The 2024B Gemini Observatory Call for Proposals has been released. Proposals are being accepted for observations from 1 August, 2024 to 31 January, 2025. Gemini North and Gemini South are expected to have 153 and 157 nights available for science, respectively. A new version of the Phase I Tool (PIT) has been released to support proposal submissions.
Letters of intent are now solicited for new Gemini Large and Long Proposals, to begin in semester 2024B. Letters are due by February 12 2024, and full proposals by April 1 2024.
We are pleased to present the first GHOST science observations that have been reduced with the GHOST pipeline. We are releasing the spectrum of XX Oph (Be + Red Supergiant; V= 8.59-10.2 mag) as an example to showcase the spectral range, spectral resolution, and overall quality of data that GHOST can provide in standard resolution mode (R=50000; with a total integration time of 240s, and a wavelength range of 347 to 1060nm).
GHOST has not yet been fully commissioned and information such as sensitivities is pending. For this reason GHOST is not offered as an instrument for regular science in 23B. We expect most modes to be fully commissioned late 23A, and for there to be a special Call for proposals in 23B. We will post an announcement as soon as we have more details on the special call in 23B.
After successfully assembling and testing the spectrograph and enclosure from April through June, the team was able to observe with GHOST on-sky for only two good nights at the end of June due to poor weather conditions. A few more good nights in September resulted in further commissioning progress. Presently, the team is working on improving the data deduction pipeline software and the telescope control software to remedy issues determined during these commissioning runs. These improvements are expected to be complete by early 2023.
The GHOST project commissioning has begun, with the Canadian and Australian teams able to travel to the summit following the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions. Optical bench assembly has begun, with alignment tests scheduled for late April. Twilight tests are to take place in mid-May. On-sky science commissioning is planned to take place in mid-late June, 2022.
The GHOST project continues to be on hold due to the pandemic and we do not expect to start the re-assembly and test of the instrument at Cerro Pachon this year. We are hopeful that the travel restrictions will ease in the first half of 2022 so this work can begin. In the meantime, we continue to make incremental improvements to our software and documentation, and order spare parts.
The project has been effectively on hold since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the exception being progress on software and documentation. With the reopening of the Gemini South telescope, staff is now available to move the 3 containers from the base facility to be unloaded at the summit for storage until the remainder of the GHOST parts arrive. We expect the project to take another four months to complete once the Australian and Canadian crews are able to travel to Chile for the reassembly and test of GHOST at Cerro Pachón.
In January, comprehensive testing of the spectrograph subsystems was completed yielding excellent results, e.g.
The northern hemisphere autumn saw multiple team members travel from Australia, Chile, and Hawai’i to converge on Victoria, British Columbia, at the NRC-H labs, to witness the completion of the spectrograph final assembly, and initiate acceptance testing. The Australian team bought along their science fiber optical cable and the slit viewer subassembly to be matched with the bench spectrograph for the testing.