A Few Ways of Acquiring Telescope Time Telescope

A Few Ways of Acquiring Telescope Time Telescope Committee Astronomical Society of New York October 23, 2009 Peter Wehinger Steward Observatory University of Arizona

Not all discoveries are made with the largest telescopes: Collaborators: Sue Wyckoff & Peter Wehinger • Titanium Isotopes in Mira – 2. 1 -m KPNO, 1973 • Discovery of H 20+ in Comet Kohoutek, 1 -m Wise, 1974 • Crab Pulsar – A high velocity star, 1 -m Wise, 1975 & 0. 9 -m Crossley (Lick), 1899 • Carbon Isotopes C 12 /C 13 in Comets, 1. 9 -m MSO, 1986 -1990 • Quasar Host Galaxies – Images & Spectra, 2. 3 -m U Hawaii, 3. 6 -m ESO, 1977 -83 This week by Geneva Obs Group – • 32 Exoplanets discovered, 2009 – ESO 3. 6 -m with HARPS

Wise Observatory, Tel-Aviv Univeristy

Mt Stromlo Observatory, Canberra, April 1986 1. 9 -m with Coude/Echelle Bruce Peterson, PW, SW

Observatory Partnerships Project Costs • MDM (1. 3 -m, 2. 3 -m) – Kitt Peak – Michigan, Dartmouth, MIT, OSU, Columbia – Cost ~ $750 K (1978), ~ $7 M (1990) • SDSS (2. 5 -m) – Apache Point – 25 institutions – Cost ~ $95 M (1998) ~ 60% software dev • Magellan (2 – 6. 5 -m) – 50%, 20, 10, 10, respectively Carnegie, Harvard, MIT, Michigan, Arizona Cost ~ $35 M, $28 M (2002) – Las Campanas • San Pedro Martir (6. 5 -m) – Baja California – UNAM, INAOE, UCB, UCSC, Arizona – Cost ~ $45 M for telescope, ~ $80 M for IR Camera

Telescope Corporations Bigger Projects – More $$$ • LBT (2 x 8. 4 -m) – 25% Each – Mt Graham Germany, Italy, Arizona, Ohio State, Research Corp. Cost ~ $130 M (2004) • GMT (7 x 8. 4 -m) - ~ 10% each – Las Campanas - Carnegie, Texas/Austin, TAMU, Arizona, Harvard, Smithsonian, ANU, AAL, KASI, others (? ) - Cost ~ $700 M (2009) • CCAT (25 -m, sub-mm) – Cerro Chajnantor – Cornell, Caltech, Colorado, Canada, UK, Germany – Cost ~ $100 M ? (2009) • LSST (8. 4 -m) – Cerro Pachon – ~ 25 members, funding private/public mixture – Cost ~ $450 M (2007)

Projects under consideration San Pedro Martir – Excellent site for large telescopes • Was first choice for LSST • Was one of three final sites for TMT Tokyo Atacama Obs (6. 5 -m) – Thermal IR Imaging & Spectra • On summit of Cerro Chajnantor (5600 m) • University of Tokyo, Institute of Astronomy • Cost ~ $80 -90 M (2009) >> funding pending • 1 -m telescope on summit since March 2009 • Install 2 -m telescope to summit early 2010

Possible Options for Access to Telescopes Near term – Buy time on existing telescopes, Examples of how others acquire telescope time – • • • Palomar 5 -m, Caltech sells ~ 20% to Cornell Arizona – sells time on suite of optical telescopes Arizona – sells time on 10 & 12 -m radio telescopes SALT 10 -m ~ AMNH, U Wisc, and others buy time GTC 10. 4 -m – UNAM, INAOE & U Florida buy time

Telescope Time at Steward Observatory ~ $/Night Rates LBT (2 x 8. 4 m) Mt Graham $90 K MMT (6. 5 m) Mt Hopkins 30 K Magellan 1 (6. 5 m) Las Campanas 35 K Magellan 2 (6. 5 m) Las Campanas 35 K 90 inch Kitt Peak 3 K 61 inch Mt Lemmon 2 K 12 m 10 m SMT Kitt Peak Mt Graham 5 K 7 K Mt Lemmon Sky Center – For Undergrads 32 inch with CCD, 20 inch with CCD or IR Imager Lodging: $50 per night, two students per room

Wise Observatory, Negev Desert, Israel

Steward Observatory Mirror Lab Casting Bay 6. 5 -m 8. 4 -m