Run/Programme ID

Read the documentation on the ESO programme and run identification codes.

Run Type

Possible values for a run type are:

When querying, the user can select one of the individual values; the query will return all the runs whose run type contains the selected value. For example, selecting GTO, both GTO and Large/GTO runs are returned.

(*) ToO runs could belong to ToO programmes: value shown = ToO/ToO,
ToO runs could belong to programmes of a different type: value shown = Normal/ToO, Large/ToO, etc.
It can also happen that a normal run belongs to ToO programme: value shown = ToO/Normal.
Period

Telescope time for ESO telescopes on Paranal and La Silla is allocated twice a year in periods of 6 months: from April 1st to September 30th, or from October 1st to March 31th. Period 97, for example, corresponds to the time span: 1 April 2016 - 30 September 2016.

Observing Mode
  • Service mode: about 60% of the total time available for observations on Paranal will be carried out in Service Mode (SM). SM is also the only mode supported for APEX, VST and VISTA. It is not offered on any La Silla telescope.

  • Visitor mode: in Visitor Mode (VM) the astronomer is physically present at the observatory during the observations. Each approved VM run will be allocated specific calendar nights. One of the programme investigators will travel to the Observatory and execute the observations. Visitor Mode is not offered on VST, VISTA or APEX.

  • Designated visitor mode: Designated Visitor Mode (DVM) instead of regular Visitor Mode (VM). Designated VM observations are scheduled on specific dates/slots as if they were regular Visitor Mode runs, but they are executed by an ESO staff member, in close contact with the Principal Investigator, or someone the PI designates to serve as the liaison with the Observatory.

  • Technical time slots: by choosing this mode, the query returns the list of technical time slots allocated at the given telescope. These include time reserved for technical activities like hardware/software maintenance, science verification and instrument commissioning. During the technical time slots the telescope is not available for normal operations. This needs to be considered, for instance, when planning target of opportunity triggers.

  • Service mode slots: by choosing this mode, the query returns the list of pre-allocated service mode slots at the given telescope. During these slots the time is reserved for the execution of service mode observations. The runs are selected by the night astronomers according to target visibility, possible time constraints and prevailing ambient conditions. For these reasons it is not possible to make a prediction of which observations will be executed during a specific service mode slot. The list of service mode slots can be used to plan, for instance, target of opportunity triggers.

 

Telescope

In a generic form a drop-down menu provides the allowed telescope names.
Instrument

A drop-down menu provides the allowed instrument names. In some forms the user is allowed to enter a string or a combination of strings.
Scheduled from

Starting date of scheduling.
Allocation

The first column in the query results summarizes the schedule information on each allocated run. For visitor mode runs, it provides the information on the starting and ending dates of scheduling. It also links to a detailed scheduling for each observing run.

Allocated time

Observing time allocated to a run, in hours (h) or nights (n). Available only as output field.
PI and CoIs

Last name of the Principal Investigator and/or Co-Investigators
Proposal Title

Title of the ESO observing programme or proposal.
Remarks

Remarks/comments on the scheduled run/programme.
Abstract

Abstracts of ESO proposals are made publicly available once the proprietary period of the associated data has expired.

Observer

The observer of the programme can be the PI or coI of the proposal in visitor mode.
Raw Files

This field provides a link to the relevant observed (raw) files.
Reduced Products

This field provides a link to the relevant processed data if they are available as phase3 products.
Publications

This field provides a link to the ESO publications recorded in the ESO Telescope Bibliography database. It contains scientific papers published mainly in refereed journals. Papers may not have been recorded yet in the ESO Telescope Bibliography database.

Sort by

This pull-down menu allows the user to select various optional sorting orders of the returned records.