NOAO and the O/IR System
NOAO and the US OIR System, a White Paper written for the Astro2010 Decadal Survey.
A list of links to additional Science and State of the Profession White Papers authored by NOAO Staff.
A network of public and private observatories allied for excellence in scientific research, education and public outreach.
The System enables experimentation and exploration throughout the observable Universe for all scientists through peer-review regardless of who they are or where they work.
Description
System origins
The concept of a NSF-supported optical-infrared (O/IR) astronomy base program was first articulated by the 2001 Decadal Survey report and affirmed by the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences Senior Review Committee in 2006. Moreover, the 2006 Senior Review asserted that this NSF base program should be led by NOAO. Within the US community-at-large, this base program has become known as the System.
“U.S. ground-based optical and infrared facilities...should...be viewed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the astronomical community as a single integrated system drawing on both federal and nonfederal funding sources. Effective national organizations are essential to coordinate, and to ensure the success and efficiency of, these systems. Universities and independent observatories should work with the national organizations to ensure the success of these systems.”
—Astronomy and Astrophysics for the Millenium, Executive Summary
“ The [NSF] Optical-Infrared Astronomy Base program should be led by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. It should deliver community access to an optimized suite of high performance telescopes of all apertures through Gemini time allocation, management of the Telescope System Instrumentation Program and operation of existing or possibly new telescopes at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in the south and Kitt Peak National Observatory or elsewhere in the north. The balance of investment within the Base Program should be determined by the comparative quality and promise of the proposed science. In addition, there should be ongoing support of technology development at independent observatories through the Adaptive Optics Development and the Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation Programs. ”
—From the Ground Up: Balancing the NSF Astronomy Program, Executive Summary
In essence, NOAO facilities are the backbone around which the rest of the open-access System is organized. In preparation of the next Decadal Survey, a community-based committee has been charged to study NOAO and the Future of the O/IR System (January, February 2009). One important task for this committee is to help NOAO synthesize the ReSTAR and ALTAIR recommendations into a coherent NOAO and System development roadmap. That roadmap must also recognize the extension of the current System to include potential next generation US O/IR facilities as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).
System facilities
Community-access available via NOAO observing proposals
- W.M. Keck Observatory (Keck-I 10-m, Keck-II 10-m)
- Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) (2 x 8.4-m) (planned availability in 2010)
- International Gemini Observatory (Gemini-North 8.2-m, Gemini-South 8.2-m)
- Magellan Observatory (Baade 6.5-m, Clay 6.5-m)
- MMT (6.5-m)
- Southern Observatory for Astrophysical Research (SOAR) (4.2-m)
- NOAO Kitt Peak National Observatory (Mayall 4-m, 2.1-m)
- NOAO Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory (Blanco 4-m)
- Wisconsin-Indiana-Yale-NOAO (WIYN) (0.9-m, 3.5-m)
- Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System (SMARTS) (0.9-m, 1.3-m, 1.5-m)
Community-access available via other access points
- W.M. Keck Observatory (Keck-I 10-m, Keck-II 10-m) (NASA access point)
- NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) (3.0-m) (IRTF access point)
- Program for Research and Education with Small Telescopes (PREST) (various 0.5-m to 1.8-m)
No current community access
- Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) (9.2-m)
- Palomar Hale (5-m)
- Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) (3.7-m)
- Astrophysics Research Consortium (ARC) (3.5-m)
- UCO/Lick Observatory Shane (3-m)
Major US-led facilities under development (selected)
- Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO)
- Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
- Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS)
- Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)
- Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)
System development activities
New System Capabilities
System technology development programs
System capability definition meetings and committees
- Community workshop 1 (October 2000)
- Community workshop 2 (May 2004)
- Community workshop 3 (November 2006)
- Science with Giant Telescopes: Public Participation in TMT and GMT (June 2008)
- ReSTAR, Renewing Small Telescopes for Astronomical Research (2 - 5-m class facilities)
- ALTAIR, Access to Large Telescopes for Astronomical Instruction and Research (6 - 10-m class facilities)
- Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope Science Working Group (GSMT SWG) (20m and larger)
- NOAO and the Future of the O/IR System (January, February 2009)
Updated: 10 December 2008 (DS4)
NOAO is the national center for ground-based nighttime astronomy in the United States and is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. If you would like information about solar astronomy, visit the National Solar Observatory. If you would like information about radio astronomy, visit the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.