James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes

Ground-based telescopes are important instruments for astronomers to study the universe. These telescopes are often located at remote sites at high altitude to decrease influence of the surroundings and the atmosphere. Since observing time on telescopes is limited, the available time is allocated to the best research proposals. This call encourages astronomers to apply for observing time for the ING optical telescopes on La Palma (Spain) and the JCMT on Mauna Kea (Hawaii).

Who can apply

Researchers in astronomy with a Dutch affiliation.

What can be applied for

Dutch observing time for the optical telescopes of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING) on La Palma (Spain) and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) on Mauna Kea (Hawaii). The available time is ± 45 nights on the INT, ± 45 nights on the WHT, and ± 150 hours on the JCMT.

When can be applied

• Closing date for submission of proposals for observing time in semester 2011A is Wednesday 15 September 2010, 22:30 CET (21:30 UTC).

This semester runs from 1 February 2011 to 31 July 2011. The exact date of the next (half-yearly) round will be published as soon as possible.

Extra Information

The ING consists of the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) and the 2.5 m Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). They are situated near the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma (Spain).

The JCMT, which is 15 m in diameter, is the largest facility in the world that is specially designed for the sub-mm spectral area. It is built near the summit of the Mauna Kea (Hawaii) at an altitude of 4,092 m.

Criteria

At every proposal round, the GBE PC members are faced with the difficult task to read and rank proposals from many different fields of research. Proposal writers must realize that most members of the GBE PC are not working in their field. Hence the necessary background needs to be given and the general relevance of the science question needs to be clearly formulated. Furthermore, it needs to be explained how the requested data will answer the relevant science question.

This is obviously not an easy task within the 2-page limit, but all proposers have to conform to the same format. It will generally pay off to reserve enough time before the deadline to prepare a concise and clear justification. The page limits will be strictly enforced and proposals written in fonts smaller than 11pt will not be considered.

Also, please fill in all the entries on the web forms. If they don't apply to your proposal, please state so.

Procedure

On the ING facilities the GBE PC can only allocate the Dutch time. International proposals can be submitted through the GBE PC, but they will be judged by a different committee.

On the JCMT, the GBE PC can only allocate the Dutch time. International proposals should be submitted through the international TAC (accessible through the JCMT NorthStar website). Please notice that the international JCMT TAC will reject proposals with Co-I's from countries participating in the JCMT. Such proposals should be submitted through the national allocation committees. Similarly, proposals without NL Co-I's or PIs will not be accepted by the NL PC.

We especially encourage ambitious proposals for the worst weather conditions, grades 4 and 5, which are generally undersubscribed.

Proposals can only be submitted electronically through the NorthStar tools. No email submissions can and will be accepted.

• Submission for ING: http://ing.proposal.astron.nl
• Submission for JCMT: http://hokuakau.jach.hawaii.edu/

First time users of the web proposal submission tool, NorthStar, should take note of this Instruction Link. Instructions on justification file format must be strictly observed. More information and help on this proposal website and the submission procedure can also be found at that same address. NorthStar is continuously open for access.

In general you will be informed by the telescope organisation about the success of your proposal in about 3 months after submission. At the same time you should also receive feedback from the PC.

More information about the procedure can be found on:

• www.ing.iac.es/Astronomy/observing/INGinfo_home.html
• www.jach.hawaii.edu/JCMT/observing/calls

Committees

The Program Committee of the Gebiedsbestuur Exacte Wetenschappen (GBE) of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) handles proposals for Dutch observing time at the island observatories to which the Netherlands has access: the INT, WHT and JCMT.

The current GBE PC chairman is: Dr. P.G. Jonker, SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, High Energy Astrophysics Div-HEA, Sorbonnelaan 2, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands, p.jonker@sron.nl

Financiers

NWO Division for Physical Sciences

Contacts

• Ms dr. R. (Rosalie) .L.M. Teeuwen
  phone: +31 (0)70 349 44 34, e-mail: r.teeuwen@nwo.nl

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