An ITC tutorial video is available here
The Integration Time Calculator (ITC) can be used to determine limiting magnitudes, exposure times, S/N ratios, background levels, etc. for a wide range of source properties, observing conditions, and GHOST configurations.
This section describes how to prepare and check GHOST observations at the Phase II stage. Key to successful observation preparation is starting from the GHOST OT Library. Preparing observing sequences involves ensuring correct coordinates of the target, the desired instrumental parameters, and overall sequence components. In addition, observations of telluric, flux, radial velocity standards, or non-standard calibrations may be needed depending on your science goals.
Wavelength and flatfield calibration (baseline calibrations) are obtained using the facility calibration unit, GCAL in standard and high resolution mode. Baseline calibrations will be obtained for all observations, queue and classical. Additional calibrations (spectrophotometric standards, radial velocity standards, telluric standards, or night time wavelength calibrations) must be requested as part of your program.
GHOST provides high resolution optical spectroscopy at Gemini South, by using optical fibers connecting a cassegrain mounted integral field unit array to a bench spectrograph. The instrument can be divided into three main components, the bench spectrograph, the cassegrain unit, and the fibre array which each in turn can be subdivided into constitutent units. These charecterization of these components is given here. An overview of the instrument is given below.
GHOST performs echelle spectroscopy between 347 and 1060nm, for a single target with spectral resolution (R) around 76,000 (in the high resolution mode), and for either one or two targets (separated by at least 102 arcsec) with R of around 56,000 (the standard resolution mode). A description of the capabilities of each mode, and the instrument, follows.
The 2023B Gemini Observatory Call for Proposals has been released. Proposals are being accepted for observations from 1 August 2023 to 31 January 2024. Gemini North and Gemini South are expected to have 162 and 141 nights available for science, respectively. A new version of the Phase I Tool (PIT) has been released to support proposal submissions.
Due to a planned commercial power outage for infrastructure improvements and failures of both the main and backup generators, the Gemini South Telescope will remain closed tonight. The main generator has been repaired and tomorrow (Feb 2) we aim to recover all the systems from the unplanned shutdown that occurred last night (Jan 30/31). If necessary, further information will be posted here.
1 August 2023
We are pleased to announce that we will be moving the Gemini Helpdesk to a new cloud-based platform on January 30, 2023. The general system of tiered support from the National Offices and Gemini support staff will remain unchanged. The primary changes for our users are the requirement for creating an account on the system for ticket submissions, and moving to a fully web-based system for ticket interactions. Users will still receive email notifications when their tickets have been updated.