Proposals & Updates for Time on Optical/IR Telescopes
FORMS
Time on all Optical/IR UAO telescopes is allocated in two semesters: roughly Feb-July (A) and August-January (B). Proposal deadlines are now October 1 and April 1, or a nearby date if the time falls on a weekend: See the call for proposals email. Late proposals will not be considered.
LBT proposers must also submit a 'PIT' form to LBTO by the deadline. ( https://scienceops.lbto.org/proposal-submission/ )
GTO allocations/proposals are due at Steward April 15, 2026.
INSTRUCTIONS
All proposers (general and GTO partners) should submit electronically the processed pdf version to our new proposal submission site.
Make sure to download the current proposal template file soprop.tex and class file soprop.cls, which are required to produce the pdf file that is uploaded by the electronic submission form. Your proposal will not be processed by the automated account if you use an outdated version of the template files.
NEWS & UPDATES ABOUT TELESCOPES AND INSTRUMENT
We update these notes whenever we're given new news. It's always safest to contact the PI of an instrument or someone at the observatory in question. Information is also available from the independent telescope websites.
LBT: Users must simultaneously submit a PIT form to LBTO when submitting a proposal to the UA/SO TAC (see https://scienceops.lbto.org/proposal-submission/)
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MMT: The Hecto instruments (spec and chelle) are being retired and are unavailable in 2026B or beyond.
The upgraded MMT AO system with ARIES is nominally available for shared risk observing in the 2026B semester, but prospective observers should consult with Craig Kulesa (ckulesa@arizona.edu) and Manny Montoya (omm@arizona.edu) before submitting a proposal."
SPOL: Through Steward Observatory's partnership with KASI, a new lens that has very good transmission of light down to the near-UV atmospheric cutoff at about 3200 Angstroms is now available for use in SPOL. Previously, polarimetry at wavelengths to the blue of about 4000 Angstroms had been impossible. Science programs not needing measurements of polarization at wavelengths <4500 Angstroms should still utilize the old "red" lens because of its superior throughput in the red and the fact that it is able to reach an acceptable focus over a broader wavelength range than the new "blue" lens. In addition, a new, larger aperture for imaging polarimetry has been installed in SPOL. The new aperture measures 100" x 60" at the 90" and 61" telescopes and 37" x 22" at the MMT. (Contact Paul Smith or Grant Williams for information.)
Magellan: The Magellan instrumentation suite is developing. Instruments may move ports (and telescopes) and new instruments or modes of existing instruments are evolving. Contact our SAC member (N. Smith) or people at Magellan/Carnegie with specific questions. Here are the latest updates.
A description of the instrumentation available for use on the Baade
and Clay telescopes can be found at <https://www.lco.cl>.
Note that there is an Exposure Time Calculator for the optical slit
spectrographs on Magellan (LDSS, MIKE, IMACS, and MagE). The ETC can
be found at <https://www.lco.cl/lcoastronomers/~iss/lcoetc/html/lcoetc_sspec.html>.
+ Baade: IMACS, FIRE, FourStar, and MagE.
+ Baade Rosie-IFU: ROSIE-IFU is an image-slicing IFU
module for the IMACS spectrograph. Using the IMACS f/2 camera, the unit
provides 42 (0.6 x 52 arcsec) slices covering a 26 x 52 arcsec field of
view. The unit has not been tried yet at f/4, but with the f/4 camera
the IFU should provide higher wavelength resolution (up to R~12000 at the
Calcium infrared triplet) using 30 slices with gaps that can be filled
by taking data at two positions. With either camera the wavelength coverage
must be limited to a dispersed length equivalent to 6 arcmin using a 50 mm
filter placed in front of the IFU. Additional information regarding ROSIE-IFU,
including a more detailed description, some examples of data produced by
the first parts of the data reduction pipeline, and the first pages of the
observing manual, are available on the ROSIE-IFU website
<https://sites.google.com/carnegiescience.edu/ROSIE-IFU>. ROSIE-IFU will be
offered for use on a shared-risk basis in 2026B, in collaboration with
instrument PI Steve Shectman. Interested observers should contact him
(shec@carnegiescience.edu) for further details before submitting a proposal.
+ Baade LLAMAS: LLAMAS is a fiber-fed IFU spectrograph on the Baade telescope.
Interested observers should contact the instrument PI (Rob Simcoe,
simcoe@space.mit.edu) for details. Additional information can be found at
<https://sites.mit.edu/llamas/> with updates about its current status
at <https://www.lco.cl/llamas/>, describing blue channels to be
repaired. These repairs are expected to be complete by the 2026B
semester. Google Document of the manual, with what is intended to
be the most up-to-date material on LLAMAS, can be found here
<https://tinyurl.com/LLAMASmanual>.
+ Clay f/11: LDSS3. The LDSS3 spectrograph will be available from
July 7 through October 17, and again from November 19 through December
14 in the 2026B semester.
+ Clay f/11: MIKE. MIKE will be available throughout the 2026B semester.
+ Clay f/11 PFS: PFS is a high resolution echelle spectrograph optimized for
precision radial velocity measurements. PFS is a PI instrument and will
only be available via collaborative arrangement with the instrument team.
Please read the Collaboration Agreement at <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x6R6Q1RfqTISBPscuSZTbHm6F8ukWAfKPsbgf63DA4g/edit?usp=sharing>.
If you are interested in applying for time on PFS in the 2026B semester
contact Steve Shectman (shec@carnegiescience.edu) two weeks before submitting
a proposal.
+ Clay f/11 M2FS: M2FS is a multi-fiber spectrograph with both high (17000 < R < 34000),
medium (4000 < R < 14000), and low (1500 < R < 3000) resolution modes. M2FS
can deploy up to 256 fibers over a field diameter of at the Clay NAS-E
f/11 focus. M2FS is a PI instrument and is available via collaborative
arrangement with the instrument team. The instrument cannot be used as a
purely remotely-operated instrument, but service observing modes can
usually be arranged. If you are interested in using M2FS, please contact
Mario Mateo (mmateo@umich.edu) for further details before submitting a proposal.
+ Clay f/11 IFU-M: IFUM is an IFU interface to the M2FS spectrograph. IFUM offers
three IFUs ranging in field area/spaxel size from 13x14 arcsec / 0.54 arcsec (HR),
22x24 arcsec / 1.1 arcsec (STD), and 34x35 arcsec / 1.9 arcsec (LSB). Spectral
resolution options available with M2FS (see above) are generally also available
with IFUM. IFUM will be available for general observing in the 2026B
semester as part of the process of transitioning IFUM to facility-instrument
status at Magellan. Contact Mario Mateo (mmateo@umich.edu) for further details
before submitting a proposal.
+ Clay f/5: MegaCam. MegaCam is officially retired.
+ Clay AO: MagAO-X will be offered in the 2026B semester, during a single run,
most likely occuring during the November bright run. Proposals are invited for
observations in collaboration with the MagAO-X team. Please refer to the
Instrument Use Policy here: <https://magao-x.org/docs/handbook/observers/index.html>.
Contact the MagAO-X PI, Jared Males (jrmales@.arizona.edu), before
submitting to discuss your proposal.
+ Clay f/11 WINERED: Winered is a Y- J-band echelle spectrograph with intermediate
and high resolution modes. There will be two runs in the 2026B semester,
with the first run going from mid-October through mid-November, and the second
run going from mid-December to the end of the semester on January 16. Information about
the instrument can be found at <https://merlot.kyoto-su.ac.jp/WINERED/Magellan/Public>
For additional information about instrument performance, characteristics,
and availability please contact Andy McWilliam (andy@carnegiescience.edu).
+ Clay PISCO: PISCO will not be available during the 2026B semester.
+ Clay Lightspeed: Lightspeed is a high speed, low-noise optical imager mounted at the
Clay Nasmyth east focus. There may be opportunity to collaborate with the Lightspeed
team on projects in the 2026B semester. Please contact the instrument PI, Kevin Burdge
(kburdge@mit.edu), for further details.
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90-inch
90prime: The instrument has been upgraded. Please talk to Dave Sand for details.
SPOL: Through Steward Observatory's partnership with KASI, a new lens that has very good transmission of light down to the near-UV atmospheric cutoff at about 3200 Angstroms is now available for use in SPOL. Previously, polarimetry at wavelengths to the blue of about 4000 Angstroms had been impossible. Science programs not needing measurements of polarization at wavelengths <4500 Angstroms should still utilize the old "red" lens because of its superior throughput in the red and the fact that it is able to reach an acceptable focus over a broader wavelength range than the new "blue" lens. In addition, a new, larger aperture for imaging polarimetry has been installed in SPOL. The new aperture measures 100" x 60" at the 90" and 61" telescopes and 37" x 22" at the MMT. (Contact Paul Smith or Grant Williams for information.)
Arizona Robotic Telescope Network (ARTN): Remote observing with ARTN at the 61" + Mont4K is now supported by Mtn Ops. BUT please contact Dave Sand before submitting a proposal.
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Proposals for Time on ARO Telescopes
The Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) at regular intervals solicits proposals for the 10-meter Sub-millimeter Telescope (SMT) located on Mount Graham, Arizona, and the new ALMA Prototype 12-meter Telescope (12m) located on Kitt Peak, Arizona. There will be an email call for proposals. The new ARO website is HERE.