The call for proposals for NASA Keck time in observing semester 2023B (August 1, 2023 – January 31, 2024) is now open for professional research using the NASA allocation for telescope observing time at the W.M. Keck Observatory.
The opportunity to propose as a Principal Investigator (PI) for the NASA time on the Keck Telescopes is open to all U.S.-based astronomers, i.e. those with their principal affiliation at a U.S. institution.
Application Procedure
The NASA Keck TAC uses a Dual Anonymous Proposal Review (DAPR) process. Proposers prepare two documents: an anonymized Science Program and a non-anonymized Expertise and Access document.
Highlights for 2023B:
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Mission Support Proposals:
Mission Support proposals no longer require letters of support from either the supported flight project or NASA HQ. However, if you want your proposal to be considered for Mission Support status, it must demonstrate that the proposed program meets one or more of the criteria in
Section IIb.
We have added a section in the
anonymized Science Program
template for this purpose.
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Change in Period of Exclusive Use for NASA Keck Data:
Starting with semester 2023A, the default period of exclusive use for NASA Keck data is reduced from 18 months to 12 months. Requests for extensions to this 12-month period must be included in the appropriate section of the
Expertise and Access document
and meet one or more of the criteria in
Section V.
Extensions will be approved or denied by the NASA Keck selecting official.
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Twilight Observing:
The 2023A TAC approved multisemester twilight observing programs for both telescopes through 2024B. Therefore, we will next accept twilight observing proposals in semester 2025A.
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Time Domain Astronomy and Target of Opportunity programs:
Observers can propose for both Time Domain Astronomy (cadence) and Target of Opportunity (ToO) programs. See
Section IV
for important details on cadence requests as well as the number of ToO interrupts allowed each semester.
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At-Home ("pajama mode") Observing:
Keck will continue to support up to two observers for at-home observing: one primary and one secondary observer. Click
here
for more informaiton. Note that first time observers are required to travel to WMKO for their observations if possible.
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Semester Notes and Considerations for Keck/Subaru
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Please see the
Keck instrument page
for complete information about outages with the Keck telescopes and AO systems, NIRC2, NIRSPEC/NIRSPAO, KPIC, KCWI/KCRM, LRIS, and Subaru instruments.
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There will be a 10-night shutdown of the Keck I telescope in late October.
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Keck Planet Finder (KPF)
will be available for regular use throughout the 2023B semester.
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We anticipate quarter night requests for KPF observations throughout the semester and encourage all other Keck I PIs to consider proposing for 0.75 time allocations if this is feasible for their target visibility.
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NASA does not allow its observers to apply for time on instruments that have a shared-risk status. This means that observations with KCWI/KCRM will only be accepted if scheduled for after September.
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Queue observing is preferred for the Hyper Suprime Cam on Subaru, but classical allocations are still accepted. Please check the
HSC queue mode website
for more details.
Useful Links
(last updated March 16th, 2023 09:21:11)
