The star forming region 30 Doradus with ALMA observations of CO emission shown in orange/red. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), T. Wong (U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign); S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF).
Cycle 9 Observing Begins Soon
Cycle 8 2021 observations are scheduled to end on 30 September, with Cycle 9 observations starting immediately thereafter. Grade A Cycle 8 2021 programs will be carried over to the new cycle, although all other Cycle 8 2021 programs will end when the cycle does, and any data from these programs that has not yet been delivered will be sent to the PIs. People who have been awarded time for Cycle 9 should perform final checks of their observing programs and contact the UK ARC Node via the Helpdesk if they need to make any last-minute adjustments.
Polling for UK ALMA 2023 Hybrid Workshop
This workshop will provide an introduction to ALMA and instructions on how to work with data from the observatory, including sessions on preparing proposals, downloading data from the ALMA archive, calibrating and imaging ALMA data, and using advanced ALMA-related tools. Note that the exact contents of the workshop will be set later and will be adjusted to accommodate participants' specific needs.
This workshop will be conducted in a hybrid format with participants having the option of either attending the workshop in person at the University of Manchester or joining online. More details will be provided later. While the workshop is aimed primarily at novice ALMA users, particularly from the United Kingdom, other users with higher levels of experience or from other locations are also welcome to attend.
Any individuals interested in attending this workshop should fill in this expression of interest poll by 15 November. After that, the dates and the schedule of the workshop will be finalized.
Please check the webpage for the meeting periodically for updates on the status of the workshop.
CARTA Version 3.0 Now Available
Version 3.0 of the Cube Analysis and Rendering Tool for Astronomy (CARTA) is now available for download. This new version of CARTA includes multiple improvements, including 2D Gaussian fitting options, additional tools for the analysis of polarization data, online catalogue query options, and multiple panel views. Moreover, CARTA has undergone multiple technical changes to optimize its performance.
CARTA is available for Linux and macOS. General information on the viewer as well as downloads and installation information are available from the CARTA homepage.
ALMA Memo on Self-Calibration Now Published
ALMA Memo 620 entitled Self-calibration and improving image fidelity for ALMA and other radio interferometers by former UK ARC Node Astronomer Anita M. S. Richards has now been published. The memo provides an overview of the concepts behind self-calibration as well as detailed instructions on how self-calibration can be applied to ALMA and other interferometric data, and it includes extensive discussions about dealing with special data calibration situations and troubleshooting calibration problems.
The document is available from this link. This memo as well as other ALMA memos are available from the library page maintained by the NRAO.