NOAO > Observing Info > Proposals > MMT Community Access

Community Access to the 6.5-m Telescope of the MMT Observatory

A significant amount of observing time on the 6.5 m telescope of the MMT Observatory is available to the astronomical community through the NOAO proposal process. Under the current agreement, we expect time to be available through at least 2010B.

This Public Access time is distributed over the phases of the moon and the seasons of the year in the same proportion as the scientific observations scheduled for the staffs of the MMT Observatory's parent institutions, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Steward Observatory. Roughly 20 nights per year are being allocated for national access, although the actual number of nights available in a given year has varied.

Time Available in 2009A

Fourteen nights of classically scheduled oberving time will be available for new community-access programs during the NOAO 2009A semester. Proposals that make use of bright time observations are particularly encouraged, as previous allocations have disproportionally used dark and grey time.

Instrumentation

The facility instruments available include a pair of low-to-moderate resolution spectrometers. In addition, several "PI instruments" will be provisionally available. These can only be used in collaboration with the instrument's principal investigator. Anyone who wishes to use a PI instrument must consult with the instrument PI, and the instrument PI must submit a letter of approval and consent to noaoprop-letter@noao.edu to be attached to the proposal.

Current information on MMT instruments available through the Public Access Program will be maintained by the MMT Observatory. A list of the instruments available for this next semester is also available from the NOAO Coordinated Facilities page.

Applying for Public Access Time on the MMT

Visiting observers may apply for time through the NOAO proposal process. Proposals will be reviewed by the NOAO TAC, and those approved will be forwarded to the MMT for scheduling.

Investigators may request telescope time on any or all nighttime facilities available through NOAO, including the MMT, in a single proposal.

Note that, while the NOAO TAC will meet on a semester basis, the 6.5-m telescope is scheduled trimesterly (Jan through April, May through August, and September through December). All proposals submitted for a given semester will be reviewed at the same time, but the scheduling of those projects approved for observing time will not all happen shortly thereafter. Note also that the month of August is traditionally reserved for major telescope maintenance projects.

Procedures and forms for applying for telescope time can be obtained at http://www.noao.edu/noaoprop/noaoprop.html.

Additional Information

Approximately 20% more proposals than can be scheduled will be forwarded to the MMT by the TAC. The Directors of NOAO and the MMTO (or their designees) will then determine which proposals will actually be scheduled taking into account such constraints as technical feasibility, overall suitability for the MMT, block scheduling, conflicts in requested dates, etc.

Letizia Stanghellini will serve as staff contact for investigators planning proposals for observing at the MMT. Please direct proposal questions specific to the MMT telescope and its instruments directly to her at mmt@noao.edu.

In the case of approved proposals that are substantially similar in experimental design and scientific goals to projects that are already underway at SAO or UAO, priority will be given to the staffs of the host institutions.

Because of the limited support provided by the MMTO, access to the telescope will be restricted to those who have

some experience in observing with large (i.e. >3-m) telescopes;
general familiarity with the type of instrument they will be using; and
some expertise with IRAF (used for data acquisition at the MMT).

All observing will be carried out in classical mode. Observers will normally be expected to arrive one night early to become familiar with the MMT environment by watching the previous observer.

Observers will be responsible for following the general policies for FLWO visitors, including covering charges for their stay in the dormitories, for bringing magnetic media for data storage, and for providing and cooking their own food.

All data obtained under this program may be placed in NOAO's data archives and made publicly available under the same ground rules as data obtained at NOAO telescopes.

Publications resulting from observations obtained through this Public Access program should include the following as a footnote on the title page: "The observations reported here were obtained [in part] at the MMT Observatory, a facility operated jointly by the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Arizona. Public Access time is available at the MMT Observatory through an agreement with the National Science Foundation."

NOAO is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc. under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.
Last updated Sep 2 2008

NOAO > Observing Info > Proposals > MMT Community Access

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