--> Semester 2013A Time Distribution | Gemini Observatory

Change page style: 

Semester 2013A Time Distribution

You are here

Gemini North: Time Availability and Distribution

A minimum of 88% of the time will be available for science use on Gemini North in 2013A. This amounts to 160 nights and includes a 7% Director's Discretionary Time allocation, 1 night for instrument performance monitoring, and 4 nights for GRACES commissioning using community targets. The Director's Discretionary Time is divided into a maximum 5% share for use by staff (which is open for joint proposals with the partners), and a minimum 2% share available to all astronomers through the Director's Discretionary Time proposal process throughout the semester. The non-science time will be used for observatory maintenance tasks and commissioning of GRACES. Any unused engineering time will be returned to science. Note that historically around 5% of each semester's science time is used to complete highly ranked programs from the previous two semesters to which the ITAC granted rollover status. The number of hours available to each partner and the host in 2013A is given in the following table. The numbers take into account corrections for prior imbalances.

Partner Estimated Hours Available
US 840
Canada 259
Australia 107
Brazil 87
Argentina 49
Univ. of Hawaii (host)
126

Gemini South: Time Availability and Distribution

A minimum of 81% of the time will be available for science use on Gemini South in 2013A. This amounts to 146 nights, which include 12 nights of System Verification for FLAMINGOS-2, a 7% of Director's Discretionary Time allocation and 1 night for instrument performance monitoring. The Director's Discretionary Time is divided into a maximum 5% share for use by staff (which is open for joint proposals with the partners), and a minimum 2% share available to all astronomers through the Director's Discretionary Time proposal process throughout the semester. The non-science time will be used for observatory maintenance tasks, FLAMINGOS-2 re-commissioning, GeMS laser engineering and possibly GPI early commissioning. Any unused engineering time will be returned to science. Note that historically around 5% of each semester's science time is used to complete highly ranked programs from the previous two semesters to which the ITAC granted rollover status. The number of hours available to each partner and the host in 2013A is given in the following table. The numbers take into account corrections for prior imbalances.

Partner Estimated Hours Available
US 707
Canada 218
Australia 91
Brazil 73
Argentina 42
Chile (host) 127

Time Adjustments

To maintain overall balance amongst the partnership, the values shown above for both Gemini North and South have been adjusted from the nominal partner shares as a result of actual time charged through 2012A. The values shown in the tables above were recommended by the Operations Working Group in August 2012. The number of nights is approximated by int(hours/10).



Gemini Observatory Participants