FUSE Cycle 8
Proposal Preparation
Guide


         
FUSE Cycle 8

Sky Visibility Information: Available Observing (Exposure) Time

The Feasibility section of the proposal must include an assessment of the target visibility.

For targets below an absolute declination of 55 degrees or requiring more than 25% of the total visibility at the target's location, this discussion should include the fraction of the available visibility the observation requires plus the number of opportunities available for the observation.

The total observing time available for any point on the sky can be estimated from the sky plots of available observing time shown below and the corresponding Observing Time Histograms.

For observations of a target at |dec|<55 degrees or where more than 25% of the visibility is required, the proposer should consult the Observing Time Histograms for the location closest to the target. These histograms show the number of windows of a given duration. The total available observing time is indicated on each histogram figure.

The proposer should use the Observing Time Histograms to:

  • Determine the fraction of the total available observing time required for the proposed observation and provide this fraction in the Feasibility section of the proposal.

  • Estimate the number of available windows required to obtain the desired exposure time, assuming the longest windows are used.

An observation requiring more than 4 separate visibility windows or more than 25% of the available exposure time to obtain the necessary integration time will be difficult to schedule and should have very strong scientific justification. Such observations may be at risk of not being completed during Cycle 8.

Pole Plots

Northern Sky Visibility [north_viz_info]

Southern Sky Visibility [south_viz_info]

All Sky Plots

This 3 orbit filtered FUSE sky visibility plot shows the cumulative exposure time over 18 months of all visibility windows at least 3 orbits in duration. This sky map is appropriate for assessing the feasibility of short exposures at declinations: -55 < dec < +55 degrees. [3orbit_viz_info]

The following 8 orbit filtered FUSE sky visibility plot shows the cumulative exposure time over 18 months of all visibility windows that are at least 8 consecutive orbits in duration. [8orbit_viz_info]

Observing Time Histograms

A grid of histograms indicating the available exposure time at a particular Right Ascension and Declination for FUSE Cycle 8 observations is available for proposers.

Three feasibility examples are provided for clarification of the requirements, histogram usage, and the available observing time.

Last updated: 4 August 2006