such weak magnetic fields.

AOLI Delivers Its First Adaptive-Optics Images

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 10:00:00 GMT

The Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI) on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) has obtained its first adaptive-optics closed-loop results, an important milestone in the development of this state-of-the-art instrument that aims at combining adaptive optics (AO) and lucky imaging (LI) to obtain the highest-ever resolution images at visible wavelengths from the ground.

Three Supernova Shells Around a Young Star Cluster

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 11:00:00 GMT

A group of astronomers, led by researchers at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), has found the first known case of three supernova remnants one inside the other. Using a method developed within the group for detecting huge expanding bubbles of gas in interstellar space, they were observing the galaxy M33 in our Local Group of galaxies and found an example of a triple-bubble. The results help to understand the feedback phenomenon, a fundamental process controlling star formation and the dissemination of metals produced in massive stars.A group of astronomers, led by researchers at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), has found the first known case of three supernova remnants one inside the other. Using a method developed within the group for detecting huge expanding bubbles of gas in interstellar space, they were observing the galaxy M33 in our Local Group of galaxies and found an example of a triple-bubble. The results help to understand the feedback phenomenon, a fundamental process controlling star formation and the dissemination of metals produced in massive stars.h

ING Schedules and Time Allocations 2016B Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 12:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2016B are available online.

The WHT and the Galactic Centre

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 12:00:00 GMT

The William Herschel Telescope and the Milky Way towards the Galactic Centre. Credit: Sebastian Kramer.

Stephen Hawking Visits La Palma

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 09:00:00 GMT

Stephen Hawking visited La Palma on 11th June, 2016, and our Director, Marc Balcells, presented him with various souvenirs.

"William Herschel, Astronomer and Musician"

outreach@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 02 Jun 2016 14:00:00 GMT

La Palma Music Festival gathers some of the best classical musicians from around the world. This year the Festival will pay tribute to William Herschel (1738-1822), the musician who became one of the mosty famous astronomers of his time. The Festival Orchestra directed by Thomas Mandl will perform William Herschel's Symphony No.8 at Teatro Circo de Marte in Santa Cruz de La Palma on Tuesday 7th June. This is the first time that an orchestra will play a work by Herschel on La Palma. Coinciding with this event, and almost 30 years after the first light of the William Herschel Telescope, the ING Director Marc Balcells will give a talk entitled "William Herschel, astronomo y musico" at 20:30 on the 6th of June at Espacio Cultural Rafael Daranas, Fundacion CajaCanarias, Santa Cruz de La Palma. Free admission.

Lucky Imaging of the Multiple T Tauri System LkHa 262/LkHa 263

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 31 May 2016 11:00:00 GMT

Astronomers report high-spatial resolution, i' band imaging of the multiple T Tauri system LkHa 262/LkHa 263 obtained during the first commissioning period of the Adaptive Optics Lucky Imager (AOLI) at the William Herschel Telescope on September 24th and 25th, 2013. AOLI is a state-of-the-art instrument which combines two well-proven techniques for extremely high spatial resolution with ground-based telescopes: Lucky Imaging (LI) and Adaptive Optics (AO). Although the instrument was not yet complete, and was not operated in Adaptive-Optics mode, these observations demonstrate the high capabilities of the LI mode, yielding a FWHM for the best PSF of only 0.15 arcsec.

First Results from the PAU Camera (PAUCam)

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 23 May 2016 11:00:00 GMT

Commissioning of PAUCam, the imager for the Physics of the Accelerating Universe survey, is complete, and routine science exploitation is under way (for first-light images, see earlier news item). PAUCam is a visiting instrument instrument at the WHT, and is available for use by astronomers from the ING community.

Fast and Furious Black Hole Observed with the WHT

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 20:00:00 GMT

In a paper published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, astronomers report catching V404 Cygni black hole while it was shimmering and emitting red flashes, some of which were shorter than a timespan of only 1/40th of a second.

Studentship Programme at the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 20:00:00 GMT

We welcome applications for four places on the ING studentship programme 2016/17. The deadline for applications is 31st March 2016. The programme provides a unique opportunity for up to four PhD, MSc or undergraduate astronomy students to get hands-on experience of work at an international observatory. Successful applicants will spend one year on La Palma, supporting imaging and spectroscopy runs at the 2.5-m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) and working on projects supervised by the ING staff. The studentship programme is open to anyone, but we particularly welcome applicants from our three partner countries: the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2016B

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 09:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2016B.

Call for Proposals to the CCI's International Time Programme on the Canary Islands

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 12:00:00 GMT

WEAVE Handling Trolley Arrives at the WHT

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 10:00:00 GMT

On 18 January 2016, the first completed component for the WEAVE project (http://www.ing.iac.es/weave/), the handling trolley, arrived at the WHT.

Call for Proposals to the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 14:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access programme is now open. It will close at exactly 23:59 UT on 2 March 2016.

"Una nueva vida para los telescopios Herschel y Newton"

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 09:00:00 GMT

Interview with the ING director published on the local newspaper Diario de Avisos about "Una nueva vida para los telescopios Herschel y Newton" (in Spanish).

ING Schedules and Time Allocations 2016A Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 12:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2016A are available online.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sat, 26 Dec 2015 14:00:00 GMT

The staff of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes wish you all the best for 2016.

ING Telescopes Provide Unique Observations in Support of the ESA Rosetta Mission

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 20:00:00 GMT

The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission is currently exploring comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The Rosetta mission is a hugely ambitious endeavour - the first spacecraft to orbit a comet and follow it on its journey towards the Sun, accompanied by its lander, Philae, which made the first ever landing on a comet in November 2014. Observatories across the planet are supporting this mission, and the ING is playing an important part in this - especially in providing unique observations this year as the comet passed its closest point to the Sun and highest level of activity.

Common Accretion across Young Stellar Objects, White Dwarfs, Black Holes and Supermassive Black Holes

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 16:00:00 GMT

An international team of astronomers have discovered a previously unknown link between the way young stars, white dwarfs and black holes grow feeding from their surroundings. Accretion seems to be a universal process operating in a similar way despite the different size, age, temperature and gravity of the accreted object.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2016A

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2016A.

Pluto Revealed

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 17:00:00 GMT

Report on the encounter of NASA's New Horizons mission with Pluto and supporting observations provided by the William Herschel Telescope. Broadcast in the Spanish television (TVE) programme "Informe Semanal" on 1st August, 2015.

Call for Proposals to the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 16:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access programme is now open. It will close at exactly 23:59 UT on 31 August, 2015.

WHT Observes Pluto in Support of NASA's New Horizons Mission

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 11:00:00 GMT

The William Herschel Telescope (WHT) has participated in 2014 and 2015 in a worldwide campaign to spectroscopically follow up Pluto from the ground in support of the encounter of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft with Pluto.

The Cocoon Nebula

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 17:00:00 GMT

Colour-composite (RGB) image of the Cocoon nebula obtained from a combination of wide- and narrow-band images taken using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) on the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope.

First Light on PAU Camera

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 16:00:00 GMT

The camera for the PAU (Physics of the Accelerating Universe) project succesfully saw first light at the prime focus of the William Herschel Telescope on the night June 3rd. PAUCam is an advanced imager comprising a mosaic of 18 state-of-the-art, fully-depleted, red-sensitive Hamamatsu CCDs, and a field of view with a diameter of about one degree (or about 14 times the sky area covered by the WHT's current prime-focus imager), of which 40 arcminutes are unvignetted. PAUCam was designed and built by a consortium of Spanish institutions (IFAE, ICE-CSIC/IEEC and PIC from Barcelona; CIEMAT and IFT-UAM/CSIC from Madrid).

Fresh Evidence for How Water Reached Earth Found in Asteroid Debris

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 7 May 2015 09:00:00 GMT

Water delivery via asteroids or comets is likely taking place in many other planetary systems, just as it happened on Earth, according to new evidence found that numerous planetary bodies, including asteroids and comets, contain large amounts of water.

Binarity in Planetary Nebulae Gives Clues to Understand the Abundance Discrepancy Problem

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 5 May 2015 09:00:00 GMT

Spectroscopic observations with the William Herschel Telescope of three planetary nebulae have shed new light on the abundance discrepancy problem. Astronomers from the Instituto de Astrof?sica de Canarias have shown that the largest abundance discrepancies (as high as 300 in certain positions in the nebula) are reached in planetary nebulae that have a close binary central star.

Mergers of Galaxy Clusters Can Trigger Star Formation

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 4 May 2015 16:00:00 GMT

Galaxies are often found in clusters, which contain many "red and dead" members that stopped forming stars in the distant past. Over billions of years, galaxy clusters build up structure in the universe - merging with adjacent clusters. When this happens, there is a huge release of energy as the clusters collide. The resulting shock wave travels through the cluster like a tsunami, but until now there was no evidence that the galaxies themselves were affected very much.

First Near Earth Asteroids Discovered from La Palma

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 10:00:00 GMT

In 2014 the Isaac Newton Telescope became the first telescope in La Palma to discover and secure five Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) as part of the EURONEAR project and as a result of the allocation of several override programmes awarded by the time allocation committees.

Direct Evidence for an Evolving Dust Cloud from an Exoplanet

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 10:00:00 GMT

Astronomers observed star KIC 12557548 on five nights in July 2013, using ULTRACAM on the William Herschel Telescope, to search for the colour dependence of the transit depth by KIC 12557548 b exoplanet. A clear transit signal was detected only on the first night. During the remaining four nights, the planet was in a quiescent period, with little or no dust cloud obscuring the star. As expected, the astronomers managed to observe differences in transit depths between three different bands on first night, with an increase in depth toward shorter wavelengths. This effect is consistent with extinction from the putative dust cloud surrounding the planet. Remaining nights allowed to constrain the size of the planet to less than 5.4 radii of Mercury.

Studentship Programme at the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 20:00:00 GMT

We welcome applications for four places on the ING studentship programme 2015/16. The deadline for applications is: Tuesday 1st May 2015. The programme provides a unique opportunity for up to four PhD, MSc or undergraduate astronomy students to get hands-on experience of work at an international observatory. Successful applicants will spend one year on La Palma, supporting imaging and spectroscopy runs at the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) 2.5m and working on projects supervised by the ING staff. The studentship programme is open to anyone, but we particularly welcome applicants from our three partner countries: the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.

Presentation of the Conference "Multi-Object Spectroscopy in the Next Decade"

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 13:00:00 GMT

The international conference "Multi-Object Spectroscopy in the Next Decade. Big Questions, Large Surveys and Wide Fields" (Santa Cruz de La Palma, 2-6 March 2015) organised by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, was presented to the media on La Palma during a press conference that took place in the Townhall.

First Observational Proof of Existence of a Double-Degenerate, Super-Chandrasekhar System

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 12:00:00 GMT

An international group of astronomers has found the first pair of white dwarfs with a total combined mass unequivocally above the Chandrasekhar limit of 1.4 solar masses. The orbital period of the system is 4.2 hours, which means that the stars are close enough to spiral in due to the emission of gravitational waves and eventually merge in about 700 million years. This finding, which has been published in Nature, provides observational support to the double-degenerate path of formation of type Ia supernovae, so far a theoretical possibility under ongoing debate.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2015B

director@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 20:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2015B.

Call for Proposals to the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 09:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access programme is now open. It will close at exactly 23:59 UT on 1 March and no requests for late submissions will be accepted.

Call for Proposals to the CCI's International Time Programme on the Canary Islands

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 10:00:00 GMT

The International Scientific Committee (CCI) of the Roque de los Muchachos (ORM, La Palma) and Teide (OT, Tenerife) observatories invites applications for International Time Programmes (ITP) on telescopes installed at these Observatories. Deadline is 28th February, 2015. More information: http://www.otri.iac.es/cci/

ING Schedules and Time Allocations 2015A Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 10:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2015A are already available online.

One of Most Accurate Measurements of the Size of a Trans-Neptunian Object from a Stellar Occultation

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 15:00:00 GMT

Stellar occultations by minor bodies have been widely used to measure their sizes and constrain their shapes. One such event was observed at the William Herschel Telescope during the first hours of the night April 26, 2012 using ULTRACAM, a very fast camera able to obtain short exposures with very short overheads. They were able to measure a total eclipse duration of 20.87 seconds which translates into a chord of 415?1 km, one of the most accurate measurements obtained so far.

Astronomers Release Most Detailed Catalogue Ever Made of the Visible Milky Way

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 15:00:00 GMT

The production of the catalogue, IPHAS DR2 (the second release from the survey programme The INT Photometric H-alpha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane? or IPHAS), is an example of modern astronomy's exploitation of 'big data' it contains information on the 219 million detected objects, each of which is summarised in 99 attributes. With this catalogue release, the team are offering the world community free access to measurements taken through two broad band filters capturing light at the red end of the visible spectrum, and in a narrowband capturing the brightest hydrogen emission line, H-alpha. The inclusion of H-alpha also enables exquisite imaging of the nebulae (glowing clouds of gas) found in greatest number within the disk of the Milky Way. The stellar density map illustrated here is derived from the longest (reddest) wavelength band in which the darkening effect of the dust is moderated in a way that brings out more of its structural detail, compared to maps built at shorter (bluer) wavelengths.

Conference on "Multi-Object Spectroscopy in the Next Decade". Second Announcement.

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 20:00:00 GMT

The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes is pleased to announce an international conference Multi-Object Spectroscopy in the Next Decade: Big Questions, Large Surveys and Wide Fields, to be held in Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands from 2nd to 6th March 2015.

Timelapse Video by an INT Observer

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:00:00 GMT

Timelapse video by Moein Mosleh, an observer at the INT telescope.

Instrumentation at the ING Telescopes

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 20:00:00 GMT

Most users of the ING telescopes are well aware that our plans for the continued operation of the WHT and INT in the next decade call for the execution of massive spectroscopic surveys with WEAVE, a multi-fibre spectrograph now in construction for the WHT prime focus. Until the arrival of WEAVE, planned for late-2017, ING will continue to offer a broad range of instrumentation at the WHT and on the INT.

Call for Letters of Intent to Provide Instrumentation or Improvements to the INT

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 20:00:00 GMT

The Board of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes solicits Letters of Intent to provide new or improved instrumentation for the 2.5m Isaac Newton Telescope, and/or upgrades to the telescope infrastructure. Deadline 30 September 2014.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2015A

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 20:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2015A.

Call for Proposals to be supported via the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 14:00:00 GMT

The OPTICON common TAC call for EU supported access to telescopes in semester 2015A has been opened. The announcement is here: http://www.astro-opticon.org/fp7-2/tna/opticon_call_new.html

Random Bits, True and Unbiased, from Atmospheric Turbulence

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:00:00 GMT

Random numbers represent a fundamental ingredient for secure communications and numerical simulation as well as to games and in general to Information Science. Physical processes with intrinsic unpredictability may be exploited to generate genuine random numbers. The optical propagation in strong atmospheric turbulence is here taken to this purpose, by observing a laser beam after a 143 km free-space path, between the Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope on La Palma and the ESA Optical Ground Station at the Teide Observatory on Tenerife.

Conference on "Multi-Object Spectroscopy in the Next Decade". First Announcement.

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 20:00:00 GMT

3D Map Shows Dusty Structure of the Milky Way

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:00:00 GMT

A team of international astronomers has created a detailed three-dimensional map of the dusty structure of the Milky Way as seen from Earth's northern hemisphere. This extinction map derives from the newly released catalogue of the Isaac Newton Telescope Photometric H-alpha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS), the first digital survey to cover the entire northern Milky Way.

ING Schedules and Time Allocations 2014B Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 10:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2014B are already available online.

Discovery of Near Earth Asteroid 2014 LU14 with the Isaac Newton Telescope

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 21:00:00 GMT

2014 LU14 is the first ever Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) discovered using the Isaac Newton Telescope and from La Palma. This discovery is also the first reported by the EURONEAR network, a large collaboration founded by ING astronomer Ovidiu Vaduvescu which involves researchers and telescopes mostly based in European countries.

Spectro-Astrometry of V1515 Cygni with Adaptive Optics

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 19:00:00 GMT

Using the integral field spectrograph OASIS, at the William Herschel Telescope, combined with the adaptive optics module NAOMI, astronomers obtained optical observations of the FU Ori star V1515 Cyg with an angular resolution of 0.7 arcseconds (Gaussian core FWHM). From the analysis of the data they find evidence for the existence of a surrounding disk in V1515, being this one of the few spatial inferences of a disk observed in an FU Ori object.

Discovery of Circularly Polarised Light in a GRB Afterglow

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 12 May 2014 19:00:00 GMT

A large international team led by Klaas Wiersema from the University of Leicester has discovered circularly polarised optical emission in the afterglow of GRB 121024A. The study, published in Nature, used data mainly from FORS2 on the VLT, but also ACAM on the WHT. The ACAM data allowed the team to correctly identify a break in the light curve that confirmed the long standing prediction that an abrupt change of 90 degrees in the GRB linear polarisation happens when the Lorentz factor of the outwards jet decreases below a critical value.

ING Studentship Programme: Applications Welcome

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 16:00:00 GMT

We welcome applications for four places on the ING studentship programme 2014/15. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 1st April 2014.

The Music of the Galaxies

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 16:00:00 GMT

Using Fabry-Perot optical interferometers, including GHaFaS on the William Herschel Telescope, and observing a sample of over a hundred nearby galaxies, astronomers have discovered that there are more density waves than predicted by theory, and that there are relations between them forming a complex pattern of resonances, which orchestrate the "Music of the Galaxies".

Instrument Rationalisation at ING - Community Input Sought

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:00:00 GMT

In order to focus the observatory's resources on the WEAVE project, ING is planning a rationalisation of its instrument suite, which will likely imply a progressive reduction in the number of common-user instruments/modes offered at the WHT and INT, starting in semester 2015A.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2014B

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 16:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2014B.

Call for Proposals to be supported via the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 16:00:00 GMT

The OPTICON common TAC call for EU supported access to telescopes in semester 2014B has been opened. The announcement is here: http://www.astro-opticon.org/fp7/tna/opticon_call_new.html

RATS-Kepler: A Deep High-Cadence Survey of the Kepler Field

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 15:00:00 GMT

Before the launch of Kepler, an extensive programme to identify bright G/K dwarfs with minimial stellar activity was carried out by various groups internationally. Although a small number of photometric variability surveys were carried out pre-launch they were either not especially deep, did not have wide sky coverage or did not have a cadence shorter than a few minutes. To fill this gap a team of astronomers started a photometric variability survey (RATS-Kepler) in the summer of 2011 using the Wide Field Camera (WFC) on the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). RATS-Kepler is complementary to the Kepler-INT-Survey.

Extra INT Call for Semester 2014A

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 15:00:00 GMT

Extra INT call for semester 2014A. After reviewing the proposals for the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) it turned out that several nights are still available for Dutch astronomers. The time allocation committee has decided to offer a second chance for the Dutch astronomers to apply for these nights. Deadline: 27 January 2014, 11.59 CET.

ING Schedules and Time Allocations Semester 2014A Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 10:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2014A already available online.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 09:00:00 GMT

The staff of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Planetary Nebula Sh2-71

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 18:00:00 GMT

INT WFC image of Planetary Nebula Sh2-71.

NGC660 Galaxy Through the Eyes of the New PFIP Red+4 Detector

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 12:00:00 GMT

NGC660 Galaxy Through the Eyes of the New PFIP Red+4 Detector.

The Isaac Newton Telescope Contributes to Near Earth Asteroid Research

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:00:00 GMT

The Isaac Newton Telescope Contributes to Near Earth Asteroid Research. Two recently published papers on Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) demonstrate the increasing role of the Isaac Newton Telescope in precovering, recovering and discovering NEAs. A team of 23 young astronomers, working at ING or elsewhere, and amateur astronomers, led by ING astronomer Ovidiu Vaduvescu, mined several imaging archives, observed and analysed the data, and eventually became the authors of the papers.

A Cosmic Caterpillar

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 22:00:00 GMT

A cosmic caterpillar - INT contributes to the Hubble Heritage Project.

WHT and GTC Follow Up Main Belt Comet P/2012 T1 (PANSTARRS)

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 5 Sep 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Some of the 11 known active asteroids originate in the main asteroid belt and thus are known as main belt comets (MBCs), one of the last discovered being P/2012 T1 (PANSTARRS). Thanks to the possibility of target-of-opportunity observations at the WHT and GTC, a team of Spanish astronomers followed up its evolution and revealed the origin of its cometary activity.

CANARY's Laser Launch

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Night view of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory and CANARY's laser guide star being launched from the GHRIL laboratory at the William Herschel Telescope.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2014A

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 11:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2014A.

ING Hosts the 11th NEON Observing School, 2013

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:00:00 GMT

ING hosts the 11th NEON Observing School from July 14 to July 27, 2013. NEON stands for the Network of European Observatories in the North. The NEON Observing Schools are supported by OPTICON.

ING Schedules and Time Allocations Semester 2013B Released

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:00:00 GMT

ING schedules and time allocations for semester 2013B already available online.

The Rapid Assembly of an Elliptical Galaxy at a Redshift of 2.3

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 28 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

A rare encounter between two gas-rich galaxies indicates a solution to the problem of how giant elliptical galaxies developed so quickly in the early universe and why they stopped producing stars soon after.

Discovery of the First Isolated Compact Elliptical (cE) Galaxy

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Astronomers have used the ACAM instrument on the William Herschel Telescope in the discovery of a unique, isolated, compact elliptical galaxy.

A Dust-Obscured Massive Maximum-Starburst Galaxy in the Early Universe

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Astronomers of the Herschel Multi-tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) project announce in the journal Nature the discovery of an unusually massive, maximum-starburst galaxy at a redshift of 6.34, or when the Universe was only 880 million years old. Because current theories of galaxy formation and evolution predict smaller galaxies with slower rates of star production in the early Universe, the detection of such a galaxy is challenging.

Elephant's Trunk Nebula

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

A New View of the Elephant's Trunk Nebula.

The 2013 Call of the ING Studentship Programme Now Open

ldp@ing.iac.es (Lilian Dominguez) — Fri, 1 Mar 2013 19:00:00 GMT

The 2013 call of the ING Studentship Programme is open until the 7th of April.

Accretion on a Very Rapidly Spinning White Dwarf Observed Using an L3CCD

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:00:00 GMT

Recent William Herschel Telescope observations have revealed a new view of the accretion process in V455 And, an intermediate polar with a very rapidly spinning white dwarf. This white dwarf, which is a star that is only as large as the Earth but about half as massive as the Sun, spins around its axis in just over one minute, and is the third fastest-spinning white dwarf known.

Two new ING technical notes on arc maps have been published

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:00:00 GMT

No 133 Arc maps for the CuAr and CuNe lamps when used with IDS/Red+2 http://www.ing.iac.es/astronomy/observing/manuals/ps/tech_notes/tn133.pdf No 135 Arc maps for the CuAr and CuNe lamps when used with ACAM/AUXCAM http://www.ing.iac.es/astronomy/observing/manuals/ps/tech_notes/tn135.pdf

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2013B

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 19:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2013B.

Professor Vikram Dhillon is Awarded the 2013 RAS Jackson-Gwilt Medal for the Development and Operation of ULTRACAM

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:00:00 GMT

ULTRACAM is an ultra-fast, triple-beam CCD camera designed to study astrophysics on the fastest timescales. The instrument was built by a consortium involving the Universities of Sheffield (Vik Dhillon), Warwick (Tom Marsh) and the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh. It saw first light on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) on La Palma in 2002. The large quantity of observing time awarded to ULTRACAM (totalling one year of nights over the last decade) on some of the world's largest telescopes is testament to the competitiveness of the science performed with the instrument.

Call for Proposals to be supported via the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:00:00 GMT

The OPTICON common TAC call for EU supported access to telescopes in semester 2013B has been opened. It will close at exactly 23:59 UT on 28th February 2013. The announcement is here: http://www.astro-opticon.org/fp7/tna/opticon_call_new.html

Probing Nuclear Activity Versus Star Formation Using Near-Infrared Multi-Object Spectroscopy

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 4 Feb 2013 11:00:00 GMT

The role of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the formation and evolution of galaxies is still not well established. Some authors claim that AGN are key in quenching star formation in their host galaxies through so-called AGN feedback, which has been invoked to explain the well-established correlations between supermassive-black-hole (SMBH) mass and host-galaxy properties. In order to understand the importance of AGN feedback in the star-formation histories of galaxies, it is necessary to study how the star formation rate (SFR) in active galaxies evolves with redshift.

SAURON Team Gets the 2013 Group Achievement Award of the Royal Astronomical Society

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:00:00 GMT

On Friday 11 January 2013 the Royal Astronomical Society (UK) awarded the 2013 RAS Group award to the SAURON team. SAURON is an integral field spectrograph with a 33 x 44 arcseconds field of view at the 4.2m William Herschel Telescope. Although it can be used for other astrophysical investigations, the particular science focus of the team that set up the SAURON project was understanding the evolution of elliptical galaxies, via detailed observations of samples of nearby examples of these objects.

Call for proposals to the CCI's International Time Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Call for proposals to the CCI's International Time Programme. The deadline for the 2013 (semesters 2013B and 2014A) call for proposals is midnight, February 28, 2013.

Web pages of the Isaac Newton Telescope

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:00:00 GMT

The web pages of the Isaac Newton Telescope have been renewed to offer more information: http://www.ing.iac.es/astronomy/telescopes/int/

Imaging Polarimetry of Circumstellar Environments with ExPo

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:00:00 GMT

A team of Dutch astronomers designed and built the innovative imaging polarimeter ExPo (the Extreme Polarimeter), which is a regular visitor instrument at the William Herschel Telescope (WHT). ExPo makes use of polarised light to study the faint, dust-rich environments around young and evolved stars.

A Hypergiant Star (Partially) Traversing the Yellow Evolutionary Void

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 14:00:00 GMT

After thirty years of investigation, a team of scientists from six European countries reports that the hypergiant star HR 8752 is partially traversing the Yellow Evolutionary Void, an area in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram empty of hypergiant stars with surface temperatures between 5000 and 12000 degrees kelvin. Some of the observations were carried out using the Utrecht Echelle Spectrograph (UES, now retired) on the William Herschel Telescope.

ING Schedules 2013A Released

crb@ing.iac.es (Chris Benn) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:00:00 GMT

We have now released the 2013A schedules for the WHT and INT, which can be found on: http://catserver.ing.iac.es/schedules/ (select semester '13A' then click on 'SUBMIT'). The PIs have been informed individually about their allocations, which are listed on: http://catserver.ing.iac.es/schedules/index.php?action=allocations

First Evidence of the Relation Between Jets in Planetary Nebulae and Mass Transfer and Accretion in Close Binaries

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:00:00 GMT

The formation of asymmetric structures such as rings and jets in planetary nebulae (PNe) has been a matter of debate for a long time. The most popular hypothesis is that these features are produced in interacting binaries. Using data obtained with ACAM imager and spectrograph on the William Herschel Telescope, for the first time astronomers have been able to reliably relate jet ejections to mass transfer and accretion in a close binary in a planetary nebula.

A 3D View of the Remnant of Nova Persei 1901

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 10:00:00 GMT

GK Per (Nova Persei 1901) nova remnant is the result of a remarkable nearby nova exploded in 1901 which reached the brightness of the star Vega at its maximum. It was the first object around which, superluminal light echoes where observed. The actual ejecta of the outburst became visible 15 years later in 1916. Ever since, the ejecta has been monitored in several wavelengths in narrow- and broad-band filters. This study shows that the nova ejecta is a thick knotty shell in which knots expand with a significant range of velocities. A movie shows the evolution of the remnant from 1953 to 2011 using data mainly from the INT/WFC and INT/IDS.

Astronomy Advisory Panel Draft Report - Community Input Sought

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 20:00:00 GMT

STFC recently circulated the Astronomy Advisory Panel's draft report for the upcoming STFC programmatic review. STFC requests feedback on this draft via the linked web form. Please note the deadline, NOON OF THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER. With this late reminder, I strongly encourage all ING users who have not yet responded to provide their input via the web form. ING welcomes the report's consistent emphasis on the desirability of maintaining diversity of facilities in the run-up to E-ELT and SKA, and on the importance of future UK access to a powerful MOS.

However, current and future ING users may be concerned that two critical issues receive little attention in this report. Firstly, there is almost no discussion of the requirement to maintain Northern-hemisphere access for UK optical observers. Secondly, no mention is made of a clear path that exists for providing UK users with Northern MOS access (highlighted on p16 as being required for 3 out of 7 science areas), namely via the planned WEAVE spectrograph on the WHT (2-deg field, 1000 fibres).

If the report does not reflect your views about these issues, or others, we encourage you to provide feedback on the above link. We are very grateful for the support you have given in the past to the continued involvement of the UK in the ING. Your contribution is very important for the success of the process.

Many thanks in advance,

Marc Balcells
Director ING

The Cold Veil of the Milky Way Stellar Halo

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Astronomers at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge (UK) have reported the discovery of a "cold veil" of halo stars in the very outskirts of the Milky Way. They obtained the radial velocities of a sample of distant halo stars located from 80 to 150 kiloparsecs from the center of our Galaxy using the ISIS spectrograph on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), among others. The two most distant stars in this sample are Carbon stars observed with WHT/ISIS, and to date, they are the most distant field Galactic halo stars with radial-velocity measurements.

Quantum Teleportation Experiment Sets a New Record

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:00:00 GMT

Physicists at the University of Vienna and the Austrian Academy of Sciences have successfully transmitted quantum states between La Palma (from the Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope) and Tenerife, over a record distance of 143 km. This experiment provides the basis for a worldwide information network, in which quantum mechanical effects enable the exchange of messages with greater security, and allow certain calculations to be performed more efficiently than with conventional technologies. In such a future 'quantum internet', quantum teleportation will be a key protocol for the transmission of information between quantum computers.

The Transiting Earth

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:00:00 GMT

From spectra collected during the August 2008 lunar eclipse, astronomers have been able to investigate the in-transit signature of the Earth-Sun system as would be observed from outside the solar system. They found that the refraction of sunlight as it passes through a planetary atmosphere similar to the Earth's contributes prominently to the in-transit transmission spectrum. This research has important implications for future attempts to characterise the atmospheres of Earth-like extrasolar planets, especially those in similar long-period orbits.

"Light Years" Exhibit

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:00:00 GMT

"Light Years" is an exhibit where art and science join efforts to take the understanding of the Universe to the public. The exhibit is actually a light-year astronomical journey through the Universe and its chemical components. It will be open to the public in Madrid from the 18th of September to the 18th of November 2012. ING has closely collaborated with the artist, Eugenia Balcells. Don't miss it !

ING User Input Sought for the STFC Programmatic Review

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:00:00 GMT

As part of its Programmatic Review, the UK funding agency STFC seeks input from facility users on science and facility priorities, including the ING.

INT and M74 featured in Deep Sky Videos

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:00:00 GMT

A new release from Deep Sky Videos, this time about the Isaac Newton Telescope and M74 galaxy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awOJUrvB6GQ

The Nature of the Driving Source of the HH30 Jet/Counterjet System

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:00:00 GMT

The Herbig-Haro object 30 (HH30) is located in the L1551 dark cloud, at a distance of about 140 parsec, in the Taurus star-forming region. HH30 is considered a prototypical jet-disk system driven by a young stellar object (YSO). The impressive jet/counterjet structure extends several arcminutes in both directions from the exciting source, and shows an undulating morphology in the narrow-band [SII] images. Astronomers using ACAM at the William Herschel Telescope have been able to obtain a deep image of the HH30 field and have found an interesting explanation for the jet/counterjet system.

The Kepler-INT Survey

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

The Kepler-INT Survey is a deep 5-filter optical survey of the Kepler field, made with the Wide Field Camera on the Isaac Newton Telescope. The observing strategy and data reduction method are identical with those used in the IPHAS and UVEX galactic plane surveys and involves scientists from all ING partner communities.

Call for Proposals to be supported via the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 2 Aug 2012 11:00:00 GMT

The OPTICON common TAC call for EU supported access to telescopes in semester 2013A has been opened. It will close at exactly 1200 UT on 2nd September 2012. The announcement is here: http://www.astro-opticon.org/fp7/tna/opticon_call_new.html

Grubb Parsons web site

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Grubb Parsons was responsible for the construction of many essential elements of our telescopes. Visit this new web site if you wish to learn more about this historical company.

Job Opportunity: Optical Engineer

juan@ing.iac.es (Juan Martinez) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Please note that a job advert has been posted: Optical Engineer, ref.: LSR02_12. Closing date 30/09/12.

Winner of UK's National Science and Engineering Competition visits the ING

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Kirtana Vallabhaneni, winner of UK's "National Science and Engineering Competition" was awarded to visit the ING telescopes and others at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory. Today she spent the day talking to astronomers, learning about the different telescopes and projects and touring seven facilities on site.

Workshop: "La Palma and Calar Alto Observatories, Science in the Next Decade", contributions available

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 18:00:00 GMT

Today the attendants to the conference "Cosmic Microwave Background and High Energy Physics", organised by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias on La Palma, visited the William Herschel Telescope. More information on the conference can be found here: http://www.iac.es/congreso/isapp2012/

Workshop: "La Palma and Calar Alto Observatories, Science in the Next Decade", contributions available

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Contributions from workshop: "La Palma and Calar Alto Observatories, Science in the Next Decade" (Madrid, 22-23 March 2012) already available.

Two time opportunities from the Spanish time allocation committee (CAT)

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 10:00:00 GMT

DDT time next 18th August at 2.5m INT telescope with WFC: Deadline: 21st July Instructions and form: http://www.iac.es/cat/pages/cat-nocturno/es/presentacion/tiempo-del-director.php DDT time next 15th and 16th August at 4.2m WHT telescope with ISIS and/or ACAM: Deadline: 18th July Instructions and form: http://www.iac.es/cat/pages/cat-nocturno/es/presentacion/tiempo-del-director.php

ING Observing Schedule and Allocations 12B Available

crb@ing.iac.es (Chris Benn) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:00:00 GMT

The ING observing schedule for 2012B is now available, on: http://catserver.ing.iac.es/schedules/index.php?action=allocations. A list of the WHT and INT time allocations for 2012B can be found on the same page.

Masgomas-1: A Very Massive Stellar Cluster

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:00:00 GMT

A group of astronomers from IAC and CEFCA have reported the discovery of a massive stellar cluster in the Milky Way. The discovery is part of the MASGOMAS project (MAssive Stars in Galactic Obscured MAssive clusterS), a systematic search for massive galactic stellar clusters. The massive nature of the cluster has been confirmed using LIRIS imaging, and long-slit and multi-object spectroscopy, on the William Herschel Telescope (WHT).

The World's Greatest Telescopes

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

The William Herschel Telescope takes pride of place on the front cover of Astronomy magazine's special summer 2012 issue. This issue is a picture-packed guided tour of the world's major observatories, highlighting the beauty of the locations as much as the scientific achievements. It includes an article about the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma, written by ING staff Chris Benn, Javier Mendez and Marc Balcells.

NGC 2359 Nebula

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT

This is an image of NGC 2359, better known as the Thor's Helmet nebula, obtained using the Wide-Field Camera on the Isaac Newton Telescope. NGC 2359 is actually more like an interstellar bubble, blown as a fast wind from the bright, massive star near the bubble's center sweeps through a surrounding molecular cloud. The central star is an extremely hot giant Wolf-Rayet star thought to be in a brief, pre-supernova stage of evolution.

Astronomy Field Trip by University of Sheffield Students

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:00:00 GMT

A group of 8 Sheffield MPhys students visited La Palma for one week to undertake their third-year astronomy project using pt5m, the Durham-Sheffield 0.5m robotic telescope on the roof of the WHT. The trip, which was led by Professor Vik Dhillon, was a great success and will hopefully now be an annual fixture in the Sheffield Astrophysics MPhys degree programme.

Under the Dark Halo Old Galaxies Have Many More Stars

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Astronomers from the Atlas3D team, using the SAURON integral-field spectrograph on the William Herschel Telescope, have found that some of the oldest galaxies in the Universe have three times as much stellar mass, and as many more stars, than all current models of galaxy evolution predict. This result means that the models, which assumed for decades that the light we observe from a galaxy can be used to infer its stellar mass, will have to be revised. A report of the research is published in Nature on 26 April 2012.

IC 1396 Nebula

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:00:00 GMT

IC 1396 in the constellation Cepheus imaged in the red light from hydrogen atoms. This image was obtained as part of the INT/WFC Photometric Hydrogen-Alpha Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS). Credit: Geert Barentsen & Jorick Vink (Armagh Observatory) & the IPHAS Collaboration.

Riding the Wake of a Merging Galaxy Cluster

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Observations using the OASIS integral field spectrograph on the William Herschel Telescope have revealed a long, thin plume of ionised gas stretching out from the brightest cluster galaxy (BCG) of Abell 2146 (z=0.243) (Canning et al. 2012). Extended optical emission-line nebulae are not uncommon in the cores of clusters, but the discovery of this particular structure is unexpected, as the host cluster is in the throes of a major merger event.

Workshop: La Palma and Calar Alto Observatories, Science in the Next Decade

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Upcoming workshop: "La Palma and Calar Alto Observatories, Science in the Next Decade" (Madrid, 22-23 March 2012). We announce a two-day workshop organised by ING together with our colleagues at the Calar Alto Observatory. Registration deadline: 5 March (with presentation), 15 March (without).

ING Science Strategy 2013 - 2022 Released

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

A consensus has emerged amongst the partner countries that the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) will play a crucial role in the partners' national astronomy programmes over the next decade. At the ING, we have worked closely with our user communities from the UK, the Netherlands and Spain, and with our funding agencies (STFC, NWO and IAC), to agree on the scientific priorities and how to deliver them.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2012B

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2012B.

Input from UK Users Sought for STFC Science Board Review

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

ING's plans for the coming decade were presented to STFC Science Board in November 2011. In order to reach a decision by April 2012, Science Board set up a sub-group to examine our proposal (and that presented for JCMT and UKIRT). STFC's announcement is at http://www.stfc.ac.uk/About+STFC/38392.aspx . The deadline for submission of your inputs is 22 February 2012.

Call for Proposals to be supported via the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

wji@ing.iac.es (Ian Skillen) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme is now open with a deadline of 12:00 UT on 29 February 2012.

Call for Proposals to the CCI's International Time Programme on the Canary Islands

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:00:00 GMT

Call for Service Proposals with WHT/ULTRACAM

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:00:00 GMT

The ING is pleased to announce a special call for service proposals to use the ULTRACAM instrument. Up to five bright nights are available at the beginning of February 2012. ULTRACAM is a high-speed, three channel CCD camera ideally suited for fast photometry. Please see the details of the announcement, including a description of ULTRACAM and the proposal submission procedure, at http://www.ing.iac.es/astronomy/observing/ULTRACAM.pdf. The deadline for receipt of proposals is midnight on Friday 20th January, Canarian/UK time.

Best Wishes From La Palma!

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT

The staff of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

JKT Announcement of Opportunity

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) of the United Kingdom announces its intent to make the Jakobus Kapteyn Telescope (JKT) available free of charge to a suitable party who is interested in taking control of the scientific exploitation of the telescope.

The ING Telescopes Contribute to the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Tue, 4 Oct 2011 21:00:00 GMT

The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) contributed data to the research which led to the award of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics to Professor Saul Perlmutter of UC-Berkeley. Using wide-field imaging techniques implemented on the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) in the early nineties, and subsequent imaging and spectroscopy using the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), among others, the Supernova Cosmology Project team led by Perlmutter discovered that the expansion of the Universe, long-believed to be decelerating due to the effects of gravitational attraction, was in fact accelerating, that is, galaxies are receding from one another faster now than they were billions of years ago. This result provided the foundation for the current, widely-accepted model of the Universe, in which the dynamics are dominated by what is called dark energy.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2012A

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2012A.

Call for Proposals to be supported via the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 10:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme is now open with a deadline of 12:00 UT on 31 August 2011.

The ATLAS 3D Project: Replacing the Handle of Hubbles Tuning Fork

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Since Edwin Hubble introduced his famous tuning fork diagram more than 70 years ago, spiral galaxies and early-type galaxies have been regarded as being two distinct families. A known issue of Hubble's classification, however, is that it mostly relies on optical images, from which it is nearly impossible to recognize thin face-on disks of stars from much rounder edge-on spheroids. For this reason the fraction of disks-like systems hidden in the early-type category has been a matter of debate for decades. Using SAURON integral-field spectrograph at the William Herschel Telescope, astronomers of the ATLAS 3D collaboration were able to derive maps of the stellar motions for 260 galaxies. For the first time, it was found that the overwhelming majority of the early-type galaxies in the nearby Universe does not consist of roundish spheroidal objects, but instead has disks and mostly resembles spiral galaxies with the gas and dust removed. Only a tiny fraction of the early-type galaxies, the "slow rotators", are genuine spheroids.

Discovery of a New Class of Supernovae

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Thu, 9 Jun 2011 11:00:00 GMT

Astronomers have identified a new type of supernova or exploding star which is ten times brighter than any other type of stellar explosion.

UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Astronomy

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:00:00 GMT

UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Astronomy - Report Now Available.

Wide-Field Multi-Object Spectrograph WEAVE Proposed for WHT Prime Focus

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Sun, 29 May 2011 18:00:00 GMT

ING is establishing a European consortium to develop a spectrograph, WEAVE, for the prime focus of the William Herschel Telescope. WEAVE will be able to take spectra of up to 1000 objects simultaneously, within a 2-deg field of view. First light is envisioned in 2016.

ING Joins Efforts with GTC to Discover a Galactic Black Hole

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 10:00:00 GMT

XTE J1859+226 is a transient X-ray binary discovered in 1999 by the X-ray satellite RXTE. This type of binary system stays in quiescence for most of its life; however, from time-to-time the system can show an outburst at all wavelengths which can subsequently be detected by X-ray satellites. By combining the data taken using the INT and the WHT in 2000 with the photometry taken in 2008 with NOT, WHT and spectra from GTC, a lower limit to the mass of the black hole was set to 5.42 solar masses.

Galaxy Zoo Supernovae and the WHT

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Galaxy Zoo Supernovae (GZS) is a proof-of-concept project which uses members of the public to identify supernova candidates from the latest generation of wide-field imaging transient surveys. GZS was first tested on two specific occasions supporting Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) spectroscopic follow-up observations at the William Herschel Telescope, in 2009 August and October. 16 of 20 candidates were observed by the WHT; 15 were confirmed as SNe, with one cataclysmic variable. Since 2010 April, GZS has been running full-time on PTF candidates and by 2010 July 15 had classified around 13,900 SN candidates at the rate of several hundred candidates per observing night. SGZ team members continue to use the WHT to confirm and follow up the SN candidates being discovered.

Call for INT Support and Studentship Applications

rk@ing.iac.es (Raine Karjalainen) — Mon, 7 Mar 2011 12:00:00 GMT

The INT Support and Research Studentship programme offers astronomy and astrophysics Ph.D. students the unique opportunity to spend one year at the ING as support astronomers at the INT. The students are expected to continue with their Ph.D. theses while working at ING. Students will get astronomy related project work from ING. In addition, they can get involved in further research with ING staff astronomers. Ph.D. students working in any field of observational astronomy are welcome. Deadline for applications is April 7th, 2011.

Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2011B

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 12:00:00 GMT

ING Announcement of Opportunity for Observing Time in Semester 2011B.

UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Astronomy

balcells@ing.iac.es (Marc Balcells) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:00:00 GMT

The UK parliamentary Science and Technology Committee has launched an inquiry into astronomy and particle-physics research in the UK. The parliamentary committee invites comments, by February 16th.

Call for Proposals to be supported via the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

crb@ing.iac.es (Chris Benn) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:00:00 GMT

The call for observing time at night time telescopes supported by the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme is now open with a deadline of 12:00 UT on 28 February 2011.

The Cigar Galaxy

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Image of the Cigar Galaxy or M82 obtained using ACAM on the William Herschel Telescope. Credit: Pablo Rodriguez-Gil (IAC) and Pablo Bonet (IAC).

CANARY: First On-Sky Demonstration of Multi-Object Adaptive Optics

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:00:00 GMT

A Franco-British team has demonstrated for the first time on-sky the feasibility of so-called Multi-Object Adaptive Optics (MOAO). MOAO provides the high spatial resolution delivered by current adaptive-optics systems, but over a much larger field of view, allowing many objects to be observed simultaneously. The demonstration was made with the purpose-built CANARY instrument installed at the Nasmyth focus of the William Herschel Telescope on La Palma. Analysis of the first results obtained in September 2010 shows that CANARY delivered the expected performance the first time it was used - a spectacular success.

The Veil Nebula

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:00:00 GMT

This image is part of the Eastern Veil Nebula, or NGC 6992, and it was obtained using the Wide Field Camera on the Isaac Newton Telescope. It is a three-colour composite made from data collected using filters to isolate the light emitted by hydrogen alpha (H-alpha), doubly ionised oxygen (OIII) and ionised sulfur (SII) atoms, and coded in the image as red, green and blue respectively. Credit: D. Lopez (IAC).

PLC Technology Reduces Observing Overheads

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:00:00 GMT

New control systems are being implemented for all the instruments on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope. The new systems are based on PLC (programmable logic controllers) and Ethernet technology, and are faster, and much easier to maintain, than the old 4MS/RS232 systems originally implemented at the telescope over 20 years ago. The re-engineering is all being carried out in-house at ING.

The Crescent Nebula

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:00:00 GMT

This image of the Crescent Nebula or NGC 6888 was obtained using the Wide Field Camera on the Isaac Newton Telescope. It is a three-colour composite made from data collected using filters to isolate the light emitted by hydrogen alpha (H-alpha) and doubly ionised oxygen (OIII) atoms.

Electron-multiplying CCDs at ING

jma@ing.iac.es (Javier Mendez) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Conventional CCD detectors have two major disadvantages: they are slow to read out and they suffer from read noise. These problems combine to make high-speed spectroscopy of faint targets the most demanding of astronomical observations. It is possible to overcome these weaknesses by using electron-multiplying CCDs (EMCCDs). EMCCDs are conventional frame-transfer CCDs, but with an extended serial register containing high-voltage electrodes. The recently released ING technical note no. 132 summarises the research and the implementation of EMCCDs at ING.

Observing Time Allocations and Schedules

wji@ing.iac.es (Ian Skillen) — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 10:00:00 GMT

The latest observing time allocations and most recent schedules are available online.