By Eric Steinbring (Canadian Gemini Office, National Research Council Herzberg Astronomy & Astrophysics)
New Opportunities
Something new in semester 2025A is an opportunity to get a live, virtual introduction to Gemini ahead of the deadline to complete Phase II (the definition of instrument setups that will be observed in queue). This is being offered via the Shadow the Scientists program; a Special Session set for 8 January 2025 at 4:30 AM in Hawai’i (6:30 AM Pacific and 9:30 AM Eastern). Intended especially for new users, but open to other Gemini users in 2025A, this is a chance to watch actual nighttime operations; learn how the queue is planned, get some insight on the Observing Tool, and understand how the Phase II process unfolds; and, of course, ask questions of the Observatory staff. As the queue (and weather) on Gemini-North allows there could be observations demonstrated with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS), Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph (GNIRS) or the MAROON-X high-resolution optical spectrograph.
And remember for next time that the time-exchange policy between Gemini and Subaru also makes those instruments available to Canadian astronomers, too. If you didn’t already know, here’s a new one on Subaru: the Prime-Focus Spectrograph (PFS) is a huge 2400-fibre spectrograph spanning 0.38 microns to 1.26 microns across a field-of-view of 1.25 square-degrees. Wow, that is big! Together with Gemini-South, there’s also all the other instruments on all three of these forefront telescopes – with access to the whole sky.
Upcoming Calls for Proposals
Gemini’s unique Fast Turnaround proposal process is a way to get new data quickly. The deadline for FT proposals is at the end of each month. The next is at 12PM (noon) Hawai’i time on 31 December, 2024, for observations from 1 February through 30 April 2025. They are easier to write, and shorter than a regular-semester proposal. Proposers agree to review some of the other proposals in exchange. So, this can even serve to get a little practice on both sides of that process, which can be good for early-career researchers. And historically, Canadians have learned how to do that well. The proposals need not be urgent (and Directors’ Discretionary time is always available to ask for, if that’s really the case) but it probably involves a small time request that could be observed sooner than the next regular CfP comes out. In fact, maybe it’s a pilot program for that bigger proposal, or some last quick observation which completes a previous dataset, or makes it more useful. Or just some timely idea to ask for. Canada has something like 20 hours per telescope per semester allocated to this mode. There were notably fewer applications than usual by Canadians for that time in the last semester; and it does not roll over. So, just a reminder to keep those good ideas coming – small or big. See: https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/ft/ft-cfp.
And coming up is the CfP for Gemini Large and Long Programs (LLPs) and Subaru Intensive Programs (SIP). These are not small ideas; instead being those bigger, more ambitious programs that may need more time than for a typical regular-semester program, or should be spread out over several semesters – or both. Brief Letters of Intent (LoI: https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/llp#Section1) are due early in February, which starts a planning exercise for considering what resources/instrument-scheduling may be needed and the organization of the review panel, prior to the actual full proposal deadline on 1 April, 2025. Note that, as I said, LLP on Gemini also means SIP on Subaru – available via the Gemini exchange-time policy – which makes that facility’s capabilities requestable by Canadians too. See the LLP CfP for more at https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/llp/.