Paranal Instrumentation
The offered Paranal telescopes and instruments and their location are listed in the following table
A similar overview for Period 91 (April 1, 2012 - September 30, 2012) is available and is relevant for, e.g., P91 DDT proposals.
The links to the different instruments provide an overview of the respective instrument capabilites and the offered instrument modes.
| Telescope | Focus | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasmyth A |
Cassegrain |
Nasmyth B |
Interferometric |
|
| UT1 (Antu) | CRIRES | FORS2 | KMOS | |
| UT2 (Kueyen) | FLAMES | Visitor Instrument | UVES | |
| UT3 (Melipal) | ISAAC | XSHOOTER | VIMOS | |
| UT4 (Yepun) | HAWK-I | SINFONI | NACO | |
| AT1 | ||||
| AT2 | ||||
| AT3 | ||||
| AT4 | ||||
| VISTA | VIRCAM | |||
| VST | OmegaCAM | |||
For details please refer to the Call for Proposals for Period 92.
Information on Paranal decommissioned instruments is available on a separate page.
Telescope and Instrument Overheads
Service and Visitor Mode observers must include in their proposals the overhead times associated with their science target observations. In service mode, time for night-time calibrations and associated overheads should only be included in cases where the accuracy of the calibration plan is not deemed sufficient for the science goals. The following tables provides typical times to estimate the overheads associated with their observations. More details can be found in the instrument manuals.
(valid for P92)
Direct links to instruments on UT1 , UT2, UT3, UT4, VLTI, VISTA, VST.
| Telescope | Instrument | Action | Time (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UT1 | Preset | 6 | |
| UT1 | Preset (2nd OB and following in a concatenation) | 0.67+(target separation in deg)/60 | |
| CRIRES | Acquisition without AO | 3 | |
| CRIRES | Acquisition with AO | 5 | |
| CRIRES | Read-out | 10%-60% of exp. time[1] | |
| CRIRES | Nodding cycle | 0.4 | |
| CRIRES | Change of wavelength setting | 1.5 - 2.5 [1] | |
| CRIRES | Change of derotator position angle | 1 | |
| CRIRES | Attached wavelength calibration | 2.5 | |
| CRIRES | Attached lamp flat | 2 | |
| FORS2 | Acquisition (1 cycle w/o exp. time)[2] | 1.5 or 2 | |
| FORS2 | Through Slit Image (2 cycles w/o exp. times)[3] | 4 | |
| FORS2 | Instrument Setup | 1 | |
| FORS2 | Retarder Plate Setup per PMOS/IPOL OB | 1 | |
| FORS2 | Read-out 100kHz binned (spectroscopy) | 0.7 | |
| FORS2 | Read-out 200kHz binned (imaging) | 0.5 | |
| KMOS | Acquisition, MOSAIC setup | 0 | |
| KMOS | Acquisition, non-MOSAIC setup, without exposure time, per cycle (2 cycles usually necessary): | ||
| KMOS | - : read-out + writing image to disk | 0.10 | |
| KMOS | - : interaction + image reconstruction | 0.58 | |
| KMOS | Acquisition (2nd OB in a concatenation, MOSAIC and non-MOSAIC setups): arms parking and deployment | 4 | |
| KMOS | Read-out + writing image to disk | 0.10 | |
| KMOS | Image reconstruction | 0.33 | |
| KMOS | Offset (dither, i.e. within individual IFUs) | 0.15 | |
| KMOS | Offset to sky | 0.75 | |
| UT2 | Preset | 6 | |
| UT2 | Preset (2nd OB and following in a concatenation) | 0.67+(target separation in deg)/60 | |
| FLAMES | Acquisition[4] | 9 | |
| FLAMES | Instr. Setup GIRAFFE | 1 | |
| FLAMES | Instr. Setup UVES | 1 | |
| FLAMES | CCD read-out GIRAFFE | 1 | |
| FLAMES | CCD read-out UVES | 1 | |
| FLAMES | Screen Flatfields | 7 | |
| FLAMES | Plate Configuration[5] | 0-20 | |
| UVES | Instrument Setup | 1 | |
| UVES | Acquisition. Bright Point Source | 2 | |
| UVES | Acquisition. Faint, Extended or Crowded Field | 5 | |
| UVES | Read-out[6], 1x1, Fast | 0.75 | |
| UVES | Read-out[6], 2x2, Slow | 0.75 | |
| UVES | Attached ThAr, Night time | 1.5 | |
| UVES | Attached Flat, Night time | 2 | |
| UT3 | Preset | 6 | |
| UT3 | Preset (2nd OB and following in a concatenation) | 0.67+(target separation in deg)/60 | |
| ISAAC[7] | Instrument Setup, Imaging | 0.5 | |
| ISAAC | Instrument Setup, Spectroscopy (incl. slit check) | 7 | |
| ISAAC | Telescope Offsetting | 0.25 | |
| ISAAC | Target Acquisition | 1-4 | |
| ISAACHw | Read-out (per DIT, imaging) | 0.07 | |
| ISAACAl | Read-out (per DIT, imaging without chopping)[8] | negligible | |
| ISAACHw | Read-out (per DIT, spectroscopy) | 0.13 | |
| ISAACAl | Read-out (per DIT, spectroscopy without chopping)[9] | negligible | |
| ISAACAl | Imaging with chopping | 40%[10] | |
| ISAACAl | Spectroscopy with chopping | 30%[10] | |
| ISAAC | Night time flat[11] (one on-off pair) | 4 | |
| ISAAC | Night time arc[11] (one on-off pair) | 3 | |
| ISAACAl | Burst and FastJitter Modes | See the Burst web page | |
| XSHOOTER | Target acquisition | 3-5 | |
| XSHOOTER | Telescope offsetting | 0.25 | |
| XSHOOTER | Instrument setup Slit | 0.5 | |
| XSHOOTER | Delay before start of exposure: UVB | 0 sec | |
| XSHOOTER | Delay before start of exposure: VIS | 5 sec | |
| XSHOOTER | Delay before start of exposure: NIR | 10 sec | |
| XSHOOTER | UVB Read-out[12], 1x1, Slow/Fast | 68/16 sec | |
| XSHOOTER | UVB Read-out[12], 1x2, Slow/Fast | 34/8 sec | |
| XSHOOTER | UVB Read-out[12], 2x2, Slow/Fast | 17/4 sec | |
| XSHOOTER | VIS Read-out[12], 1x1, Slow/Fast | 89/21 sec | |
| XSHOOTER | VIS Read-out[12], 1x2, Slow/Fast | 45/11 sec | |
| XSHOOTER | VIS Read-out[12], 2x2, Slow/Fast | 22/5 sec | |
| XSHOOTER | NIR Read-out (per DIT) | 1.46 sec | |
| VIMOS | IMG acquisition + Instrument setup | 3 | |
| VIMOS | MOS acquisition + Instrument setup | 15 | |
| VIMOS | IFU acquisition + Instrument setup | 10 | |
| VIMOS | Read-out IMG,MOS,IFU (4 quadrants) | 1 | |
| VIMOS | Change of Filter (IMG) | 3 | |
| VIMOS | Attached screen flat+arc (IFU, MOS)[13] | 5-8 | |
| UT4 | Preset | 6 | |
| UT4 | Preset (2nd OB and following in a concatenation) | 0.67+(target separation in deg)/60 | |
| HAWK-I | Acquisition and Instrument Setup | 1 | |
| HAWK-I | Acquisition (Move to Pixel) and Instrument Setup | 3 | |
| HAWK-I | Telescope offset (large) | 0.75 | |
| HAWK-I | Telescope offset (small) | 0.15 | |
| HAWK-I | Read Out (per DIT) | 0.03 | |
| HAWK-I | Filter Change | 0.35 | |
| SINFONI | Acquisition no AO | 3 | |
| SINFONI | Acquisition AO (NGS) | 2 + 4*(DIT*NDIT)[14] | |
| SINFONI | Acquisition AO (LGS) | 9 + 4*(DIT*NDIT)[14] | |
| SINFONI | Acquisition target (AO and no AO) | 4 + 4*(DIT*NDIT) | |
| SINFONI | Instrument setup (per grating change) | 2.5 | |
| SINFONI | Science exposure read-out (per DIT) | 0.07 | |
| SINFONI | Detector setup (per DIT x NDIT) | 0.3 | |
| NACO | see User Manual | --- | |
| VLTI | |||
| AMBER | One calibrated visibility CAL-SCI-CAL, LR [15] | 15+45*(number of bands)[16] | |
| AMBER | One calibrated visibility CAL-SCI-CAL, MR, HR [15] | 30+45*(number of bands)[16] | |
| AMBER | One calibrated visibility SCI-CAL, LR [15] | 10+30*(number of bands)[16] | |
| AMBER | One calibrated visibility SCI-CAL, MR, HR [15] | 20+30*(number of bands)[16] | |
| MIDI | One calibrated Visibility SCI-CAL [15] | 50 | |
| MIDI | One calibrated Visibility CAL-SCI-CAL [15] | 75 | |
| VISTA | Preset | 2 | |
| VISTA | Preset (2nd OB and following in concatenation) | 0.33+ (target separation in deg)/60 | |
| VIRCAM | Guide star handling | 0.05 | |
| VIRCAM | Autoguiding start | 0.083 | |
| VIRCAM | Active Optics start | 0.75 | |
| VIRCAM | Filter change | 0.35-0.67 | |
| VIRCAM | Detector readout | 0.03 per DIT | |
| VIRCAM | Writing FITS to disk | 0.067 | |
| VIRCAM | Pawpring change | 0.17 | |
| VIRCAM | Jitter offset | 0.067 | |
| VIRCAM | Micro step | 0.067 | |
| VST | Preset | 2 | |
| VST | Offset at template start | 0.25 | |
| VST | Set rotator position angle (PA) (abs(PA) < 180) | PA/120 | |
| VST | 2nd OB and following in concatenation | ||
| VST | - Preset | 0.5+(target separation in deg)/90 | |
| VST | - Set Rotator PA | (abs(PA_n)+abs(PA_n+1))/120 [17] | |
| OmegaCAM | Guide Star (GS) aquisition | 1 | |
| OmegaCAM | Acquisition of new Guide Star after offset | 1 | |
| OmegaCAM | Re-acquisition of same Guide Star after offset [18] | 0.08 | |
| OmegaCAM | Pick object | 0.75 | |
| OmegaCAM | Filter exchange between acquisition and 1st science templates: | ||
| OmegaCAM | - different magazine | 1.08 | |
| OmegaCAM | - same magazine | 1.92 | |
| OmegaCAM | Filter exchange between science templates: | ||
| OmegaCAM | - different magazine | 0.58 | |
| OmegaCAM | - same magazine | 1.42 | |
| OmegaCAM | Detector readout and data writing to disk, last exposure of an OB | 0.33 | |
| OmegaCAM | Detector readout and data writing to disk, other exposures | 0.67 | |
| OmegaCAM | Start Active Optics/Image Analysis | 3 |
Direct links to instruments on UT1 , UT2, UT3, UT4, VLTI, VISTA, VST.
[1] See CRIRES User Manual for more details
[2] Typically one cycle for the target acquisition (exposure time of the acquisition image not included). MXU, MOS, and PMOS: 2 min. LSS,IPOL,ECH: 1.5 min (per cycle). IMG none.
[3] Through-slit exposures are mandatory for all spectroscopic OBs. Two cycles are typically enough to center the target on the slit (exposure time of the through slit image not included). MXU,MOS,PMOS,LSS,ECH 2.0 min (per cycle), IMG and IPOL none.
[4] Includes configuration of UVES fibres, homing the rotator to zero degrees, swapping of the plates, and the acquisition of field; telescope preset, acquisition of the guide star, and start of the active optics are not included and account with additional 6 minutes. For ARGUS fast acquisition (VM only), the acquisition overhead is 2 minutes and is calculated assuming that plate 2 is already attached to the telescope.
[5] Plate configuration takes 20 minutes at most (Medusa fibres). This does not translate into additional overheads if the running exposure on the other plate is at least 20 minutes long. Plate configuration overheads have to be added if the exposure time is shorter than 20 minutes.
[6] In a dichroic exposure the CCDs are read out in parallel.
[7] ISAAC refers to both Aladdin and Hawaii, ISAACHw only to Hawaii detector, ISAACAl only to Aladdin detector.
[8] For the Aladdin SW J+Block,H,K and LW low background NB_3.21 and NB_3.28 filters only.
[9] In Medium Resolution (MR) only.
[10] Global overheads in % are used for the LW imaging and spectroscopic chopping templates
[11] When required, see ISAAC P2PP page and the ISAAC User Manual.
[12] Detectors are read sequentially.
[13] Attached flats and arcs are mandatory for IFU.
[14] Here: DIT and NDIT as required for the AO natural guide star (NGS).
[15] This time includes all telescope and instrument overheads as well as the integration times on the science target and the calibrator.
[16] With a maximum number of 3 bands per wavelength setting. For each new wavelength setting, a new calibrated visibility has to be obtained.
[17] When switching from OBn to OBn+1 in a concatenation, the overhead for repositioning the rotator is (abs(PA(OBn)) + abs(PA(OBn+1)))/(2 deg/s). I.e. for an OB sequence with PA=90 degrees, the overhead per OB is 90s. PAs > 180 or < -180 are interpreted as modulu 360. E.g. PA=270 implies motion to PA=-90.
[18] The default dither sequence 'diagonal' with N=5 exposures will not require to change the guide star. A larger offset sequence increases the overhead due to the reaquisition of a new guide star. For exposures shorter than 1-2 minutes, observations can be performed without guiding.