At the beginning of July, a large-format IR array was installed in ANDICAM at the YALO telescope. The YALO facility now offers the unique capability of simultaneous optical and IR observations in a queue-scheduled mode for NOAO users. ANDICAM's IR array is a 1024 × 1024 HgCdTe device with dark current < 0.5 e-/s and read noise of about 11 e-. The field of view is about 200" × 200" with a pixel scale of 0.2"/pixel. Further details about the current IR and optical performance of ANDICAM are given in the subsequent article.
In return for providing the IR array to the YALO consortium, NOAO has negotiated a larger time share for NOAO users as well as access to Galactic Bulge observing time, which was excluded in the original agreement. As a result of these negotiations, NOAO's share has increased from 15% to 27.5% during all of the "non-Bulge time." While some Bulge time remains exclusively reserved for Ohio State's microlensing follow up program, the "sliding apportionment" defined in the table below will give NOAO users access to Bulge targets. Also, note that service/synoptic/target-of-opportunity observing is now available on the 0.9-m with unrestricted access to Bulge targets for the NOAO community (see related article in this Newsletter).
OSU Bulge time allocation on YALO*
Month OSU time
June ALL
July ALL
Aug LST < 23 hr
Sept LST < 23 hr
Oct 2 hr/night
Nov 1 hr/night
Dec NONE
Jan NONE
Feb 1/2 hr/night
Mar 1/2 hr/night
Apr 1-14 1 hr/night
Apr 15-30 2 hr/night
May 1-15 3 hr/night
May 15-31 4 hr/night
* Of the remaining time, NOAO users get 27.5% of the observing time.
This increased time-share results in fourteen equivalent nights of additional time available to NOAO users during the remainder of semester 1999B. The additional time will be allocated as Director's Discretionary (DD) time. We therefore solicit applications for DD time from November 1999-January 2000, and encourage applications via the normal proposal process for 2000A during the upcoming proposal cycle.
DD time may be requested by a letter to the CTIO Assistant Director, Alistair Walker (awalker@noao.edu) with copy to telescope scheduler Ron Probst (rprobst@noao.edu). Outline your scientific program (1-2 paragraphs) and your observing time needs. The YALO Web pages (http://www.ctio.noao.edu/yale/yale.html) can be consulted for help with observation planning. Be sure to read the guidelines for appropriate requests to this facility. DD time requests received by 30 September 1999 will be internally evaluated as a group for time assignment. Later requests will be evaluated upon receipt for any time remaining.
With the increased NOAO share and the true queue service observing in simultaneous dual optical-IR mode, the community should find YALO an even more useful and competitive facility. We are looking forward to your science proposals!
Rene Mendez (rmendez@noao.edu),
Stefanie Wachter (swachter@noao.edu)