Calar Alto Observatory, Spain
2 - 14 February 2025
During this two week school you will plan observation, observe with professional 1-2 metre telescopes, and reduce and analyse data. All this will be done with a help of an experienced tutor. The school also includes lectures on topics related to telescopes and observing techniques.
The school is primarily meant for PhD students in Astronomy, who do not have prior experience in observing with professional 1-2 metre class telescopes. MSc students in the late stages of their thesis work, and early career PostDocs who do not have observing experience, can also be considered.
If you are interested in hands-on observing experience, and learning all the steps from planning the observations to reducing the data, this school is perfect for you.
You can apply to this school using this LINK. The application deadline is on Friday October 18, and the applicants will be notified about the selection in early November.
Note that we usually have many people applying to the NEON Observing Schools. Therefore, it is important that you motivate your application well and also have a recommendation letter sent to the organisers by the application deadline.
Sunday | |
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~15:00 | Bus leaving from Malaga airport |
~17:00 | Bus leaving from Granada train station |
~19:00 | Arrival in Calar Alto |
19:00-19:30 | Practical information on the school |
19:30-20:15 | Dinner |
20:15-20:45 | Introductions of students, tutors and teachers |
Monday | |
09:00 - 09:15 | Welcome (Calar Alto, ORP) |
09:15 - 09:30 | School logistics |
09:30 - 11:00 | Lecture: Telescope optics (Cárdenas Vázquez) |
11:00 - 11:30 | Coffee Break |
11:30 - 12:00 | Calar Alto Observatory (Pinter) |
12:00 - 14:00 | Visiting 2.2m and 1.23m telescopes |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch |
15:00 - 16:30 | Lecture: Observing techniques - photometry (Pinter) |
16:30 - 17:00 | Coffee Break |
17:00 - 18:00 | Introduction of the observing projects (tutors) |
18:00 - 19:30 | Group work: first group meeting |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - 21:00 | Group work: planning observatios |
Tuesday | |
11:00 - 12:30 | Group work: planning observations |
12:30 - 14:00 | Lecture: Observing techniques - spectroscopy (Korhonen) |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch |
15:00 - 16:30 | Group work: planning observations |
16:00 - 16:30 | Coffee Break |
16:30 - 19:30 | Group work: planning observations |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - | 1st observing night |
Wednesday | |
11:00 - 14:00 | Group work: planning observations |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch |
15:00 - 16:30 | Lecture: Astronomical detectors (Amico) |
16:30 - 17:00 | Coffee Break |
17:00 - 19:30 | Group work: planning observations |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - | 2nd observing night |
Thursday | |
11:00 - 14:00 | Group work: planning observations |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch |
15:00 - 16:30 | Lecture: Introduction to Adaptive Optics (Amico) |
16:30 - 17:00 | Coffee Break |
17:00 - 19:30 | Group work: planning observations |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - | 3rd observing night |
Friday | |
11:00 - 14:00 | Group work: planning observations |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch |
15:00 - 19:30 | Group work: planning observations |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - | 4th observing night |
Saturday | |
11:00 - 14:00 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch | 15:00 - 19:30 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - | 5th observing night |
Sunday | |
11:00 - 14:00 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch | 15:00 - 19:30 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - | 6th observing night |
Monday | |
11:00 - 14:00 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch |
15:00 - 16:30 | Talk and discussion: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Primas) | 16:30 - 17:00 | Break |
17:00 - 19:30 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - 21:00 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
Tuesday | 11:00 - 14:00 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch |
15:00 - 16:30 | Talk and discussion: Careers in science (Korhonen) | 16:30 - 17:00 | Break |
17:00 - 19:30 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - 21:00 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
Wednesday | |
09:30 - 11:00 | Discussion : Writing observing time proposals (Korhonen) |
11:00 - 14:00 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch |
15:00 - 19:30 | Group work: reducing and analysing data | 19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - 21:00 | Group work: reducing and analysing data |
Thursday | |
09:30 - 14:00 | Group work: presentation preparation |
14:00 - 15:00 | Lunch |
15:00 - 16:30 | Lecture: Introduction to optical interferometry (Lykou) | 16:30 - 17:00 | Break |
17:00 - 19:30 | Group work: presentation preparation |
19:30 - 20:15 | Dinner |
20:15 - 21:00 | Group work: presentation preparation |
Friday | |
09:00 - 09:30 | Group presentation 1 |
09:30 - 10:00 | Group presentation 2 |
10:00 - 10:30 | Group presentation 3 |
10:30 - 11:00 | Group presentation 4 |
11:00 - 11:45 | Lunch |
11:45 - 12:00 | Closing remarks |
12:00 | Leaving Calar Alto |
Main organisers |
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Heidi Korhonen, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany |
Viktoria Pinter, CAHA, Spain |
Jesús Aceituno, CAHA, Spain |
Tutors |
Eva-Maria Ahrer, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany |
Cristina Cabello González, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain |
Luca Costantin, Centro de Astrobiología, INTA-CSIC, Spain |
Daniel Mortimer, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany |
Lecturers |
Paola Amico, European Southern Observatory, Germany |
Conchi Cárdenas Vázquez, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany |
Heidi Korhonen, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany |
Foteini Lykou, Konkoly Observatory, Hungary |
Viktoria Pinter, CAHA, Spain |
Francesca Primas, European Southern Observatory, Germany |