Event Details

Markus Kissler-Patig, Gemini Director, will present news and perspectives for the Gemini Observatory, which operates two of the finest 8m-class telescopes in the world. Heidi Hammel will open the talk with a very brief overview of AURA, which is the managing organization for the International Gemini partnership on behalf of NSF, which (for 2016-2021) includes the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Chile, with Korea and Australia as limited-term partners. Gemini’s objective for the next 5 years is to “strive to be the best observatory in the world for the execution of flexible, innovative, and efficient science programs that exploit superior image quality and broad spectroscopic capabilities on arcminute-scale fields.” The Observatory offers now four paths to request observing time (yearly large and long programs, semesterly regular programs, monthly fast turnaround programs, and director’s discretionary time). Both telescopes are currently equipped with four state-of-the-art instruments and an adaptive optics system each. Visitor instruments are welcome at Gemini, and four of them will be hosted at the Observatory in 2016. Two more facility-class instruments are currently being developed. Markus will close with a perspective for the observatory in the 2025+ era, and is keen on hearing your feedback.