James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes
| Line of action | : | Consolidating strengths |
| Secretariat | : | EW |
| Apply | : | Yes, but at a later stage |
Ground-based telescopes are important instruments for astronomers to study the universe. These telescopes are often located at remote sites at high altitude to decrease influence of the surroundings and the atmosphere. Since observing time on telescopes is limited, the available time is allocated to the best research proposals. This call encourages astronomers to apply for observing time for the ING optical telescopes on La Palma (Spain) and the JCMT on Mauna Kea (Hawaii).
Who can apply
Researchers in astronomy with a Dutch affiliation.
What can be applied for
Dutch observing time for the optical telescopes of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) on La Palma (Spain) and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) on Mauna Kea (Hawaii).
The available time is ± 45 nights on the INT, ± 45 nights on the WHT, both equally distributed over “dark”, “grey” en “bright” nigths. On the JCMT ±150 hour is available.
The long term averages for the weather conditions at the JCMT is:
- Grade 1 τ < 0.05 ~10%
- Grade 2 0.05 < τ < 0.08 ~26%
- Grade 3 0.08 < τ < 0.12 ~23%
- Grade 4 0.12 < τ < 0.20 ~18%
- Grade 5 0.20 < τ < 0.32 ~8%
- lost entirely to bad weather ~15%
When can be applied
- Closing date for submission of proposals for observing time in semester 2012A was 15 September 2011 at noon (CET) for the WHT and INT, and
- Closing date for submission of proposals for observing time in semester 2012A was 14 October 2011 at 23:30 CET for the JCMT
Extra Information
The ING consists of the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) and the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). Theyare situated near the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, LaPalma (Spain).
The JCMT, which is 15 m in diameter, is the largest facilityin the world that is specially designed for the sub-mm spectral area. It isbuilt near the summit of the Mauna Kea (Hawaii)at an altitude of 4,092 m.
Criteria
At every proposal round, the GBE PC members are faced with the difficult task to read and rank proposals from many different fields of research. Proposal writers must realize that most members of the GBE PC are not working in their field. Hence the necessary background needs to be given and the general relevance of the science question needs to be clearly formulated. Furthermore, it needs to be explained how the requested data will answer the relevant science question.
This is obviously not an easy task within the 2-page limit, but all proposers have to conform to the same format. It will generally pay off to reserve enough time before the deadline to prepare a concise and clear justification. The page limits will be strictly enforced and proposals written in fonts smaller than 11pt will not be considered.
Also, please fill in all the entries on the web forms. If they don't apply to your proposal, please state so.
Procedure
On the ING facilities the GBE PC can only allocate the Dutch time. Internationalproposals can be submitted through the GBE PC, but they will be judged by adifferent committee.
On the JCMT, the GBE PC can only allocate the Dutch time. International proposalsshould be submitted through the international TAC (accessible through the JCMT NorthStar website). Please notice that the international JCMT TAC will rejectproposals with Co-I's from countries participating in the JCMT. Such proposalsshould be submitted through the national allocation committees. Similarly, proposals without NL Co-I's or PIs will not be accepted by the NL PC.
Weespecially encourage ambitious proposals for the worst weather conditions,grades 4 and 5, which are generally undersubscribed.
Proposalscan only be submitted electronically through the NorthStar tools. No emailsubmissions can and will be accepted.
- Submission for ING: http://ing.proposal.astron.nl
- Submission for JCMT: http://hokuakau.jach.hawaii.edu/
Firsttime users of the web proposal submission tool, NorthStar, should take note of this Instruction Link. Instructions on justification file format must be strictly observed.More information and help on this proposal website and the submission procedurecan also be found at that same address. NorthStar is continuously open foraccess.
In general you will be informed by the telescope organisation about the success of your proposal in about 3 months after submission. At the same time you should also receive feedback from the PC.
More information about the procedure can be found on:
Committees
The Program Committee of the Gebiedsbestuur Exacte Wetenschappen (GBE) of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) handles proposals for Dutch observing time at the island observatories to which the Netherlands has access: the INT, WHT and JCMT.
The current GBE PC chairman is: Dr. P.G. Jonker, SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, High Energy Astrophysics Div-HEA, Sorbonnelaan 2, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands, p.jonker@sron.nl
Financiers
NWO Division for Physical Sciences
Contacts
- Dr. Frank Molster
phone: +31 (0)71 527 58 82, e-mail: f.molster@nwo.nl
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