General Announcements

OCTOCAM, a next generation astronomical instrument for Gemini South has a new name: SCORPIO.

Gemini Observatory announces Dr. Massimo Robberto of Space Telescope Science Institute and Johns Hopkins University as the new OCTOCAM Principal Investigator (PI). OCTOCAM is a next-generation astronomical instrument designed for the 8-meter Gemini South telescope in Chile.

Early registration for the Science and Evolution of Gemini Observatory meeting is now open.

Register for special early-bird $435 rate!

On December 11th, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the Gemini Observatory appointed Dr. Alexander van der Horst of George Washington University as the Interim Principal Investigator (PI) for Gen 4#3 (referenced as OCTOCAM), a next-generation astronomical instrument designed for the 8-meter Gemini South telescope in Chile. SwRI is the prime contractor with Gemini for the instrument.

The Gemini Observatory consists of two 8-meter telescopes; one located on Maunakea in Hawaii, USA (Gemini North), the other on Cerro Pachón, Chile (Gemini South). The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) is the managing organization of the Gemini Observatory under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF). Gemini Observatory Participant nations are the United States of America, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. For more information, visit the Gemini Observatory website at www.gemini.edu.

Gemini is committed to providing our community a continually enhanced instrumentation suite. Gemini’s development program will provide funding to upgrade existing operational instrumentation to create new instrument capabilities at the Gemini North and/or Gemini South telescopes. The Observatory is seeking community-created, science-driven instrumentation upgrade proposals, and will consider any area that fits the set of IUP requirements provide in the RFP.