OPTICON 2026 Call

OPTICON call for proposals 2026 (Closed)

Applications for telescope time should be submitted using the proposal template attached below. Applicants are asked to download and complete the document, and return the completed form as a PDF by email to: OpticonAlliance@ia.forth.gr. As the number of participating facilities in this call is limited, applicants are also encouraged to check the relevant telescope or observatory website in case any facility requires specific additional information. Applicants may request observing time on multiple facilities through a single proposal, where these form part of the same scientific programme. As operational capabilities, instrumentation, and application requirements may differ between facilities, applicants are advised to consult the relevant telescope or observatory contact where facility-specific guidance is required. Target of Opportunity (ToO) observations may be available at some participating facilities, and applicants considering a ToO request are advised to contact the relevant telescope or observatory contact directly in order to confirm availability and any facility-specific procedures. Late applications will not be considered. 

Please note that, for this call, applications are invited from the international community excluding USA-based observers. It is expected that future calls will broaden eligibility to include USA-based observers. Applicants submitting a proposal will be expected to provide feedback on at least one anonymised proposal as part of the review process.

OPTICON_Application_for Telescope_Time_2026A.docx

Note: TBL and Aristarchos facilities will be available for future calls, but are currently in the process of being upgraded. Please also consider the BHTOM network of telescopes for time-domain observations. We expect the TAC panel decisions ~early-mid June.

The call for proposals will close on April 17th 2026 at UT 23:59.

 

*As of Wednesday 8th April, the University of Zielona Gora Observatory (UZO) telescope facility is also available. If you wish to request time on this facility, please indicate on the application form in the 'Facilities requested' section*

 

THE FACILITIES OFFERING OBSERVING TIME ARE SHOWN BELOW:

 

The Baldone Schmidt telescope

  • Observatory Location: Latvia
  • Observatory Webpage link: https://www.baldonesobservatorija.lu.lv
  • Telescope size: 1.2 m
  • Telescope Description: Schmidt telescope
  • Instrumentation: Baldone Schmidt + device, U, B, V, R, I photometry or without filter, and 4 degree objective prism.
  • Scientific usage: Photometry and Spectroscopy
  • Time allocation information: March 3 nights: U, B, V, R, I photometry or without filter; March 2 nights: 4 degree objective prism; April 3 nights: U, B, V, R, I photometry or without filter; April 2 nights: 4 degree objective prism; May 3 nights: U, B, V, R, I photometry or without filter; May 2 nights: 4 degree objective prism; August 2 nights: U, B, V, R, I photometry or without filter; August 2 nights: 4 degree objective prism; September 2 nights: U, B, V, R, I photometry or without filter and 4 degree objective prism.
  • Lead contact: Ilgmars Eglitis
  • Lead contact email: ilgmars.eglitis@lu.lv
  • Notes: The telescope cannot be controlled remotely. Observations are provided by an operator according to the order description and is a co-author of subsequent publications. Due to the uncertain weather conditions in the Baltics, it is recommended to plan at least a one-week period for observations.

 

Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO)

  • Observatory Location: Armenia
  • Observatory Webpage link: https://www.bao.am/telescopes/2.6m/
  • Telescope size: 2.6 m
  • Telescope Description: Classic Cassegrain reflector, also with use of the primary focus f/3.85 and 2 Nasmyth foci.
  • Instrumentation: SCORPIO - Spectral Camera with Optical Reducer for Photometric observations
  • Scientific usage: Photometry and Spectroscopy
  • Time allocation information: 30 nights (per year)
  • Lead contact: Areg Mickaelian
  • Lead contact email: aregmick@yahoo.com

 

Joan Oró Telescope (TJO)

  • Observatory Location: Montsec Observatory (OdM-IEEC), Catalonia
  • Observatory Webpage link: https://montsec.ieec.cat/en/astronomy/tjo/
  • Telescope size: 0.8 m
  • Telescope Description: Robotic 0.8 m Ritchey-Chrétien
  • Instrumentation: MEIA2 (Imaging camera) and ARES (medium resolution spectrograph)
  • Scientific usage: Photometry and Spectroscopy
  • Time allocation information: 20 hours
  • Lead contact: -
  • Lead contact email: obsmontsec@ieec.cat
  • Notes: Proposals can also be submitted until 15 May 2026 (Fri) (at 21:59 UT) under the same conditions as the regular call (open time). 

 

Kottamia Astronomical Observatory (KAO)

  • Observatory Location: Egypt
  • Observatory Webpage link: https://www.nriag.sci.eg/overview-at-kottamia-astronomical-observatory/
  • Telescope size: 1.88 m
  • Telescope Description: Cassegrain
  • Instrumentation: KFISP, Kottamia Faint Imaging Spectro-Polarimeter
  • Scientific usage: Photometry, Spectroscopy and spectro-polarimetry
  • Time allocation information: 45 nights until end of 2026
  • Lead contact: Gamal Edin Hamed
  • Lead contact email: gamal.hamed@nriag.sci.eg

 

Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO)

  • Observatory Location: Various
  • Observatory Webpage link: https://lco.global
  • Telescope size: 13x1 m, 10x0.4 m
  • Telescope Description: Robotic telescopes
  • Instrumentation:  All of the 1 m telescopes (except the Wise Observatory) have Sinistro imaging cameras. The 0.4 m telescopes have QHY600 CMOS camera systems.
  • Scientific usage: Photometry
  • Time allocation information: ~100 hours/semester for 1 m or ~200 hours/semester for 0.4 m. The 2 m telescopes are not available for this call.
  • Lead contact: Martin Dominik
  • Lead contact email: md35@st-andrews.ac.uk
  • Notes:  Our semesters run from 1 Feb to 31 Jul, and from 1 Aug to 31 Jan each year. All observing requests go through a central scheduler, you cannot choose a specific telescope. Please only provide a total envisaged number of  observing hours for the observing semester in your proposal (per instrument), we do not need to know when you would like to observe at this stage.

 

Liverpool Telescope (LT)

  • Observatory Location: Canary islands, La Palma, Spain
  • Observatory Webpage link: https://telescope.livjm.ac.uk
  • Telescope size: 2 m
  • Telescope Description: 2.0 m unstaffed fully robotic telescope
  • Instrumentation: Currently mounted/operational instruments: IO:O, RISE, LIRIC, SPRAT and MOPTOP https://telescope.livjm.ac.uk/TelInst/Inst/index.php
  • Scientific usage: Photometry and Spectroscopy
  • Time allocation information: 50 hours (July 1st semester start)
  • Lead contact: Christopher Copperwheat
  • Lead contact email: C.M.Copperwheat@ljmu.ac.uk
  • Notes:  For any ToO type proposals, feedback from the TAC on proposals considered particularly high priority. Proposals only to be accepted if they are not eligible to be submitted to one of the other time allocation routes (non-UK or Spanish PIs)

 

Moletai Astronomical Observatory

  • Observatory Location: Vilnius University, Lithuania
  • Observatory Webpage link: https://mao.tfai.vu.lt/sci/en/news/
  • Telescope size: 51 cm
  • Telescope Description: 35/51 cm Maksutov-type telescope. Can be operated remotely.
  • Instrumentation: CCD photometer and a set of BVRI and Vilnius photometric system filters.
  • Scientific usage: Photometry
  • Time allocation information: 10 nights per month on average
  • Lead contact: Erika Pakstiene
  • Lead contact email: erika.pakstiene@tfai.vu.lt

  • Notes: Service observations are available for the collaborative projects.

     

Rapid Eye Mount telescope (REM)

 

Skalnaté Pleso Observatory

  • Observatory Location: Vysoké Tatry, Slovakia
  • Observatory Webpage link: n/a
  • Telescope size: 1.3 m, 61 cm
  • Telescope Description: No current dedicated webpage with details of telescopes and instruments. Information on the Echelle spectrograph: https://www.astro.sk/en/research/departments/stellar-department/
  • Instrumentation: 1.3 m Nasmyth Cassegrain (echelle spectroscopy, imaging/photometry). 61cm telescope (imaging/photometry)
  • Scientific usage: Photometry and Spectroscopy
  • Time allocation information: 14 nights per semester/per telescope
  • Lead contact: Theodor Pribulla
  • Lead contact email: pribulla@ta3.sk
  • Notes: Observing time not allocated in formal semesters. Service observations are preferred, but for observing runs longer than 2 or 3 nights, we are open to a hybrid regime in which our technician operates the telescope and the observer takes control of exposures.

 

Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG)

  • Observatory Location: Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, La Palma, Spain
  • Observatory Webpage link: https://www.tng.iac.es
  • Telescope size: 3.6 m
  • Telescope Description: Alt-azimuth telescope with a Ritchey-Chretien optical configuration and a flat tertiary mirror feeding two opposite Nasmyth foci
  • Instrumentation: SiFAP2, GIANO-B, HARPS-N, NICS, DOLORES
  • Scientific usage: Photometry and Spectroscopy (Imaging polarimetry and spectropolarimetry are not currently available).
  • Time allocation information: 5 nights per semester for the next 2 semesters (total of 10 nights between october 26 to september 27)
  • Lead contact: Adriano Ghedina
  • Lead contact email: ghedina@tng.iac.es
  • Notes: Observations should be done in Visitor mode except for Exo-planetary proposals which if needed could take advantage of Time-sharing. Visitors should provide their own funds for travelling.

 

University of Zielona Gora Observatory (UZO)

  • Observatory Location: Deep Sky Chile, Ovalle, Chile
  • Observatory Webpage link: https://www.uz-observatory.com/
  • Telescope size: 0.5 m
  • Telescope Description: Alt-azimuth telescope with a CDK optical configuration and mechanical de-rotator
  • Instrumentation:  QHY600pro Mono Camera (imaging/photometry)
  • Scientific usage: Photometry (BVR, gri, L)
  • Time allocation information: 114 hours/semester
  • Lead contact: Michal Zejmo
  • Lead contact email: mzejmo@uz.zgora.pl
  • Notes: The observer requests observations through our system (OCS implementation), which are performed robotically. Calibrated data is provided by default. Raw data is available upon request.

 

For specific practical information about individual telescopes or instruments, applicants are asked to contact the relevant local observatory team directly.

For general queries regarding this call, please contact:

Fraser Gillan: andrew.gillan@ncbj.gov.pl

Gerry Gilmore: gilmore@ia.forth.gr  

Gudrun Tausch-Pebody: gp383@cam.ac.uk

 

 

Call Results

 

Number of proposals received: 26

Successful applications: 65%

 

20.9 hours Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network

Multi-band Photometry of a Long Period Eclipsing Binary: NN Del

Poland

 

10 nights Kottamia Astronomical Observatory

Uranian/Neptunian Icy Satellites via Polarimetry

Republic of Korea

 

30 hours Baldone Schmidt Telescope, 10 hours Joan Oró Telescope, 35 hours Kottamia Astronomical Observatory, 6 hours Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 8.5 hours Liverpool Telescope, 30 hours University of Zielona Góra Observatory

Testing Gaia Selected Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidates through Multiband Monitoring

Poland

 

16.5 hours Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

Constraining the mass of a circumbinary planet via apsidal precession

UK

 

10 hours Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

TOI-1634 and the density valley: resolving a key mass ambiguity

UK

 

10 hours Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network

Catching the Final Hours: Physical Characterization of Near-Earth Asteroids and Earth Impactors during Extreme Close Approaches

China

 

25.66 hours Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

Detecting companions to hot Jupiters to probe their origins

Germany

 

9.2 hours Liverpool Telescope, 5.6 hours Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

Understanding the crucial early emission in TDEs with fast-response discovery and high-cadence follow-up in the Rubin-LSST era

Italy

 

5 hours Kottamia Astronomical Observatory, 5 hours Skalnaté Pleso Observatory

Spectroscopic observation – Chemically peculiar stars in binary systems

Poland

 

26 hours Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

Measuring Architectures across the Savanna to Understand Dynamical Inception (MASUDI)

Italy

 

25 hours Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network

Supernova Extinction: Disentangling ISM and CSM Contributions

Portugal

 

12 hours Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 3 hours University of Zielona Góra Observatory

Probing Shapes and Rings in Mid-Sized TNOs with LCO through stellar occultations

Spain

 

40 hours Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 20 hours Rapid Eye Mount Telescope, 10 hours Liverpool Telescope

Pursuing the first lights of core-collapse supernovae

China

 

60 hours Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, 10 hours Liverpool Telescope

Energetics and mass-loss histories of interacting supernovae in the Multi-messenger era

Italy

 

18 hours Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network

Exploiting the robotic capabilities of LCO to support SOXS observations of GRBs/FXTs

Italy

 

12.64 hours Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

Uncovering the true nature of PSR J0435+3233, a new millisecond pulsar with an abnormally high spin-down rate

Italy

 

5 hours Telescopio Nazionale Galileo

VOYAGERS Survey HARPS-N Giant Exoplanet Candidate Follow-up Proposal

Italy