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SOFIA Science
August 2019
In this issue:

  • Proposal Tools Webinar
  • Update on SOFIA Instrument Time Estimator (SITE)
  • Upcoming Tele-Talks
Proposal Tools Webinar

Friday, August 9, 2019 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (PDT)
Researchers onboard SOFIA
During the forthcoming Proposal Tools Webinar, held exactly four weeks before the upcoming deadline of the Call for Proposals (6 September 2019, 9:00 pm PDT), the SOFIA Science Center will offer an interactive, web-based course on the proposal tools available for Cycle 8. This webinar is for astronomers world-wide to help proposers avoid the typical pitfalls in observing time estimates and enhance the Technical Feasibility section of their proposals. After the webinar, a downloadable video tutorial will be posted on the Proposal Tools Webinar webpage.

With a focus on FIFI-LS, FORCAST, GREAT, and HAWC+ instruments, the webinar is divided into presentations on the instruments’ technical performance and capabilities, followed by live demonstrations of the proposal tools while working through sample proposal submissions. (View the agenda here.) Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions in real time as they are guided through detailed examples where they will learn how to use the SOFIA Integration Time Estimator (SITE), decide on an observing strategy, and create astronomical observing requests (AORs) in USPOT. 

To join the webinar, use the link or phone number below. Participants have the option to attend the entire session or join only for the sections that are relevant to their field of interest (view the webinar agenda here).  

In addition, U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents have the option to attend the workshop in person at the SOFIA Science Center at the NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California. To obtain a visitor badge for in-person attendance, email the Help-Desk providing your full name, affiliation, and whether you are a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident.

Meeting number: (908) 449-476
Password: SOFIA-Cycle8

Join by phone
+1-415-527-5035 US Toll
Access code: 908 449 476
Update to the SOFIA Instrument Time Estimator (SITE)

An update to the observing overheads for FORCAST and HAWC+ used in the SOFIA Instrument Time Estimator (SITE) will be posted on, or about, August 8, 2019. Proposers requesting these instruments should ensure that the submitted proposal use the updated calculations from SITE. For the latest updates on Cycle 8, always check the main Cycle 8 webpage.
Upcoming Tele-Talks

SOFIA Tele-Talks are scientific presentations given via phone, with slides distributed ahead of time. The talks are targeted broadly towards members of the astronomy community who are interested in SOFIA science and in the current and potential scientific capabilities of the observatory. The talks are organized by Dan Lester (Univ. of Texas, Austin) and held approximately twice a month on Wednesdays at 9:00am Pacific, noon Eastern. 

For information on how to participate in the Tele-Talks, please check the SOFIA Tele-Talk page.

The next Tele-Talks are:

  • August 7: Allison Towner (University of Virgnia, NRAO); photometry of Extended Green Objects
  • August 14: Loren Anderson (West Virginia Univ); [C II] 158 μm toward S235
  • September 4: Hal Yorke (Director of SOFIA SMO); SOMER and FMR project reviews
  • September 18: Fabio Santos (MPIfA); FIR polarization in Rho Oph A
  • October 2: Jeonghee Rho (SETI Institute); OIII and OI in CasA knots
The SOFIA Instrument Suite 

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) features an airborne platform hosting the following instrument suite available for use by the community of astronomers worldwide:

EXES: Echelon-Cross- Echelle Spectrograph (4.5 – 28.3 μm)
FIFI-LS: Far Infrared Field-Imaging Line Spectrometer (51 – 200 μm)
FORCAST: Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (5 – 40 μm)
FPI+: Focal Plane Imager Plus (0.36 – 1.1 μm)
GREAT: German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (0.490 – 4.747 THz)
HAWC+: High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera Plus (50 – 240 μm)
HIRMES: HIgh Resolution Mid-infrarEd Spectrometer (25 – 122 μm) (under construction)

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Editor: Randolf Klein
Content: Raquel Destefano
Design: Leslie Proudfit

Please feel free to direct questions and comments to the
SOFIA Science Center Help-Desk: sofia_help@sofia.usra.edu.