a few ways of acquiring telescope time telescope committee astronomical society of new york october...

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A Few Ways of Acquiring Telescope Time Telescope Committee Astronomical Society of New York October 23, 2009 Peter Wehinger Steward Observatory University of Arizona

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A Few Ways of Acquiring Telescope Time

Telescope CommitteeAstronomical Society of New York

October 23, 2009

Peter WehingerSteward ObservatoryUniversity of Arizona

Not all discoveries are made with the largest telescopes:

Collaborators: Sue Wyckoff & Peter Wehinger

• Titanium Isotopes in Mira – 2.1-m KPNO, 1973

• Discovery of H20+ in Comet Kohoutek, 1-m Wise, 1974

• Crab Pulsar – A high velocity star, 1-m Wise, 1975 & 0.9-m Crossley (Lick), 1899

• Carbon Isotopes C12 /C13 in Comets, 1.9-m MSO, 1986-1990

• Quasar Host Galaxies – Images & Spectra, 2.3-m U Hawaii, 3.6-m ESO, 1977-83

This week by Geneva Obs Group –• 32 Exoplanets discovered, 2009 – ESO 3.6-m with HARPS

Wise Observatory, Tel-Aviv Univeristy

Mt Stromlo Observatory, Canberra, April 19861.9-m with Coude/Echelle Bruce Peterson, PW, SW

Observatory PartnershipsProject Costs

• MDM (1.3-m, 2.3-m) – Kitt Peak– Michigan, Dartmouth, MIT, OSU, Columbia– Cost ~ $750K (1978), ~ $7M (1990)

• SDSS (2.5-m) – Apache Point – 25 institutions– Cost ~ $95M (1998) ~ 60% software dev

• Magellan (2 – 6.5-m) – 50%, 20, 10, 10, 10, respectively - Carnegie, Harvard, MIT, Michigan, Arizona - Cost ~ $35M, $28M (2002) – Las Campanas

• San Pedro Martir (6.5-m) – Baja California– UNAM, INAOE, UCB, UCSC, Arizona– Cost ~ $45M for telescope, ~ $80M for IR Camera

Telescope Corporations

Bigger Projects – More $$$

• LBT (2 x 8.4-m) – 25% Each – Mt Graham- Germany, Italy, Arizona, Ohio State, Research Corp.- Cost ~ $130M (2004)

• GMT (7 x 8.4-m) - ~ 10% each – Las Campanas- Carnegie, Texas/Austin, TAMU, Arizona, Harvard, Smithsonian, ANU, AAL, KASI, others (?)- Cost ~ $700M (2009)

• CCAT (25-m, sub-mm) – Cerro Chajnantor– Cornell, Caltech, Colorado, Canada, UK, Germany– Cost ~ $100M ? (2009)

• LSST (8.4-m) – Cerro Pachon– ~ 25 members, funding private/public mixture– Cost ~ $450M (2007)

Projects under consideration

San Pedro Martir – Excellent site for large telescopes • Was first choice for LSST• Was one of three final sites for TMT

Tokyo Atacama Obs (6.5-m) – Thermal IR Imaging & Spectra• On summit of Cerro Chajnantor (5600 m)• University of Tokyo, Institute of Astronomy• Cost ~ $80-90M (2009) >> funding pending

• 1-m telescope on summit since March 2009 • Install 2-m telescope to summit early 2010

Possible Options for Access to Telescopes

Near term – Buy time on existing telescopes,

Examples of how others acquire telescope time –

• Palomar 5-m, Caltech sells ~ 20% to Cornell• Arizona – sells time on suite of optical telescopes • Arizona – sells time on 10 & 12-m radio telescopes• SALT 10-m ~ AMNH, U Wisc, and others buy time• GTC 10.4-m – UNAM, INAOE & U Florida buy time

Telescope Time at Steward Observatory~ $/Night Rates

LBT (2 x 8.4 m) Mt Graham $90KMMT (6.5 m) Mt Hopkins 30KMagellan 1 (6.5 m) Las Campanas 35K Magellan 2 (6.5 m) Las Campanas 35K90 inch Kitt Peak 3K61 inch Mt Lemmon 2K

12 m Kitt Peak 5K10 m SMT Mt Graham 7K

Mt Lemmon Sky Center – For Undergrads32 inch with CCD, 20 inch with CCD or IR ImagerLodging: $50 per night, two students per room

Wise Observatory, Negev Desert, Israel

StewardObservatoryMirror Lab Casting Bay

6.5-m

8.4-m

8.4-m