Gemini staff contributions
News for Users
Catch up on the latest news for Gemini’s user community. This
installment includes updates on the TOPTICA laser availability
at Gemini North, 2019 Large and Long Program proposal
deadlines, new data reduction resources to look for in 2019,
activities at the 233rd AAS meeting, and availability of the new
Gemini Card Game!
Gemini North TOPTICA Laser Availability
Figure 1.
Jesse Ball (foreground)
operates the Gemini
North telescope during
on-sky commissioning of
the new TOPTICA laser.
Joining him are (from
left to right) adaptive
optics science fellow
Laure Catala (in hat),
optical engineer Tom
Schneider, and Gemini
scientist Paul Hirst.
The TOPTICA laser has been successfully commissioned for nighttime operation at Gemini
North. The Laser Guide Star (LGS) mode will be available for Fast Turnaround and Direc-
tor’s Discretionary programs using the Phase 1 Tool released on December 11, 2018. The
new laser allows us to move away from block scheduling and offer LGS mode on a greater
number of nights. We are in the process of activating one Large program that was put on
hold when our old LGS sys-
tem failed.
During on-sky commission-
ing, we confirmed the sta-
bility of delivered power by
the TOPTICA laser (Figure
1). We estimated the on-sky
return to be the equivalent
of an ~8 magnitude star (V
mag), when propagating at
zenith. This of course will
vary as the sodium layer
density fluctuates. In terms
of image quality delivered
Credit: Joy Pollard
18
GeminiFocus
January 2019