Intro

From February 1 to March 10, 2024 we are accepting proposals for the 2nd half of 2024 at the BTA, RATAN-600 telescopes and small-sized telescopes.

Proposals for the multi-mode spectrograph at the prime focus SCORPIO-2 are temporarily not accepted due to the repair and preventive maintenance works on this instrument in the second semester of 2024.

In comparison with the half-year 2023-2 there are insignificant changes in the proposal forms. Please read the rules carefully.

Call for Telescope Time Submission is performed through online forms given in the Proposals page. When preparing your proposal, pay special attention to the Scientific part that is to be attached to the proposal in the PDF format. It is recommended to start preparing the proposal with this part.

The Technical Part structure

Items of the proposal technical part are the same with the corresponding forms in the online web version (and the same as in the previous halfyears):

•     1. Program title (not more than 15 words).
•     2. Brief (not more than 100 words) description of the scientific content of the program.
•     3. Full name of the principal investigator, affiliation (1 person).
•     4. Full names of co-investigators, affiliations (no limitation).
•     5. Proposal status: new or ongoing. For new proposals–the expected duration in half years. For ongoing proposals–the date of submission of the primary proposal and percentage of its fulfillment at the current moment.
•     6. Optimal and admissible observation periods. Can the program be combined with any other programs? Is this a principal or duplicating program? The applicant should bear in mind that a combined program is the one united with others to be accopmlished by the same techniques or in the other focus of the telescope not to interfere with each other. The duplicating program is fulfilled under bad weather conditions (seeing, etc.) or in the twilight as supplementary with respect to principal one.
•     7. Required Instruments (Instruments) Follow the web link for a description of the observation methods offered by the observatory. The applicant can offer a guest option for observations, in which case it is necessary to coordinate this opportunity with the administration of the observatory.
  
•     8. Observed objects of the program, their coordinates, magnitude (the radio flux). Estimation of required exposure time for each object in seconds (for RATAN-600 - the number of meridian passages).

The Scientific Part structure

To be issued in PDF with a required minimum structure given below. Can contain figures, formulas, etc. There is a volume limit - up to 5 pages of at least 11pt.
The scientific part of a proposal is viewed by Committee experts in respective categories (it depends on the type of objects). Where necessary, the Chairman will appoint an external expert. Each proposal is reviewed by at least two experts.

• 1. Principal Investigator (Affiliation) – Program
• 2. Type of objects (choose from):

      T - ToO (Targets of Opportunity) for any object types, E - Extragalactic, S - Stars and galactic objects, P - Sun and solar system, M - Miscellaneous

• 3. Scientific problem
  •    3a. Current state of the field of study. Topicality of the problem
  •    3b. Brief information on objects under study
  •    3с. Scientific groundwork of investigators on the subject of the proposal (including those by co-investigators) (if available)
• 4. Methods proposed to solve the task

  Why additional studies are needed? How and to what extent is it proposed to conduct additional observations? What has determined the choice of objects to observe? What is the scientific significance of the expected results?

• 5. Motivation
  •     5a. Justification for the use of the telescope
  •     5b. Justification of the choice of the instrument (instruments) and receiver (s), spectral resolution, etc.
  •     5c. Observing strategy

    Describe the features of observations (priorities of objects, the duty cycle of expositions, etc.). For the ToO proposals, describe the observation trigger, expected duty cycle and duration.
    A variation of the flux by a given value, information from space, ground-based gravitational-wave and neutrino observatories, etc., can serve as a trigger. The decision on conducting the ToO is taken by the director of SAO RAS in accordance with the allocated quota and observing conditions.

• 6. Publications
  •    6a. For a new proposal - evidence of the applicant’s skills in working with the observed data (existing experience, publications on similar proposals, etc.).
  
  
  •    6b. For an ongoing proposals – the report
  
  1. The results obtained since the beginning of the current program indicating the degree of completion of the proposal (at least one page of text and graphic information).
  2. Applicants' publications published or accepted for publication, reports at conferences on the results of the program at previous stages. Attach appropriate materials if necessary.
  3. Justification for correcting the list of objects, methods, and strategies of observations, if neccessary.
  
  
  List of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals (5 most significant publications on the results of the program).
  It is recommended to give a table with the following structure:

  | Authors |	Paper title |	Journal, volume, issue, year of publication |

For convenience you can download and use the scientific part template in the TEX and RTF formats.

Rating of proposals

Rating of proposals is carried out by the RTPC (Russian Telescopes Program Committee) based on a technical review and scientific investigation. The technical part is done by experts of the institutions managing the instruments required. The experts performing the technical review can recommend changing a number of objects, exposure time, and a plan of observations. On passing the technical review, all the proposals undergo the scientific investigation. The scientific expertise is carried out by the Committee members with possible assistance of external experts.

Categories of proposals

Based on technical and scientific investigation, proposals are assigned a category:

• А – a scientifically significant and technically feasible proposal aimed at solving specific topical problems. It is of the highest priority in allocating and scheduling the requested observation time.
• B – a scientifically significant and technically feasible proposal but of the lower priority than the one of A category. The time requested for observations (number of nights, objects) can be reduced. proposals of Category B are scheduled after the distribution of proposals of Category A.
• C – a scientifically significant and technically feasible proposal of low priority. The time is allocated for a minimum number of nights (objects). When scheduling, the proposals of Category are put into the time intervals (nights) remaining after the distribution of proposals in Categories A and B.
• D – a proposal is not accepted (lacking of scientific justification for the requested observing time, a high risk of a non-significant scientific result, technical impossibility, etc.).

Accepted proposals for urgent observations of transient sources (ToOs) are by definition assigned Category A.

Upon the review, the Committee will announce categories of proposals. PIs can receive comments (obligatory for Category D).

The schedule of accepted proposals for the current half a year is made after the proposals have been assigned Categories A-D. The proposals are executed in the scheduled time and are under the control of staff members of organisations managing the instrument requested. Failure to execute the requests of all types due to bad weather conditions and other objectively reasonable causes in the time scheduled is not compensated. In some cases, the A-C non-fulfilled proposals can be executed in maintenance and standby time (if possible) with the approval of the director of the organization and the chairman of the Committee.

Small-sized Telescopes

The amount of quotes as well as corresponding circulars for small-sized telescopes are here (in Russian).

When filling in proposals for small-sized optical telescopes, please note that the principal system for accepting proposals is the online version for the BTA. It is recommended to indicate the abbreviated name of a telescope in the title of a proposal for small-sized telescopes and then, after the colon, the name of the main program (Zeiss-1m, Zeiss-2m, ZTSh-2.6m). Any special features of the technical side of a proposal for small-sized telescopes (instruments, light detector, etc.) are to be indicated in the "Additional Information" field. The scientific part is made according to the above form in the PDF format.

Regulations of Data Archives

According to the Regulations of the Observational Data Archives (in Russian) of SAO RAS:
    1) exclusive copywrite of using the data is held by the program applicant for 2 years;
    2) after the expiry of this term, the data lose the exclusive status and can be used unrestrictive with obligatory references to the source they were borrowed from;
    3) an aknowledgement for the use of BTA, RATAN and Zeiss-1000 would be appreciated.

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Go to Online forms

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Any questions to request@sao.ru