The call for proposals for NASA Keck time in observing semester 2025A (February 1, 2025-July 31, 2025) is now open for professional research using the NASA allocation for telescope observing time at the W.M. Keck Observatory.
The opportunity to propose as a Principal Investigator (PI) for the NASA time on the Keck Telescopes is open to all U.S.-based astronomers, i.e. those with their principal affiliation at a U.S. institution.
Application Procedure
The NASA Keck TAC uses a Dual Anonymous Proposal Review (DAPR) process. Proposers prepare two documents: an anonymized Science Program and a non-anonymized Expertise and Access document.
Highlights for 2025A:
There are several periods of telescope and instrument unavailability during the 2025A semester which are summarized below.
And complete information can be found on the
2025A Keck instrument page.
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2025A Semester Notes and Considerations for Keck and Subaru Instruments
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Keck I:
Keck I will be shut down from March 9 - April 23
for the first of two planned shutdowns to conduct repairs of the
telescope pier. The second shutdown, expected to be of similar length, is anticipated in the Sept/Oct timeframe of 25B.
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Keck I AO:
Keck I AO (OSIRIS-NGS/LGS) will be unavailable from February - June to allow the AO Development and Operations teams to
focus on improving the reliability and performance of the AO systems on both telescopes, in addition to bringing the new KAPA
system online for Keck I. As such, KI AO will be unavailable until July 2025.
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Keck II AO:
Keck II AO (NIRC2 & NIRSPAO) will be unavailable for 3 weeks beginning in mid-February AND for 3 weeks beginning in mid-April.
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Keck Planet Finder (KPF) and KPF-CC:
The KPF Community Cadence (KPF-CC) program is operating a queue observation service in 2025A and the 25A WMKO coversheet contains
both the KPF and KPF-CC instrument options. PIs who wish to opt in to KPF-CC must select the KPF-CC instrument on their
WMKO coversheet
(select KPF on your NExScI coversheet). PIs must also submit all proposed observational requests to the queue
prior to their TAC's proposal deadline.
For more detail on the KPF-CC program, how to opt-in, and how to submit requests, please read this
information
carefully.
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NIRSPEC/NIRSPAO:
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NIRSPEC/NIRSPAO will be unavailable from February 1 - early March for routine service to remove ice from the dewar window
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Nirspec and Nirspao nights will be scheduled in campaign mode to limit the number of reconfigs into AO. This may impact the
ability to schedule certain date critical observations.
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DEIMOS:
DEIMOS will be unavailable for 3 months beginning in April for the installation of a new science detector.
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KPIC:
KPIC Phase I capabilities are being offered as a facility instrument in 25A. More information on KPIC Phase I can be found
here
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NIRSPAO/KPIC:
SCALES is expected to arrive at the Observatory in early 25B and will occupy NIRSPAO's location in AO. NIRSPAO-NGS/LGS/KPIC
will no longer be offered for use once SCALES arrives. Further details on the timeline for NIRSPAO availability will be
communicated with the 25B semester information. See
here
for more information.
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NIRC2:
The NIRC2 vector vortex coronagraph will be removed during the mid-April Keck II AO downtime and will no longer be available
for use with NIRC2. The vector vortex coronagraph will become available for use with SCALES once the instrument is commissioned.
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Instrument Hibernations:
WMKO is undergoing a process of instrument hibernation and eventual decommissioning as new capabilities
arrive, and to be responsive to pressures on WMKO resources. A hibernated instrument is not available for community use unless there
is a significant emergent scientific and strategic need.
After one year, the hibernated instrument will be completely removed from service and decommissioned. The community should begin
planning for the following:
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NIRES:
NIRES is being considered for hibernation after the conclusion of the 2025A semester. A final decision on hibernation
will be made at the end of August and communicated to the science community.
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ESI:
ESI will be hibernated at the end of the 2026A semester. ESI will continue to be scheduled in campaign mode to limit the
number of reconfigs through each semester.
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Additional instruments are under consideration for hibernation
and eventual decommissioning in later semesters, with a focus on those instruments whose capabilities are being significantly
superseded by new instrumentation.
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SUBARU exchange:
The SUBARU-KECK exchange will continue as in previous semesters with the number of exchanged nights to be determined based on the
demand from each community. Read the
2025A instrument notes
for information on available Subaru instruments. Note that Subaru will be
down for ~3 nights in February or early March for electrical work.
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Due to allocations made in previous semesters, primarily for
Key Strategic Mission Support (KSMS) programs,
there are fewer nights than usual available to NASA Keck proposers. For 2025A, there are 10 nights available on Keck 1 and 12.5 nights available on Keck 2.
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Twilight Observing:
Keck has a
program
for acquiring snapshot observations in morning twilight with OSIRIS-NGS (imager only) on Keck 1 and NIRC-NGS on Keck 2.
The program is designed to accommodate extra infrared observations during normally scheduled visible observations, when those
observations end early and surrender the last portion of the night. Programs designed for longer term (> 1-2 years) will be given
priority. Due to ongoing AO upgrades, there will be times when AO is unavailable for cadence observations.
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Dual Anonymous Proposal Review (DAPR):
NExScI staff are no longer checking each submitted proposal for DAPR compliance before TAC review. Instead, proposers
are asked if their proposal is DAPR compliant on the proposal submission page. If the TAC or a NExScI staff member finds a
DAPR violation, the proposal is subject to rejection.
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Period of Exclusive Use for NASA Keck Data:
The period of exclusive use for NASA Keck data is 12 months. Requests for extensions to this period
must be included in the
Expertise and Access document
and meet one or more of the criteria in
Section V.
Extensions will be approved or denied by the NASA Keck selecting official.
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(last updated August 8th, 2024 14:49:04)
