Optical/infrared telescopes available to UK astronomers (2009 March)

This is a list and basic details of the ground-based optical and infrared observing facilities which accept applications for telescope time from UK astronomers. The list is sorted according to observing type and wavelength domain, and includes basic details on each instrument (resolution, field size, etc). All information on this page is supplied without guarantee of correctness.

• Overview of capabilities
• Application eligibility and deadlines
• Details for each telescope and instrument
• Date of last modification: 20/11/2008

WHT     --     INT     --     NOT     --     TNG     --     LT     --     GTC     --     CAHA     3.5m     2.2m     --     UKIRT     --     Gemini     North     South     --     KPNO    
ESO Paranal     VLT     --     ESO La Silla     3.6m     NTT     2.2m     --     LCO     Baade     Clay     2.5m     1.0m        
CTIO     4.0m     SOAR     1.5m     1.3m     1.0m     0.9m     --     SAAO     SALT     1.9m     1.0m     --     AAT    

Many of the application deadlines are general guidelines only, based on experience from previous years. Anyone wishing to submit an application should confirm these dates (and all other relevant information in this document) directly on the official webpages of the telescope concerned. You have been warned.....

Isaac Newton Group (ING)

4.2m William Herschel Telescope (WHT)

The long-term future of the WHT is not completely secure as its present status is reliant on funding from several Governments, one of which (UK) is becoming increasingly reticent. However, the WHT is an excellent telescope which is also demonstrably cheap to run. Its future lies probably either as part of the Common Northern Observatory, as a support instrument for the new 10m Grantecan, or through selling large amounts of observing time to interested customers. The last of these possibilities is currently the favoured model, and a new high-resolution spectrograph will soon be installed with the main task of following up the transiting extrasolar planet candidates produced by the Kepler satellite.

2.5m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT)

The future of the INT is not secure, and depends on the ING being given sufficient funding for its continued low-level operation. At present (2007) the UK government is actively seeking to minise the funding it give to the ING, which is not a good sign for the INT. The telescope is also coming closer to the end of its economic life.

2.5m Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT)

The short-term future of the NOT is stable as the Nordic countries are fully aware of its high capability, reliability and low running costs. In the longer term there are indications that it may struggle to attract a high number of applications for observing time, although it would be a valued part of the prospective Common Northern Observatory.

3.6m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG)

The future of the TNG must be regarded as uncertain as it is unable to obtain any funding to improve or replace its current (first-generation) instruments. It may find a good home if the Common Northern Observatory is brought to life.

2.0m robotic Liverpool Telescope (LT)

There is also the Meanburn spectrograph but this is not a common-user instrument. An integral-field spectrograph, FRODOspec, and a second-generation optical imager, RATCam2, are being constructed for the LT. But the future of the telescope is not completely certain at this point, partially due to a history of technical problems.

10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC)

Calar Alto

3.5m telescope

2.2m telescope

From the Call for Proposals from 2009 February: "FOCES will no longer be available from end October 2009. Please take this into account for your proposal."

FOCES is on loan from the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of the University of Munich, and will be returned to them in the second half of 2009. There are plans for a replacement échelle spectrograph at Calar Alto, but this will take a while to build if it is given the go-ahead. FOCES will be moved to Wendelstein Observatory

There is a 1.23m telescope at Calar Alto, also operated by CAHA, which is undergoing refurbishment. The site also contains a 0.8m Schmidt telescope which is no longer used, and a 1.5m telescope which is operated by a separate group and used only intermittently.

MAGIC is available only at the 2.2m at present, but may become available at the 3.5m and 1.23m as well.

3.8m United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT)

UKIRT is now running in campaign mode: the UKIDSS survey is being completed as quickly as possible, only the WFCAM instrument is available, and only a small amount of time is available to PATT applications. UKIDSS is projected to finish in 2012 and the future of UKIRT is extremely unclear beyond this point.

Instruments which are not currently available: UIST, UFTI, CGS4 and MICHELLE (loaned to Gemini North on a long-term basis).

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

Paranal observatory (VLT)

Other facilities at Paranal

The VLT also has a well-developed interferometric capibility, which can either use several of the Unit Telescopes or the dedicated 2m Auxiliary Telescopes. Details of these facilities can be found from the Paranal instruments page.

A 2.6m VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is nearing completion at Paranal and will be equipped with a wide-field optical camera which is a mosaic of 32 CCDs with a field of view of 1×1 degree.

The UK-origin VISTA (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy) is also in a fairly advanced stage of construction at Paranal. It is a 4m telescope and will have a wide-field near-IR mosaic of 16 2k × 2k HgCdTe arrays with a field of view of 1.65×1.65 degrees (which requires four observations for full coverage).

La Silla Observatory

The future of La Silla Observatory is not assured in the long term, as ESO seeks to shift its funding (which is already focussed on the VLT) to ALMA and construction of an Extremely Large Telescope. There has been a shift towards minimising the number of instruments, and now the 3.6m has only HARPS and the NTT has only SofI and EFOSC. Information on the retired instruments can be found here: SUSI-2, EMMI, TIMMI2 and CES. There is a possibility that ULTRACAM may find a semi-permanent home at La Silla in the future.

News from the ESO Period 82 Announcement of Opportunity: "Operation of the La Silla site is expected to continue beyond 2010.''

Changes from P84 on: visiting astronomers will be assigned a support astronomer but the SA will remain in Santiago rather than being available at the telescopes. A visiting astronomer will still have a telescope operator to operate the telescope.

3.6m telescope

3.6m New Technology Telescope (NTT)

2.2m MPI telescope

Only limited time is available on the 2.2m to visiting astronomers, as much of the time is allocated to German and Chilean research. The Max Planck Institute operate the seven-band simultaneous imager GROND, which is not a facility instrument.

Las Campanas Observatory (LCO)

UK astronomers have no direct access to these telescopes, but time can be obtained through collaboration with astronomers who are at some American and Chilean institutions. 50% of the time goes to Carnegie, who effectively operate the telescopes, 25% to Harvard and 10% to Chile. The remainder goes to a small number of other American institutions and to NOAO.

6.5m Magellan Baade telescope

6.5m Magellan Clay telescope

2.5m Irénée du Pont telescope

1.0m Henrietta Swope telescope

Gemini Observatory

Due to the recent funding crisis UK astronomers have limited access to the Gemini telescopes; the exact position is unclear and changing. Up-to-date details can be found here.

8.1m Gemini North (Mauna Kea, Hawaii)

Gemini North also hosts the TEXES high-resolution mid-IR échelle spectrograph, but it is unclear for how long it will be offered. Applications for TEXES must include one of the TEXES team.

8.1m Gemini South (Cerro Pachon, Chile)

The PHOENIX near-IR high-resolution spectrograph may be offered at times (its status is unclear as the Gemini webpage is out of date).

The GNIRS near-IR spectrograph was accidentally damaged in May 2007 by being heated far above room temperature. The instrument is expected to be repaired and return to service, but this may take many months.

The FLAMINGOS near-IR multi-object spectrograph is in the process of being provided. It is not yet available for use (2009 April).

Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO)

4m Mayall telescope

2.1m telescope

3.5m WIYN telescope

0.9m WIYN telescope

Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO)

The 1.5m and 1.3m telescopes are operated entirely in service/queue mode. The 1.3m was originally for 2MASS. The 1.0m is classical observing only, whereas the 0.9m is mixed classical/service observing. All four small telescope (1.5m, 1.3m, 1.0m, 0.9m) are owned and operated by the SMARTS Consortium.

4m Blanco telescope (Cerro Tololo)

4.1m SOAR telescope (Cerro Pachon)

1.5m telescope (Cerro Tololo)

1.3m telescope (Cerro Tololo)

1.0m telescope (Cerro Tololo)

0.9m telescope (Cerro Tololo)

South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO)

There is also a 0.75m telescope with an IR JHKL photoelectric photometer and the possibility to use the UCT high-speed CCD photometer, and a 0.5m telescope with a UBVRI photoelectric photometer.

11m Southern African Large Telescope (SALT)

SALT has only recently been constructed. The Robert Stobie Spectrograph will soon be available for imaging, spectroscopy, and multi-object spectroscopy, and has been designed to have a good UV-blue performance. The High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS) is in preparation.

1.9m Radcliffe Telescope

The 1.9m telescope currently has some pointing restrictions, and cannot go north of δ = -10 degrees.

1.0m telescope

Anglo Australian Observatory (AAO) (Siding Springs)

3.9m Anglo Australian Telescope (AAT)