Related papers: The NOAO Mid-Scale Observatories
The DSN Transient Observatory (DTO) is a signal processing facility that can monitor up to four DSN downlink bands for astronomically interesting signals. The monitoring is done commensally with reception of deep space mission telemetry.…
The new SAI MSU observatory 2.5-meter telescope and capabilities of its current instrumentation are described. The facility operates actively since 2014 in parallel to the engineering works. It has delivered a number of prominent results in…
We imagine that large neutrino telescopes will be built and that distant neutrino sources of high energies and fluxes exist. Some possible, if difficult, uses to which they might be put are described; including (i) detecting neutrino…
The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) is a ground-based observatory that will improve upon the sensitivities of the current generation of very-high-energy gamma-ray instruments. The Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) is a…
Motivated by the increasing need for observational resources for the study of time varying astronomy, the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) is a private foundation, whose goal is to build a global network of robotic…
The SOUL project is upgrading the 4 SCAO systems of LBT, pushing the current guide star limits of about 2 magnitudes fainter thanks to Electron Multiplied CCD detector. This improvement will open the NGS SCAO correction to a wider number of…
The operation of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) marks a transformative moment in humanity's capacity to detect and characterize interstellar objects (ISOs). With projections indicating an increase…
RNO is the mid-scale discovery instrument designed to make the first observation of neutrinos from the cosmos at extreme energies, with sensitivity well beyond current instrument capabilities. This new observatory will be the largest…
Interstellar object (ISO) astronomy has rapidly emerged over the past decade as a new frontier in planetary astrophysics, yet current observations remain limited by short visibility windows, inference degeneracies and fragmented follow-up…
We present a study on the discoverability of temporarily captured orbiters (TCOs) by present day or near-term anticipated ground-based and space-based facilities. TCOs (Granvik et al. 2012) are potential targets for spacecraft ren- dezvous…
The National Academy of Science Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee, in its new Decadal survey entitled Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium, recommends, as a first priority, the establishment of a National Virtual…
We follow the history of the US National Gemini Office from its origin when the US National New Technology Telescope was reshaped into two 8m telescopes for the International Gemini Observatory. The development of the office in the decade…
An overview of the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) is presented. Emphasis is on current capabilities of direct interest to the scientific user community, including instruments. Educational services and prospects and strategies for the future…
Understanding of star formation in the Universe is advancing through submillimeter-wave observations of the Milky Way and other galaxies. Technological constraints on such observations require a mixture of telescope sizes and observational…
The CHIRON spectrometer is a new high-resolution, fiber-fed instrument on the 1.5 meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-America Observatory (CTIO). To optimize use of the instrument and limited human resources, we have designed an…
The Simons Observatory (SO) is a new cosmic microwave background experiment being built on Cerro Toco in Chile, due to begin observations in the early 2020s. We describe the scientific goals of the experiment, motivate the design, and…
We review astronomical results in the visible (lambda <1 micron) with adaptive optics and note the status the MagAO system and the recent upgrade to visible camera's Simultaneous/Spectra Differential Imager (SDI to SDI+) mode. Since…
The Southern Wide-field Gamma-ray Observatory (SWGO) Collaboration is currently engaged in design and prototyping work towards the realisation of this future gamma-ray facility. SWGO will complement CTA and the existing ground-particle…
In 2006 I published an article in GeminiFocus that examined funding for astronomical adaptive optics related technology and instrumentation in the United States from 1995 through mid-2006. That article concluded that based on projections…
A comprehensive description of ESO in the current global astronomical context, and its plans for the next decade and beyond, are presented. This survey covers all aspects of the Organisation, including the optical-infrared programme at the…