2007 has been a good year for CFHT, “the little one” in the pair of part-Canadian visible/infrared telescopes on Mauna Kea. With an unprecedented 100-plus CFHT based publications and a strong impact thanks to the excellence of the CFHT Legacy Survey results, the observatory has been doing well in spite of its modest size in this plethora of 8 to 10-m telescopes…
Following its pledge back at the end of 2004 to serve its communities in the best possible way, CFHT added ESPaDOnS to its Queued Service Observation (QSO) mode of operation for the 2008A semester. Unarguably one of the best observing queues in the astronomy world, QSO has been extremely efficient on CFHT’s two imagers, MegaCam in the visible and WIRCam in the infrared, serving the CFHTLS as well as hundreds of PI programs over the years. Since March 15, 2008, ESPaDOnS, a unique spectro-polarimeter in operation since 2006, is now operated in QSO mode too! But for a few nights of adaptive optics observations with Pueo every semester, all CFHT observations will now be done in QSO mode.
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With the CFHTLS currently ramping down and to be completed by the end of 2008B, a substantial amount of telescope time (at least 40%) has been made available for new Large Programs extending up to the end of 2012. Eleven exciting proposals have been submitted on MegaCam, WIRCam and ESPaDOnS, totaling more than the whole observing time available on the telescope up to 2012B! Their selection process will take place in May. More news on this at the coming CASCA meeting in Victoria.
Four teams proposing new instruments for 2013 and beyond have been awarded funding to conduct a feasibility study. These four instruments cover a wide range of scientific application and are at various stages of development: `IMAKA, a wide field high image quality imager, SITELLE, a wide-field FTS imager, SPIRou, an infrared spectro-polarimeter, and FIRST, a high-resolution high-dynamic range imager. Feasibility study reports are due in mid-October and other proposals will be welcome too. Up to two instruments will be selected for a Phase A study in 2009 and at least one new instrument should be funded to be operational in 2013.
The Mid-Term Review Committee of the Long Range Plan for Canadian astronomy recommended in its 2004 report that Canada continue to participate in CFHT for as long as the science produced by its new instruments remains compelling. The vitality of its scientific community and the creativity of its instrumentalists are insuring today that CFHT will produce compelling science over the next ten years, thus securing the Canadian participation in CFHT. Well, that is, if the recommendation is followed. Let us hope that it is the case, as CFHT is one of the most productive optical telescopes Canadian astronomers own and have access to.