Search the AusGO:
Public Links
Astronomer Links

Australian Access to the Magellan Telescopes

Proposals for Australian Magellan time in Semester 2012A have now closed. We will begin accepting proposals for Semester 2012B early in March 2012.

Submitting a Proposal

The Australian Gemini Office is using a new system for the online submission of Magellan proposals, similar to the AAT proposal submission system. LaTeX proposal forms will no longer be accepted. Proposal preparation now uses a web-based form to complete the cover sheet, followed by uploading of a separate science case and a target list as PDF files.

If you or any of your collaborators have not previously applied for Magellan or Gemini time, you will need to contact us in advance (ausgo -@- aao.gov.au) so as to have them added to our database of registered users. Even if you are registered for AAT proposals, you may need to register with us to submit a Magellan proposal. Please check the pull-down menus of known investigators and institutions now, and let us know if you need to have names added.

Instructions on how to go about preparing, previewing, and submitting your proposal, and a link to the form itself are available here.

Magellan Instrumentation

An overview and documentation for current Magellan instrumentation can be found at the LCO Magellan page. More information, including new instruments for Magellan, can be found on the Magellan Technical pages and in David Osip's presentation to the 2009 Astronomical Society of Australia meeting.

Instruments Available in Semester 2012A

Note that the two f/5 instruments (Megacam and MMIRS) will be scheduled for a 6-8 week block in late-March/April 2012 and proposals should be for this period only. First- or second-half nights only may be requested, but scheduling will be dependent on identifying a suitable program from Australia or a Magellan partner which can use the remainder of each night. During the f/5 run none of the other Clay instruments (MIKE, MagE, LDSS3) will be available. The CfA f/5 instrument teams have committed to keep the instruments at Magellan as long as the scientific interest remains and they have explicitly asked that those considering long-term programs please do so.

Available Time

Australia will notionally have eight nights total on Magellan to allocate in Semester 2012A. The exact nights, and the split between telescopes and dark/grey/bright time will be decided after ATAC has met, in negotiation with the Magellan Scheduler. Once the time assignment commmittees of all the Magellan partners have met, some horse-trading may become necessary as we all try to get the nights that best suit the science of our highest ranked proposals. So please note in your proposal both your ideal conditions/set-up, and fall-back options, so that we can do this trading in an informed way.

Note that this is "classical" observing time - someone will need to go to the telescope to carry out the observations. At least one of the people going to the telescope should be an experienced observer, as only limited technical support is provided by Las Campanas Observatory. You will need to arrive early to familiarise yourself with the telescopes and instruments. As this time is classical, we impose a two-night minimum length on time requests. Shorter proposals will only be considered if you team up with another proposal (possibly with another Magellan partner) to share the observing and meet the minimum length requirement. ATAC welcomes more ambitious Magellan proposals seeking substantial fractions of Australian time, as well as large programs seeking time jointly with other Magellan partners.

Traveling to Chile

The ANSTO-run Access to Major Research Facilities Program (AMRFP) which has paid for international observing travel for a number of years has now ended, as has the NCRIS program which paid for observer travel in Semester 2011B. As the agency charged with ensuring that Australian users of Magellan (and users of Gemini in classical mode) are able to make the most of that opportunity the AAO will, starting in 2012A, reimburse the costs of necessary observer travel to Magellan or Gemini from its own budget.

The following policies will apply to the reimbursement of observer travel expenses:

  1. The observer must be affiliated with an Australian university or research organisation.
  2. The AAO will pay the costs for one qualified observer per scheduled program. If a student is PI on the scheduled proposal, and has had no prior Magellan observing experience, then the AAO will pay the costs for both the student and their supervisor (or a suitably qualified designate) as Magellan require that observers will be experienced and self-sufficient. Observers who wish to bring a student along with them for the experience are welcome to do so, but in that case the AAO will not pay for any costs incurred by the student.
  3. The AAO will reimburse the cost of lowest available economy-class airfares from the observer's home city in Australia to La Serena; hotel/motel expenses in Sydney, Santiago, or La Serena; meals and incidentals; transport to/from airports in Australia and Chile; room, board, and transport costs at Las Campanas Observatory; and reasonable expenses associated with this travel (e.g. visa reciprocity fee, costs of cutting slit masks, etc.).
  4. To be eligible for reimbursement, the observer (and their supervisor if they are a student) must provide fare quotes for approval by the Australian Gemini Office (ausgo -@- aao.gov.au) prior to purchasing their tickets. The AAO reserves the right not to reimburse the full cost of items it considers unreasonable, or not associated with observing travel.
  5. The AAO will reimburse the observer's institution on receipt of an invoice addressed to the Australian Gemini Office, together with copies of receipts for all costs being claimed. The GST component of costs incurred within Australia may be claimed (no GST is payable on costs incurred in Chile or on international airfares); however an institution may not claim an additional 10% GST component on top of the total GST-inclusive costs. Reimbursement will also be contingent upon confirmation from the Las Campanas Observatory that an observing run report form has been completed.

Indicative costs are:

We strongly recommend observers purchase the local part of the trip in conjunction with the international part. If some delay occurs (and they often do!), LAN should take care of rearranging flights, overnight hotel in Santiago, etc. LCO provides each visitor with a detailed receipt. You will be expected to pay costs before departure from Las Campanas and La Serena. Payment can be made in cash or by credit card. See the LCO Visiting Observer Guide.

Reciprocity fee: Citizens of Australia, the USA, and Canada are required to pay a "reciprocity fee" on arrival at Santiago airport prior to passport control. This fee ranges from US$61 for Australians, to more than US$130 for US and Canadian citizens, and must be paid in US cash. Once paid it is valid for the lifetime of your passport. Please check with the Chilean Embassy in Australia for the current fee and payment arrangements.

WARNING! If you travel to Chile on LAN via Auckland, you may be required to obtain a transit visa for New Zealand, even if you are not planning to leave the departure gate area. Australian citizens and permanent residents do not require a transit visa, nor do citizens of countries for which a visa waiver applies. Please check visa requirements before departure, or else you may not be allowed to board the flight in Sydney and you risk missing your observing run altogether.

Background

In 2006, the Australian Astronomy Board of Management used funds from the Major National Research Facilities scheme (the predecessor of NCRIS) to purchase 30 nights of time (7 or 8 nights each semester) at the twin Magellan 6.5m telescopes in Chile in calendar years 2007 and 2008. The Magellan instruments provide complementary capabilities to Gemini instruments; a comprehensive overview of the various instruments, available modes, detectors, wavelength ranges, etc. is available. These nights are available to all Australian astronomers through the Australian Time Assignment Committee (ATAC). Astronomy Australia Ltd (AAL) and the Magellan Council agreed to extend the 15 nights per year access arrangement, in concert with the Magellan Fellowship program, through to mid-2011 using ANSOC funds. AAL and the Carnegie Institution for Science have now signed a further extension of this agreement through until mid-2013 (but without the Magellan Fellowship component) by using unspent Aspen instrumentation funds and drawing down part of the Overseas Optical Reserve.

Previous Magellan Time Allocations

Magellan Telescope schedules

2012A:

2011B: 2011A: 2010B: 2010A: 2009B: 2009A: 2008B: 2008A: 2007B: 2007A:

Need Help?

For general enquiries concerning Australian access to Magellan, please contact the Australian Gemini Office (ausgo -@- aao.gov.au). For specific questions regarding the Magellan instrumentation, please contact the Australian-funded Magellan Fellows directly, at magfellows -@- lco.cl.

Australian Gemini Office, ausgo -@- aao.gov.au