Overview
Time available on each of Gemini North and South is distributed according to the Observatory participants' shares. Engineering time is reserved each semester; this includes engineering time in the queue, instrument performance monitoring, engineering time to accommodate visiting instrumentation, and instrument commissioning. Any unused engineering time is returned to science. The science time includes time used for all observing modes, including standard semester programs (this call), limited-term partner (LTP) programs, Large and Long programs, Fast Turnaround programs, and Director's Discretionary time. The estimated time available for each participant and host institution is shown below.
Gemini North 2023B
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22.0 nights (11.9%) are reserved for engineering: 11 nights to perform maintenance, 5 nights for on-sky testing of the new Observatory software system, the Gemini Program Platform, 1 night for testing a polarimeter, and 5 nights for IGRINS-2 commissioning.
- 162.5 nights have been made available for science, which amounts to 88.1% of the total time available.
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The science time in 2023B also includes:
- 8.1 nights for DD time,
- 15.7 nights for the host institution (Univ. of Hawaii),
- 4.0 nights for the CFHT community, for use of Guaranteed Time in exchange for GRACES,
- 3.75 nights for the MAROON-X instrument team, in exchange for community use of MAROON-X.
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The Table below shows the distribution of the time available per participant.
| Participant | Estimated Science Time Available (hours) | Time Reserved for Fast Turnaround programs (hours) [A] | Time Reserved for Large and Long Programs (hours) [B] | Estimated Time Available for this Call (hours) [C] |
| US | 887.0 | 93.5 | 120.0* | 663.5 |
| Canada | 233.7 | 24.6 | 18.0 | 206.1 |
| Argentina | 26.3 | 2.2 | 0 | 24.0 |
| Brazil | 84.0 | 8.9 | 0 | 75.2 |
| Korea | 90.6 | 5.7 | 0 | 84.9 |
| Univ. of Hawaii (host) | 154.8 | 7.7 | 0 | 157.0 |
[A] - Up to 10% of the available time is contributed by all participants and the host institution (University of Hawaii) to the Fast Turnaround program.
[B] - Up to 20% of the available time is contributed by the United States, and Canada, to Large and Long Programs.
[C] - As this time also includes weather loss and time lost to faults, approximately 80% of this time is allocated to programs during the ITAC process, distributed across Bands 1, 2 and 3.
* This time includes other US long-term programs.
Gemini South 2023B
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43.0 nights (23.4%) are reserved for engineering: 30 nights of shutdown to recoat the primary mirror and perform other maintenance, 7 nights for other routine engineering, 5 nights for on-sky testing of the new Observatory software system, the Gemini Program Platform, and one night for testing of Flamingos2 with GEMS.
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140.5 nights have been made available for science, which amounts to 76.6% of the total time available.
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The science time also includes:
- 6.6 nights for DD time,
- 12.6 nights for host institution (Chile)
- 3.0 nights for CFHT community, for use of guaranteed time in exchange for GRACES,
- 11.4 nights for instrument-related guaranteed time,
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The Table below shows the distribution of the time available per participant.
| Participant | Estimated Science Time Available (hours) | Time Reserved for Fast Turnaround programs (hours) [A]* | Time Reserved for Large and Long Programs (hours) [B] | Estimated Time Available for this Call (hours) [C] |
| US | 722.6 | 76.2 | 141.0 | 497.4 |
| Canada | 190.4 | 20.1 | 34.0 | 151.3 |
| Argentina | 21.4 | 1.8 | 0 | 19.6 |
| Brazil | 68.5 | 7.2 | 0 | 61.2 |
| Korea | 73.8 | 4.7 | 0 | 69.1 |
| Chile (host) | 119.8 | 6.3* | 0 | 126.1 |
*At Gemini South, the Fast Turnaround (FT) time in the second half of the semester is expected to be used for a special call for GHOST proposals only. Chilean FT time is reserved for this special call.
[A] - Up to 10% of the available time is contributed by all participants, not including the host institution (Chile), to the Fast Turnaround program.
[B] - Up to 20% of the available time is contributed by the United States, and Canada, to Large and Long Programs.
[C] - As this time also includes weather loss and time lost to faults, approximately 80% of this time is allocated to programs during the ITAC process, distributed across Bands 1, 2 and 3.