Related papers: The NOAO Mid-Scale Observatories

In this paper, we are going to introduce the Kottamia Astronomical Observatory, KAO, to the astronomical community. The current status of the telescope together with the available instrumentations is described. An upgrade stage including a…

First multi-conjugate adaptive-optical (MCAO) systems are currently being installed on solar telescopes. The aim of these systems is to increase the corrected field-of-view with respect to conventional adaptive optics. However, this first…

AST/RO, a 1.7 m diameter telescope for astronomy and aeronomy studies at wavelengths between 200 and 2000 microns, was installed at the South Pole during the 1994-1995 Austral summer. The telescope operates continuously through the Austral…

The Gemini North Adaptive Optics (GNAO) facility is the upcoming AO facility for Gemini North providing a state-of-the-art AO system for surveys and time domain science in the era of JWST and Rubin operations. GNAO will be optimized to feed…

This paper outlines the scientific goals and observational strategies of the Mini-SiTian array. Mounted at Xinglong Observatory, the Mini-SiTian array consists of three 30 cm telescopes and has been in operation since 2022. The large field…

Proposed next-generation networks of gravitational-wave observatories include dedicated kilohertz instruments that target neutron star science, such as the proposed Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory, NEMO. The original proposal for…

This article is a sort of sequel of the earlier extensive review by Saha (1999a) where emphasis was laid down on the ground based single aperture, as well as on the working long baseline optical interferometers (LBI) situated at the various…

We give an overview of the current and future IFU capabilities on the Gemini 8-m telescopes. The telescopes are well-suited to integral field spectroscopy and both telescopes will have optical and near-infrared IFUs within the next few…

A new concept, the spherical TPC, presents unique advantages when low energy neutrinos are to be detected. Some of the applications are: a) observation of the e oscillation when emitted by a tritium source (<E e > = 14 keV) in a 10 m radius…

Mesoscale model such as Meso-Nh have proven to be highly reliable in reproducing 3D maps of optical turbulence (see Refs. 1, 2, 3, 4) above mid-latitude astronomical sites. These last years ground-based astronomy has been looking towards…

With the rapid expansion of low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, thousands of satellites are now in operation, many equipped with onboard GNSS receivers capable of continuous orbit determination and time synchronization. This development…

We describe updated scientific goals for the wide-field, millimeter-wave survey that will be produced by the Simons Observatory (SO). Significant upgrades to the 6-meter SO Large Aperture Telescope (LAT) are expected to be complete by 2028,…

The optical turbulence conditions as measured between 2004 until end of 2008 above Cerro Tololo, their seasonal as well as nocturnal behavior are presented. A comparison with the MASS-DIMM system of the Thirty Meter Telescope site testing…

We present the DECam Ecliptic Exploration Project (DEEP) survey strategy including observing cadence for orbit determination, exposure times, field pointings and filter choices. The overall goal of the survey is to discover and characterize…

Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) combines the advantages of standard adaptive optics, which provides high contrast and high spatial resolution, and of wide field ~1' imaging. Up to recently, MCAO for astronomy was limited to…

The Deep Ecliptic Survey is a project whose goal is to survey a large area of the near-ecliptic region to a faint limiting magnitude (R ~ 24) in search of objects in the outer solar system. We are collecting a large homogeneous data sample…

In this white paper (WP), we highlight several examples of small and moderate aperture telescopes that are being used for education and/or research. We further discuss potential costs for establishing new, small observatories, as well as…

The Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO) is a project dedicated to identifying optical counter-parts to gravitational-wave detections using a network of dedicated, wide-field telescopes. After almost a decade of design,…

The Earth-skimming $\nu_{\tau}$ method allows for huge target mass and detection volume simultaneously. In part motivated by IceCube PeV astro-neutrino events, the planned NTA observatory has three site stations watching the air mass…

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) observations of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) have historically been a valuable tool for understanding their physical properties. However, the current state of mid-IR instruments on ground-based telescopes places several…