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South African Astronomical Observatory
Observing at SAAO

SAAO Observing Rota 2005

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December,
IRSF Rota

This page provides links to the master copy of the observing rota for Sutherland.

The instrument shown in the rota will be the standard configuration (see the Facilities Manual for further details). If something other than the normal instrumental configuration is required, then send a text file which describes your requirements to, observer@saao.ac.za. This could include the filter set to be used, CCD type, or anything else which differs from the standard configuration. The information you send will be linked to the record of your observing run on the rota.

The observing rota for Sutherland is compiled every quarter. Remember to check this schedule for possible changes which may affect your observing run. If you want to make changes to your observing request, contact observer@saao.ac.za.

Observing Records

If awarded time, you should download a copy of the Observing Record to fill in whilst you observe.

Completed Observing Records (together with a copy tape and log sheets, in the case of spectroscopic data) should be handed in to Di Cooper in Cape Town at the end of your run. If you have any difficulties, please contact Di.

Applying for Observing Time at SAAO

The SAAO facilities are available to professional astronomers from anywhere in the world who wish to observe. If you are interested in using our telescopes and instruments (or wish to bring your own instrument), you should start by reading about the facilities that are presently available. Then you should complete an application form and e-mail it to observer@saao.ac.za.

SAAO Telescope Time from QIII, 2005 onwards

  1. Night assistants will no longer be available for the 1.9-m telescope.

  2. It is becoming increasingly difficult to provide the resources for starting off visitors on the smaller telescopes. It might therefore be necessary for visitors unfamiliar with a telescope or instrument to arrive at Sutherland in sufficient time to be able to spend time (e.g. 1-2 days) overlapping with the previous week's observer. Visitors with reasonable experience of the telescope/instrument will be expected to start by themselves. If you have time or are awarded time, please liaise with the SAAO staff member responsible for your run on this issue.

  3. It is becoming increasingly difficult - because of technical staff involvement with SALT - to carry out the frequent instrument changes that have been possible in the past. We are consequently now adopting a policy of minimising instrument changes. It is therefore likely that the "majority" instrument requested on a given telescope (in a given quarter) will be favoured and the use of other instruments will be minimised.

    A result of this policy is that some instruments - such as the SAAO CCD or the CCD spectrograph - might be on the telescope for many weeks. This means that at some stage, the dewar vacuums will need to be repumped and this could result in some loss of observing time.

    We are not yet at the stage of a "dedicated" instrument for each telescope but it is clear that flexibility will be reduced and good applications might not get time. This is undesirable but unavoidable in the circumstances.

  4. Currently technical staff are covering faults and breakdowns at night, and we expect this to continue, but please exercise discretion in calling out staff. However, SALT technical work takes precedence, and there may be delays in responding to problems on the smaller telescopes.

  5. Disruption to observing might well occur in early November around the time of the SALT Inauguration ceremony. Our intention is to offer ONLY the 1.9-m and 1.0-m telescopes during the week of Nov 8-14. The 0.75-m and 0.50-m telescopes will not be available during that week.

  6. For at least the remainder of 2005 - and possibly longer - there will be significant strain on the accommodation at Sutherland and on the transport to and from Sutherland. Visitors are therefore requested to plan for only one observer for a given run.

    It is accepted that there are instances where more than one observer is desirable (e.g. training of graduate students). If you feel you have such a case, please discuss this with Dave Kilkenny well before your run, who will present this request to the Director.

    D Kilkenny
    14 July 2005

    Opening and Closing Deadlines for Observing Applications

    See the Facilities Manual for details of available facilities at SAAO.

    Standard Configuration for Instruments

    Click on the appropiate instrument to view the standard configuration. If this is not appropriate to your requirements, please contact the person in charge of the instrument.

    Instrument Contact Person
    1.9-m Grating Spectrograph Dave Kilkenny
    1.9-m CCD Camera & Focal Reducer John Menzies
    1.0-m CCD Camera John Menzies
    UCT CCD Camera Darragh O'Donoghue
    0.75-m Mark II Infrared Photometer Patricia Whitelock
    UCT Photometer/Polarimeter Steve Potter
    0.5-m Modular Photometer Dave Kilkenny

    South African Astronomical Observatory

    Postal address: PO Box 9, Observatory, 7935, South Africa
    Street address: Observatory Road, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
    Tel: (021) 447-0025 / Fax: (021) 447-3639
    http://www.saao.ac.za

    22 July 2005