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Home > Public Information > ING Newsletter > No. 10, December 2005 > ING User Questionnaire — Summary of the Results

ING Newsletter No. 10, December 2005

GENERAL

SCIENCE

TELESCOPES AND INSTRUMENTATION

OTHER NEWS FROM ING

TELESCOPE TIME

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ING User Questionnaire — Summary of the Results

René G. M. Rutten^* (ING)

Earlier this year a questionnaire was issued to our community of telescope users with a number of questions regarding the current and future use of the telescopes. Many responses were received and these are of great value to the observatory and have served as input to the International Review of the ING that was held in July of this year. The tables and diagrams below capture some of the information received in statistical form and give a flavour of what has been the outcome of the questionnaire.

To pick just a few highlights: ING’s user community expresses a strong interest in spectroscopic tools, not only on the WHT, but also on the INT. There is a growing interest in Adaptive Optics observations. Current work-horse instruments will remain important for a number of years to come. With regards to the scientific scheduling of the telescopes many commented on the increased need for large science programmes. This is also strongly supported by the ING and new opportunities for this will be created in the near future. Another area stressed by many respondents is the importance of visiting instruments, which will remain part of ING’s strategy. On the other hand, and maybe not surprisingly, there remains a diversity of interests in access to science instruments. Depending on what ING’s future will bring, this may not be affordable long term. However, collaboration with other telescope groups on La Palma is actively being pursued and could well develop into an affordable model where diversity of instrumentation will remain possible, but spread over more telescopes.

These and many more results from the questionnaire will serve as a reference for the observatory for the next few years. ¤

Contact:  (Public Relations Officer) Last modified: 01 January 1970