NSF's NOIRLab Call for Standard and Survey Proposals: Semester 2025B

  

This Call for Proposals 2025B (CfP25B) covers the observing time period from 1 August 2025 – 31 January 2026. 

Standard and Survey Programs: Deadline is 31 March 2025 at 11:59pm Mountain Standard Time (=Tucson time).

1. General Information on NSF NOIRLab Observing Proposals 

Proposals for standard observing programs at all ground-based facilities coordinated by the NSF NOIRLab, which include US time on the telescopes of Gemini, CTIO (including SOAR), and KPNO (WIYN), as well as community-access time with other observatories (which for 2025B include Magellan, CHARA, Milankovic, and NOT telescopes), can be submitted twice per year.  Survey proposals will be accepted for this call if they have submitted a LoI for the available telescopes (SOAR and Blanco). 

This Call is for Standard observing and Survey proposals.  More details about the process of submitting observing proposals to NOIRLab can be found at:

https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/preparing-standard-proposal-instructions.pdf

https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/surveys

 

This Call for Proposals document is focused on updates and news specific to semester 2025B.

 - Dual Anonymous 2-stage Review

Semester 2025B continues the Dual Anonymous Review Process (DARP), which began in 2022B, for all observing proposals submitted to NOIRLab (including Survey proposals and proposals submitted for time on the Gemini telescopes).  This process requires that certain text sections of observing proposals must be anonymous, with these anonymous sections being:

• Abstract
• Science Justification
• Experimental Design
• Technical Design

As well as Survey proposal sections

• Management Plan
• Release of Data

In the second stage of the process, additional non-anonymized information relevant to the proposal will be revealed to the review panel in order to obtain a final ranking.

Compliance with this policy is mandatory.  Proposers, please take sufficient time to prepare your anonymous manuscript, especially if you are going to resubmit a proposal from a previous semester.

Detailed anonymization instructions for PIs can be found at https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/anonymization-instructions 

A document of FAQ can also be found at https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/faq.pdf.

A short summary of points on anonymizing are listed below:

1. Do not claim ownership of past work, e.g., "my previously funded work..." or "Our prior analysis demonstrates that…”

2. Do not include the names of the personnel associated with the proposal or their organizational affiliations. This includes but is not limited to, page headers, footers, diagrams, figures, or watermarks. This does not include references to past work, which should be included whenever relevant (see below). 

3. Referencing is an essential part of demonstrating knowledge of the field and progress. When citing references within the proposal, use third person neutral wording.  Do not refer to previous observing campaigns or other observatories in an identifying fashion. 

4. If it is important to cite exclusive access datasets, non-public software, unpublished data, or findings that have been presented in public before but are not cite-able, proposers must use language such as "obtained in private communication" or "from private consultation" when referring to such potentially identifying work.

5. Do not include any acknowledgments, or the source of any grant funding.

You can view recordings of webinars that discuss the anonymization policy linked from the anonymization information page https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/anonymization-instructions .

- Updates: COVID, unavailable telescopes, and AEON in NEWFIRM

COVID-19 may continue to affect operations at some observatories.  Different observatory sites may have different COVID-19 protocols, so proposers should remain aware of the situation. NOIRLab will notify the community of any significant updates.

For this call no time is available on either 0.9m SMARTS operated telescope. For the 1.5m, there is time available via NN-EXPLORE (see section 3.4).

Starting 25A, open access to the LCOGT network is offered directly by Las Cumbres Observatory.

During 25B, no Keck or MINERVA-Australis time will be offered by NOIRLab.

Starting 25B, AEON will be offered with NEWFIRM. 25B will be the "science validation" phase. See section 3.10 for details

- Standard Proposals Requesting Long Term Status

NOIRLab will accept proposals for scientific programs that extend beyond a single semester. Long-term status may be granted to a proposal for which the principal science goal of the proposal cannot be achieved without the full allocation of time. An investigator who wishes to request long-term status should include a summary of the request (e.g., "six nights per semester for three semesters") in the appropriate section of the proposal form. Long-term status is limited to three semesters.

If long-term status is granted, a progress report must be submitted each subsequent semester to inform the TAC that appropriate progress is being made. Progress reports should briefly summarize the scientific justification, provide a detailed discussion of progress to date, restate the number of observing runs still needed to complete the project, and give details needed for scheduling the proposal in the next semester.

Although the granting of long-term status by the TAC does carry with it a commitment for observing time in future semesters, NOIRLab reserves the right to terminate long-term status on the advice of the TAC if insufficient information concerning the progress of the project has been supplied by the Principal Investigator or in the event of telescope closures.

- Survey Proposals

NOIRLab is issuing a Call for new survey proposals starting in the 2025B and 2026A semesters. Only those Investigators who have previously submitted a Letter of Intent (LoI) for the most recent LoI call are eligible to submit a Survey proposal for the 2025B semester. Survey proposals must follow NOIRLab anonymization guidelines. The deadline for full survey proposals is 31 March 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.

- Questions

Questions concerning NOIRLab proposals can be emailed  to: proposal-help@noirlab.edu or directly to:

• Alfredo Zenteno, NSF NOIRLab CSDC/TAC Head (alfredo.zenteno@noirlab.edu)
• also, please cc - Verne V. Smith (verne.smith@noirlab.edu) and Mia Hartman (mia.hartman@noirlab.edu)

2. Instructions for Submitting Semester 2025B Proposals

The 2025B Call for Proposals covers proposals for observing programs at all ground-based facilities on which the NSF NOIRLab manages open-access observing time.  Information about the newly launched NOIRLab proposal process can be found at:

https://time-allocation.noirlab.edu/#/  -  (Contact proposal-help@noirlab.edu if you have trouble during login, signup or proposal submission. **note** Proposal copying from semesters prior to 2022A is currently unavailable)

Instructions for preparing and submitting an NSF NOIRLab standard proposal can be found at:

https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/preparing-standard-proposal-instructions.pdf

An NSF NOIRLab proposal MUST be prepared and submitted via the web-based submission process, using the format as provided by a LaTeX or Word template. Please note that proposal copying from semesters prior to 2022A is currently unavailable, and manual transposition may be required.

Gemini Proposal Investigators who are applying for time on the Gemini telescopes must use Gemini Observatory's Phase I Tool (PIT) to prepare their observing proposals. The PIT is available from the Gemini Observatory at: 

https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/pit#Download

Classical observers using US time  should be prepared to fund their own travel for their observing trips.  Contingent on the availability of funding, the NSF NOIRLab will support graduate students traveling for observations that are part of their PhD thesis work. To be eligible for NOIRLab funding for thesis observing, the thesis advisor must complete and submit the form found at:

https://time-allocation.noirlab.edu/#/proposal/thesis-form/

3. News and Updates for Semester 2025B

The following updates to instrumentation and or observing time at all facilities available through the NSF NOIRLab are noted here to alert investigators preparing proposals.

During this semester we offer open access nights to Magellan (see 3.3), CHARA (see 3.5), and Rubin in-kind Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) and Milankovic telescope contributions (see 3.12).  The NN-EXPLORE (NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research) program also continues on WIYN and 1.5m/CHIRON (see 3.4).  

3.1 DECam moving-object detection

NOIRLab routinely processes DECam data with the DECam Community Pipeline to generate science-ready images for PIs and archival researchers. As part of this processing, moving objects are flagged along with cosmic rays by comparing multiple exposures of the same pointing on the sky.

NOIRLab policy for reporting these moving-object detections to the Minor Planet Center is (a) to report detections of unknown near-Earth objects (NEOs) including potentially hazardous asteroids immediately, (b) to report other detections in non-proprietary data immediately, and (c) to report other detections in proprietary data after the expiration of the proprietary period.

For technical and scientific questions about this detection and reporting procedure, or to give permission to report non-NEO moving objects during the proprietary period, please contact frank.valdes@noirlab.edu. For questions about policy please contact Tom Matheson (tom.matheson@noirlab.edu) and Verne V. Smith (verne.smith@noirlab.edu).

3.2 Dual Anonymous Review Process (DARP) Continues in 2025B

As noted in Section 1 above, a Dual Anonymous Review Process (DARP) is now used for all observing proposals submitted to NOIRLab (including proposals submitted for time on the Gemini telescopes).  This process requires that the abstract, science justification, and experimental and technical design sections in all observing proposals must be anonymized.  In the second stage of the process, additional non-anonymized information relevant to the proposal will be revealed to the review panel in order to obtain a final ranking.

Detailed anonymization instructions for PIs can be found at  https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/anonymization-instructions , while a document of FAQ can also be found at

https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/faq.pdf.

You can view recordings of webinars that discuss the anonymization policy linked from the anonymization information page https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/anonymization-instructions

3.3 Magellan Observing Time in 2025B

Through the NSF Mid-Scale Innovations Program (MSIP), observing time for the NOIRLab community is available on the Magellan I and II telescopes (Baade and Clay, respectively) beginning in semester 2023A  and continuing through 2028A.  The time available for 2025B is 5 nights.

For 2025B all Magellan instruments, including PI instruments will be available.

General information about the telescopes and instruments can be found at: https://obs.carnegiescience.edu/astronomers

3.4 NN-EXPLORE Proposals

NN-EXPLORE Proposals Invited for the WIYN 3.5m and the CTIO 1.5m with CHIRON

The NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research (NN-EXPLORE) program seeks to advance the understanding of exoplanets and exoplanetary systems in areas of mutual interest to NASA and NSF.  Every semester, this program makes 40 nights of telescope time available on the WIYN telescope and 300 hours (equivalent to 30 nights) on the CTIO SMARTS 1.5m telescope. No MINERVA-Australis time will be offered via NN-EXPLORE for 2025B.

NN-EXPLORE solicits observing proposals targeted to general exoplanet-related research, with emphasis on supporting observations for NASA missions, including but not limited to Kepler, K2, TESS, HST, and JWST. Programs that seek to advance precursor science for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) are particularly welcomed. 

The scope of the NN-EXPLORE Program includes observations to:

• Confirm or validate exoplanet candidates
• Characterize known exoplanets and exoplanetary systems
• Characterize the (exozodiacal) dust environments of exoplanet-hosting or potentially-exoplanet-hosting stars
• Explore the formation, evolution, and diversity of exoplanetary systems

Stellar observations to characterize stellar properties and search for background eclipsing binaries fall within the scope of the NN-EXPLORE Program, provided that the relevance of the proposed work to the exoplanet-research focus of the Program is clearly established.  

NN-EXPLORE proposals will be evaluated by a special Time Allocation Committee (TAC). The same TAC will evaluate WIYN and CHIRON proposals.

Unless specifically identified as long-term, programs are awarded time only for a single semester. For both long-term and single-semester programs, if a program is incomplete due to weather, instrument, observatory technical or programmatic issues, or natural events (e.g., fire, flood, etc.) the observing time will not roll over to future semesters. Observers will need to re-apply to make up for lost time. 

 

Long-term programs

In addition to single semester proposals, NN-EXPLORE accepts proposals for large, long-term programs, defined as those that require between 2 and 4 semesters. A maximum of 8 nights per semester will be made available in total for all long-term programs. The intent is to select more than one long-term program, with selections based on science merit.

Long-term status may be requested when the science cannot be achieved within a single semester.  An investigator who wishes to request long-term status should include a summary of the request (e.g., "six nights per semester for three semesters" or "3 nights every other semester") in the appropriate section of the proposal form. Long-term NN-EXPLORE proposals for are limited to four semesters. To facilitate scheduling, proposers should consider requesting the lowest queue-priority levels necessary to achieve their science.  

If the time is granted, a progress report must be submitted each subsequent semester to inform the TAC that appropriate progress is being made. Progress reports should briefly summarize the scientific justification, provide a detailed discussion of progress to date, restate the number of observing runs still needed to complete the project, and give details needed for scheduling the proposal in the next semester. The reports should be sent before the proposal deadline to proposal-help@noirlab.edu.

Although the granting of long-term status by the TAC does carry with it a commitment for observing time in future semesters, NN-EXPLORE reserves the right to terminate long-term status on the advice of the TAC if insufficient information concerning the progress of the project has been supplied by the Principal Investigator or in the event of telescope closures.

Proposing for NN-EXPLORE Time

GO proposals should be submitted using the standard NOIRLab Observing Proposal Dashboard (https://time-allocation.noirlab.edu/#/proposal/create/) by selecting "NASA Exoplanet TAC" as the proposal type on the login page.  Deadline for NN-EXPLORE proposals is the same as for the NOIRLab proposals.

WIYN Proposals

On behalf of the NASA-NSF partnership NN-EXPLORE, NOIRLab hereby requests observing proposals for the 2025B semester on the WIYN telescope. 

If you are submitting an observing proposal under the ROSES element D.21 U.S. Contributions to Ariel Preparatory Science (USCAPS), using WIYN instruments, you should have responded to the ROSES solicitation, and received instructions on how to submit your technical NOIRLab proposal to the USCAPS TAC by March 10^th, 2025. Do not select the USCAPS TAC unless you are applying for this opportunity.

Limited funding support for WIYN observing, sufficient to cover travel, modest research expenses, and publications costs, will be provided by NASA to observers under the NN-EXPLORE Program. The amount of funding will be determined formulaically based on the number of awards and the available funding. Proposals must provide an explicit justification for the relevance of the proposed observations to the scientific goals of the Program. Proposals that fall outside the scope of the Program will not be eligible to receive Guest Observer funding.  Funding support is restricted to PI or CoIs from US institutions.

For the 2025B semester, the complete NOIRLab share of WIYN will be available for the NN-EXPLORE program, depending on the time requested and the quality of proposals.   NN-EXPLORE proposals will be reviewed and selected by a special panel of the NOIRLab TAC. While proposals for non-exoplanet research will be accepted in 2025B for WIYN, these will be eligible for scheduling only if there is time available after the approved exoplanet proposals are scheduled. There will be no Guest Observer funding for non-exoplanet proposals that are granted time on the telescope.

The following are the instruments offered at WIYN in 2025B (see current status and more information on the WIYN status page at http://www.wiyn.org/Observe/wiynstatus.html):

• NEID is a cutting edge high-precision spectrograph at WIYN designed for radial velocity measurements of exoplanet host stars. NEID is designed with a goal of achieving 27 cm/s precision per data point, providing the US exoplanet community with high-precision radial velocity measurements appropriate for studying Earth and super-Earth mass planets orbiting bright host stars over a wide range of spectral type.  Detailed information on NEID can be found at: https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynneid_call.html. A library of NEID refereed papers is available at: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/
• Hydra (https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynhydra.html) is a multi-object fiber positioner for ~100 fibers over a 60 arcmin field. It feeds the Bench Spectrograph. Hydra currently offers 90 red fibers (diameter 2.0 arcsec) or 83 blue fibers (diameter 3.1 arcsec) and has 10 Field Orientation Probes (FOPS) for guiding.
• Integral Field Units (IFUs) include:                                                                         
  • SparsePak (https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynspsk.html)                         
  • HexPak (https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynhexgrad.html)                         
  • GradPak (https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynhexgrad.html)

SparsePak contains 82 fibers that are 5 arcsec on the sky and arranged in a dense core surrounded by a sparse array. HexPak and GradPak are unique variable pitch IFUs, designed to sample the brightest parts of galaxies with small fibers (0.94 arcsec) and the fainter parts with larger fibers (5.6 arcsec). All IFUs feed the Bench Spectrograph. SparsePak is a facility instrument, but HexPak and GradPak are P.I. instruments. Prospective proposers should contact the P.I. (Matthew Bershady) at mab@astro.wisc.edu. See the WIYN status page (https://www.wiyn.org/Observe/wiynstatus.html) for details.

• The fiber-fed Bench Spectrograph (https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynbench.html  is configurable from low (R~800) to high (R~25,000) spectral resolution covering windows over the full optical band, 350 - 1000 nm.
• ODI (https://www.wiyn.org/ODI/index.html) provides high spatial resolution imaging over a wide field that takes full advantage of WIYN's excellent delivered image quality. ODI is an optical imager with 0.11 arcsec pixels, with a 40 x 48 arcmin field of view. The current full field of view filter set includes SDSS u', g', r', i', z', and four narrow-band filters (NB422, NB695, NB746 and H-alpha).  
• The WIYN High Resolution Infrared Camera (WHIRC: https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/kpno/instruments/whirc) is a near infrared imager with a 3.3 arcmin field of view and 0.1 arcsec pixels. Filters available for use include J, H, Ks, and 10 narrow bands. 
• The NASA Exoplanet Star (and) Speckle Imager, or NESSI (https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynnessi.html) utilizes two electron multiplying CCD cameras to capture speckle images in two colors simultaneously. The images obtained reach the diffraction limit of the telescope and enable searches for and differential astrometry on binaries with delta magnitudes of up to 5 and separations between 0.05 and 1.3 arcsec. NESSI has remote controlled filter wheels in each beam, split by the dichroic at 685 nm. The EMCCDs can operate with high sensitivity and low noise even at very fast readout rates (up to 30 MHz), providing high time resolution.  NESSI also introduces a new "wide-field" mode that enables the collection of images with fields of >50 arcseconds. Each 6-slot filter wheel includes two narrow-band speckle filters, two standard SDSS filters, and two empty slots. An updated, user-friendly software interface is included as well. Final reduced reconstructed images will be provided to the PI after the run for exoplanet speckle projects. See Scott N.J. et al., “The NN-explore Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager: Instrument Description and Preliminary Results”, PASP, 130, 987, 2018; Scott, N. J. & Howell, S. B., “NESSI and 'Alopeke: two new dual-channel speckle imaging instruments”, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging VI, 10701, 2018.  

CTIO SMARTS 1.5m with CHIRON Proposals

NN-EXPLORE also requests observing proposals for the 2025B semester on the SMARTS 1.5m telescope to utilize the CHIRON spectrograph.  CHIRON is a highly stable cross-dispersed echelle spectrometer that is fiber-fed and intended primarily for precise radial velocity measurements.  In addition to the observing time available through the nominal NOIRLab community access, there are 300 hours (approximately 30 nights) available for observations utilizing the CHIRON spectrograph for exoplanet science, as described before.

Information on CHIRON can be found at http://www.astro.gsu.edu/~thenry/SMARTS/ .

Raw echellegram images and calibration files, as well as final processed 1-D extracted wavelength-calibrated spectra will be provided to the PI.

No funding will be available to observers under this portion of the program.  

More information can be requested by contacting Dr. Todd Henry (thenry@astro.gsu.edu).

Acknowledgments 

Please include this acknowledgment for publications resulting from NN-EXPLORE telescope time: "Data presented herein were obtained at the [please insert appropriate element: WIYN Observatory/insert instrument or SMARTS-1.5m/CHIRON instrument] from telescope time allocated to NN-EXPLORE through the scientific partnership of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and the NOIRLab."

3.5 CHARA

The NOIRLab allocation of observing time on CHARA is 50 nights for 2025B.  CHARA will offer 48 nights of standard CHARA time through NOIRLab, with 2 additional nights reserved for a fast-turn around, snapshot imaging mode that will be open to the community. The current instruments available are CLASSIC, CLIMB, and MIRC-X/MYSTIC. 

SPICA (VEGA's replacement) will be available in shared risk mode in 2025B. For questions about target feasibility with SPICA, please contact Denis Mourard (SPICA PI; denis.mourard@oca.eu) or Gail Schaefer (Director of CHARA Array; gschaefer@gsu.edu).
 

*** ON-LINE HELP SESSION ***

 

3.6 Las Cumbres Observatory

Starting 25A, open access to the LCOGT network is offered directly by Las Cumbres Observatory.  More information on LCOGT facilities can be found at: https://lco.global/astronomers

3.7 Gemini North and South

The Gemini Observatory has released a Call for Proposals for 2025B at:

https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i-proposing-time/standard-semester-program/2025b-call-proposals

The Gemini Call contains all of the information necessary to submit a Gemini proposal.  We suggest strongly that you read the Gemini CfP if you are requesting Gemini or Subaru-exchange time to be aware of the latest news.

Proposers requesting Gemini time must use the Gemini Phase-I Tool (PIT):

https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/pit/pit-description

The Gemini Phase I Tool (PIT) will automatically add the time for the baseline partner calibrations to the total time requested for each target in the proposal.

Gemini-Subaru Exchange

Gemini and Subaru are continuing their time-exchange program.  Please see the Gemini Call for Proposals for more Subaru-specific information. Proposers requesting Subaru time must use the Gemini Phase-I Tool (PIT).
 

3.8 Zwicky Transient Facility and ANTARES event brokering

The NSF MSIP-funded Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is currently issuing public transient alerts.  ZTF-II is now doing a two-night cadence all-sky survey as its public survey.  More information can be found at:

https://ztf.caltech.edu/ .

For 2025B, the NSF NOIRLab encourages submission of proposals for “target-of-opportunity” (ToO) follow-up observing triggered by ZTF alerts. Proposals should plan to use the current ToO policies and mechanisms for the facilities allocated through the NSF NOIRLab TAC. More information about current ToO policies and procedures at available open-access facilities can be found here:

Gemini Target of Opportunity observing:

https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i/too

CTIO Target of Opportunity observing:

https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/observing-ctio/cerro-tololo/ToO-Policy

SOAR Target of Opportunity observing

The NSF NOIRLab is currently filtering ZTF alerts through the ANTARES event broker system (https://antares.noirlab.edu). For 2025B, ANTARES capabilities include positional and/or catalog-based filters with associated delta-magnitude thresholds, as well as more complex filters.  Proposers interested in employing these ANTARES capabilities within their programs during 2025B are encouraged to contact Dr. Tom Matheson (tom.matheson@noirlab.edu) in advance of the proposal deadline. Support for ANTARES programs will be subject to availability of resources; depending on demand during this initial call, it is possible that only a subset of programs will be chosen for use with ANTARES.

3.9 KPNO

Mayall 4-m

The Mayall 4-m telescope is currently in the midst of survey observing with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). No time will be available through the NSF NOIRLab TAC.

WIYN 3.5m

Approximately 40 nights devoted to NN-EXPLORE programs will be available for NSF NOIRLab observing time in 2025B. More details on the NN-EXPLORE Program on WIYN can be found at: https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/proposals/nn-explore

Information specific to proposing for time using the precision radial-velocity spectrograph NEID can be found at:  https://www.wiyn.org/Instruments/wiynneid.html

Open-access proposals, other than NN-EXPLORE, can be submitted to WIYN, but these would only be scheduled if NN-EXPLORE programs could not be scheduled for all of the NOIRLab WIYN time; in particular, proposals using only Hydra or ODI might have the best chance to be fit into time slots that could not fit into the NN-EXPLORE schedule.

WIYN 0.9m

No new proposals are solicited in 2025B for the 0.9m with HDI.  We are working on re-opening as soon as possible and will issue a call for proposals at that time.

3.10 CTIO

Blanco 4m

Nights available in 2025B for new regular programs is approximately 100.

Instruments available: In 2025B, CTIO will be offering the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) and the wide Field IR imager NEWFIRM.   PIs interested in proposing to use NEWFIRM should contact Sean Points (sean.points@noirlab.edu) or visit the NEWFIRM webpages at:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/instruments/newfirm

Remote Observing: See the Information on equipment and software requirements and how to carry out remote observations at Blanco at: 

http://www.ctio.noao.edu/noao/content/Remote-Observing-Blanco

Note that we are waiving the requirement that all observers must have had previous observing experience at the telescope in order to carry out remote observations. However, we strongly encourage the involvement of experienced observers within your team in the planning and execution of your observations.

Blanco AEON NEWFIRM -

Starting the 2025B semester, NOIRLab in collaboration with Las Cumbres Observatory, will offer the NEWFIRM wide-field near-IR imager in AEON mode automated queue operation. This first semester will be a “science validation” phase for this new operational mode on Blanco. This highly automated queue is ideally suited for Time-Domain Astronomy (TDA) programs, but is also convenient for other science cases, such as programs with target fields spread throughout the semester that do not require specific observation times.  

We will run NEWFIRM in AEON mode only with the JHKs filters, and 2x2, 3x3, 4x4 and 5-point dither patterns. If your science requires the use of narrow-band filters, or a special dither pattern, then we encourage you to request classically scheduled nights. As with AEON on SOAR, Observation Requests will be placed through the Las Cumbres Observation portal, at any time, and we will use the Las Cumbres automated scheduler to build dynamic schedules for each night. NEWFIRM AEON data will be accessed only through the NOIRLab Science Archive.  

If you have questions about whether your program is a good fit for AEON with NEWFIRM on Blanco, please contact guillermo.damke or cesar.briceno at noirlab.edu.  For details about NEWFIRM go to the instrument web page: https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/instruments/newfirm or contact sean.points at noirlab.edu

SOAR

The aluminizing of the SOAR primary mirror has been re-scheduled, from the initial March-April 2025 period to October-November 2025, exact dates TBD. The telescope shutdown will last approximately 6 weeks, which means there will be a reduction of about 10 less NOIRLab nights for science during the 2025B semester. Aluminization status will be known before the TAC meets.

The SOAR website is located at:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/soar-telescope/about

All instruments that were available in the previous two semesters, excluding the SOAR Optical Imager (SOI), are currently available. Since the 2024AA semester SOI is no longer offered. Nearly all SOI programs can be carried out with the Goodman spectrograph in imaging mode. See the Facilities Table in Sections 4.1 and 4.2 below for a list with links.

We expect that ISPI will replace Spartan for most or all of the semester. However, we will not have updated performance data before the 2025B proposal deadline, so PIs should write proposals based on Spartan sensitivity performance; they can assume that the full ISPI field of view (approximately 4.8 x 4.8 arcmin) will be available. Please check with SOAR staff if you will need specific narrowband filters for your proposal. If the full FOV is critical to your program and you are requesting time early in the semester, please indicate that in the description of the run(s) requested.

The upgraded version of SAM, SAM-plus, was commissioned in March/April 2024. This is expected to provide modest improvements in Strehl at all wavelengths (~20-30%), but we do not have quality commissioning data yet. Please write proposals based on current SAM performance.

STELES is not yet be available for regular science use; any special call for proposals will be widely announced.

SOAR AEON update -

AEON mode automated queue observations at SOAR offer both the Goodman optical spectrograph and imager, and the TripleSpec4.1 near-IR spectrograph. Goodman is offered in either red or blue cameras (only one can be configured on a given night), in several spectroscopic and imaging configurations. Before submitting your proposal please check if the configuration you need is supported in AEON mode by checking our AEON at SOAR web pages (see links below), or contacting our scientific staff. 

Tspec is available every AEON night, in its most-used observing mode, which is a basic ABBA dither pattern suitable for point sources. The Tspec-AEON observing block will also include a nearby telluric standard. The instrument continues to be available in classical mode for observers who require more complex observations.

NEW for 2024B and beyond – we now offer “time-critical mode” observing in AEON, which gives time-critical observations higher priority in the queue. It provides an observing mode intermediate between full target-of-opportunity mode and standard queue mode. See https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-at-noirlab/observing-at-mso-ctio/observing-with-soar/aeon-time-domain-at-soar/new-aeon

For more information on AEON, please see: https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/observing-ctio/observing-soar/aeon

SOAR Target of Opportunity Update -

The SOAR Target of Opportunity Policy was last revised prior to Semester 2022A, but we still see proposals based on older policy or wishful thinking! Please direct questions to SOAR staff before submitting a proposal if you have concerns or questions.

Detection of gravitational wave events (O4 campaign) has resumed, and will continue through the beginning of Semester 2025B. In contrast to the policy for the O3 campaign that ended in March 2020, we will treat approved GWE follow-up programs as standard ToO programs, governed by the current policy (https://noirlab.edu/science/observing-noirlab/observing-ctio/observing-soar/proposing-soar/targets-opportunity-overview). This policy has been revised since 2020, and should allow well-designed GWE follow-up programs to achieve their goals.

As previously, if there are competing requests for follow-up of the same event on the same night, the first proposal to trigger will have priority but must promptly share the raw data with any other approved proposal team that requests it.

ToO programs with suitable configurations can be observed as part of the AEON queue on scheduled queue nights instead of interrupting those nights; PIs of approved proposals will be contacted. Use of AEON is strongly recommended when possible.

SMARTS (1.5m with CHIRON and 0.9m with CFCCD)

At the time of this call, NOIRLab is not able to offer time on the SMARTS telescopes for 2025B except for NN-EXPLORE times (see section 3.4).  If this changes in the future, a dedicated call will be issued.  For questions concerning the future availability of SMARTS time through NOIRLab, please contact Steve Heathcote steve.heathcote@NOIRLab.edu. 

3.11 NOIRLab and NASA Space Observatories Observing Time

NSF NOIRLab collaborates with NASA Space Observatories – the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Chandra, and Fermi – to provide investigators with complementary ground-based observations in support of their programs. Investigators can obtain time on facilities available through NOIRLab through successful proposals for JWST, Fermi, HST, and Chandra programs. This collaboration allows proposers to avoid the double jeopardy inherent in having to pass through two separate TAC processes, and provides access to facilities essential to obtaining complementary ground-based O/IR data without regard to institutional affiliation. Time awarded through this process can be scheduled over two semesters to coincide with annual proposal cycles of space observatories. Classical observing time awarded and scheduled through this process will not be automatically extended or augmented to account for losses due to bad weather.

Currently this opportunity is subject to a limit of 5% of the available time on any given NOIRLab telescope, averaged over one year, for all proposals under this collaboration. The available time eligible for this opportunity currently includes all time available for standard (non-survey) proposals on the 4m Blanco telescope, the US share of time on the 4m SOAR telescope, and the US share of time for regular proposals on the twin 8m Gemini telescopes. Per NOIRLab time allocation policy, applications from astronomers and students who work at non-US institutions must indicate why the project cannot be done using other facilities available to the investigators and why US national facilities are needed.

Investigators are responsible for providing sufficient details about their ground-based observations as part of the proposal to the relevant space observatory. This information will be used by reviewers to judge the scientific merit and necessity of the ground-based observations to the overall science program, and by NOIRLab to review technical and scheduling feasibility. Please consult the appropriate space telescope call for proposals for instructions on where to enter this information.

Note for Gemini Time: Proposals that request observations with the Gemini telescopes must submit a separate Gemini proposal to NOIRLab using the Gemini PIT, to enable the observations to be entered into the Gemini queue system.  

3.12 Rubin in-kind contributions starts in 25B

Continuing in 25B, NSF's NOIRLab will offer Rubin in-kind contribution telescope access.

Nordic Optical Telescope 

70 hours of observing time on the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) are available for supernova classification using the ALFOSC instrument.  NOT is a 2.56m telescope located on La Palma, Spain. The Alhambra Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera, ALFOSC, offers low/medium resolution spectroscopy. Successful PIs will be able to submit (Soft-)ToO triggers for classifications and follow-up observations of supernovae.  Any trigger should be sent in the afternoon before the observations. The PIs are reminded that in case the similar observations are requested by different programs on the same target, the standing policy is to share the observations, where the observing time used is accounted proportionally. Data are made available in the form of fully reduced spectra, that will be publicly uploaded to WISeREP/TNS within 48 hours of observation. Observations will be performed from June through October 2025.

Contact: Jesper Sollerman, jesper@astro.su.se
 

Milankovic 1.4m Telescope

2 nights per month are available on the 1.4 Milankovic Telescope located at Astronomical Station Vidojevica near Prokuplje, Serbia. Optical Imaging is available with the Andor iKon-L 936 CCD and the following filters: Johnson B, V, R, I, L, filters and Hα , Hα continuum and SII. This facility offers AEON compatibility and is available for target of opportunity observations. Observations are taken in service mode. Raw data will be available within 24 hours and fully reduced and calibrated data within 72 hours. Observations will be performed from July through December 2025.

Contact: Maša Lakićević, mlakicevic@aob.rs

4. General Information about Facilities Available through NOIRLab

4.1 Facilities List

Facility	Telescope	Approximate nights available for new standard 2025B programs	Additional Information
Gemini	8m Gemini North 8m Gemini South 8m Subaru (through time exchange)	72.7 62.8 <~5	https://www.gemini.edu/observing/phase-i-proposing-time/standard-semester-program/2025b-call-proposals
CTIO	4m Blanco	100	https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio
SOAR	4.2m SOAR	20	https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/ctio/telescopes/soar-telescope/about
SMARTS	1.5m 0.9m	300 hrs (NN-EXPLORE) 0	http://www.astro.gsu.edu/~thenry/SMARTS/
WIYN	3.5m WIYN 0.9m	40 (NN-EXPLORE) 0	https://www.wiyn.org/
CHARA	6 x 1m aperture interferometer	50	http://www.chara.gsu.edu/public/instrumentation/
Magellan (Clay + Baade)	6.5m	5 (total)	https://obs.carnegiescience.edu/astronomers
Nordic Optical Telescope	2.56m	70 hours	https://www.not.iac.es/instruments/
Milankovic Telescope	1.4m	2 nights/month	https://vidojevica.aob.rs/

5. How to Acknowledge Use of NSF NOIRLab Facilities

There are a variety of credit lines which are appropriate for citing the use of data from one or more of the NOIRLab facilities. Please acknowledge the proper observatories by using the appropriate credit line as described in the following link:

https://noirlab.edu/public/research/scientific-acknowledgments/