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Australia and ESO Sign a Decadal Strategic Partnership

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Australia and ESO Sign a Decadal Strategic Partnership OBSERVERTHE AUSTRALIAN ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY NEWSLETTER NUMBER 132 AUGUST 2017 Australia and ESO sign a decadal Strategic Partnership HERMES images with the Photonics Comb | 2dfdr - 20 years of evolution | Night life of Night Assistants DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Director’s message Warrick Couch Never before in writing my usual message Contained within the Budget was the news for the AAO Observer have I been in a that as part of a new measure entitled position to report such transformative events Maintaining Australia’s Optical Astronomy that have taken place over the last few Capability, the government would fund a 10 months in terms of the future of Australian year strategic partnership between Australia optical astronomy and the AAO itself. and the European Southern Observatory (ESO), involving an investment of $26.1M over This all started with the announcement of the next 4 years, and a total of $120M over the the Federal Budget on the evening of 9 May. next 11 years. Not only does this address one Contents SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS 2dFdr - 20 years of evolution 6 Holistic spectroscopy – Complete reconstruction of HERMES spectroscopic images with the aid of photonic combs 10 Veloce: Australia’s new planet hunter 15 Siriusly, a newly identified intermediate-age Milky Way stellar cluster 17 The kinematic morphology—density relationship at the AAT 20 Supernova 1987A illuminates after 30 years 23 New horizons for Australian astronomers 25 OBSERVATORY NEWS Successful BBC and ABC Stargazing Live TV events at Siding Spring Observatory 28 Where will your career take you? 30 Night Life at the AAT: The Night Assistants Perspective 34 AAO joins organization of International Science Communication Festival “Pint of Science” 37 “Stargazing in the Calyx”, new Science Communication Event series at Sydney’s Botanic Gardens 38 “The Story of Light: Surveying the Cosmos”, in Vivid Sydney Ideas 2017 40 Southern Cross Conference 2017 42 ITSO corner 43 LOCAL NEWS News from North Ryde 45 Letter from Coona 46 Site Projects 47 Australia and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have signed a 10-year Strategic Partnership. The photo shows all the signatories of the Australia-ESO agreement. From left to right: Virginia Kilborn (President of the Astronomical Society of Australia), Warrick Couch (Director of the AAO), Sue Weston (Deputy Secretary, Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science), Senator the Hon Arthur Sinodinos (Minister for Industry, Innovation, and Science), Tim de Zeeuw (Director General of ESO), Brian Schmidt (Vice Chancellor of the Australian National University), Laura Comendador (Head of the ESO Cabinet), and Patrick Geeraert (ESO Director of Administration). Credit: Stuart Ryder (ITSO/AAO) DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE of the most important and urgent telescopes, as though Australia was and agreed upon – and there will priorities of the current Australian a full member state. Having been be a lot of devil in this detail – in Astronomy Decadal Plan – having involved in the negotiations with broad terms, this will see the access to the equivalent of 30% of ESO, I cannot emphasize enough AAO split into two entities: (i)The an 8m optical/infrared telescope what an enormous attraction operations of the AAT and UKST, through a long-term partnership – Australia’s excellence and innovation which will be funded and governed but realizes a long-held ambition in astronomical instrumentation by a consortium of universities led that the Australian astronomy is to ESO in having Australia by the ANU, and continue for a community has had for more than 20 become a strategic partner. minimum of 7 years. (ii)The AAO’s years. Indeed I well remember how instrumentation capability based So that Australian astronomers close we came to joining ESO back in in Sydney, that will be primarily could have access to the LSP 1995. With ESO membership having funded through AAL (which has been ranked as the highest priority facilities as soon as possible (viz committed $5M per year of its for expenditure of the government’s from April 2018), the Department NCRIS allocation) in partnership major national research facility of Industry, Innovation and Science with universities, particularly those funding, there was every expectation (DIIS) moved very quickly to based in Sydney who might host that it would be approved. But with negotiate and finalise the Strategic and co-invest in this activity. The a general election looming and Partnership Agreement with ESO. target date for having these new Australia’s economy being weak, the On the morning of Tuesday 11 July, arrangements in place is 1 July 2018, Keating cabinet decided at the last the agreement was signed by the bearing in mind that the final two minute not to fund ESO membership, Minister for Industry, Innovation, and years of the AAO’s current funding in fear that the required expenditure Science, Senator the Hon Arthur will be repurposed to pay for ESO. of tax payers’ money overseas would Sinodinos, and the Director General The massive task of determining not be a good look politically. of ESO, Prof Tim de Zeeuw, at the ASA Annual Scientific Meeting what these new arrangements will When Australian membership of being held at ANU (see Fig. 1). This be and transitioning to them has now ESO was being considered back in marks the beginning of an exciting begun. Here DIIS will consult closely 1995, it was for full membership. new era for Australian astronomy, with the AAO Advisory Committee Importantly, the 10 year “Strategic a fact that was readily appreciated (AAOAC). An important initial step Partnership” with ESO funded and enthusiastically applauded by is to establish the basic principles, through this year’s Budget is both the 200 or so astronomers who boundary conditions and most different to full membership but also were present at the signing. judicious options for establishing (i) provides Australia with the option and (ii) above. For AAT operations, of achieving it in the long-term. What does the future hold for the this will involve an external review Moreover, it represents an excellent AAO in the new ESO era? First of to be undertaken by Markus Kissler- deal for Australia. Specifically, at all, it needs to be understood that Patig, the outgoing Director of a cost considerably below that of the funding of the ESO partnership Gemini, who will advise the ANU-led full membership, it gives Australian by the government also relies on consortium on what operational astronomers access to what they a new partnership between it and models should be considered that need most – the optical telescopes the research sector in funding best meet the underlying objectives at ESO’s La Silla and Paranal and governing optical astronomy of government in funding the Observatories (LSP), in particular infrastructure – an expanded Maintaining Australia’s Optical the 8m Very Large Telescope (VLT), ‘package’ that now includes ESO as Astronomy Capability measure as consisting of four 8m telescopes as well as the AAO. The government well as the needs of the astronomy well as the world’s leading optical pays for ESO and in return the community. For AAO-Sydney, interferometer facility (VLTI). With research sector must now fund and DIIS is currently working with the Australia’s GDP-based share of ESO govern the AAO (remembering it AAOAC on establishing the main being ~7.5%, this access to the VLT is currently a division within the principles and boundary conditions realizes the Decadal Plan goal of Department of Industry, Innovation in transitioning it to a national having a 30% share of an 8m. Added & Science, DIIS). In doing so, the instrumentation capability. It is also to this, Australian instrumentation looming issue of the AAO’s current in the process of forming a high-level groups and industry will be able funding program terminating in reference group that will provide it to compete for all contracts and mid-2020 is resolved. While many with expert input into its planning work associated with LSP and its details are yet to be worked out and implementation, making sure all DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Fig 1. An historic day for Australian astronomy – the Minister for Industry, innovation and Science, Senator the Hon Arthur Sinodinos, and the Director General of ESO, Tim de Zeeuw, sign a 10 year Strategic Partnership Agreement between Australia and ESO. key stakeholders are represented. a wider range of industry-focused dollar instrumentation contracts R&D and commercial activities. (e.g. GHOST, 4MOST), an external As mentioned above, the world- Hence great care and thought is revenue stream this financial year leading instrumentation capability required to preserve this extremely of $8.6M, and a range of world- that currently resides at the AAO in valuable asset in transferring it leading technologies (e.g. Starbug Sydney (and indeed more broadly to these new governance and and Echnidna positioners, OH- in Australia) is a strength much funding arrangements, and suppression systems) that are valued by ESO. Maintaining this to ensure it has every chance certain to play a vital role in future capability is critical to maximizing of thriving into the future. ESO and GMT instrumentation. the scientific and economic returns on the government’s investment Here we should not forget that Hence as well as retaining the in ESO. It is also the vehicle for the AAO’s current instrumentation extraordinary talent and IP that achieving another key government program is a major going concern currently resides within the AAO, imperative in this context: to deliver with numerous multi-million there are, in my view, two key DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE requirements critical to the survival July, Steve reached the amazing Fig 2. Celebrating Steve Lee’s 40 years of and success of the organization milestone of having worked at the service at the AAO.
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