AURA Management and Operations of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and the National Solar Observatory

该奖项将支持与美国大学天文学研究协会就管理和运营国家光学天文台(NOAO)和国家太阳天文台(NSO)达成的一项为期五年的合作协议。NOAO和NSO将通过同行评审的观测建议向天文学社区管理观测时间，每年为1000多名天文学和太阳物理学科学家提供使用研究设施的机会。NOAO和NSO还将通过教育项目、游客中心以及基于网络的信息和图像来管理公共宣传。NOAO和NSO还将负责协调美国社区在地面光学和红外天文学方面由联邦资助的重大新举措的规划；这一规划是与美国大学和非联邦天文台密切合作的。NOAO的设施位于亚利桑那州图森附近的基特峰国家天文台(KPNO)和智利拉塞雷纳附近的Cerro Tololo美洲天文台(CTIO)，这两个天文台总共包括4个4米级的望远镜。NOAO还负责美国双子座计划办公室(USGP)，该办公室是美国天文学家分享双子座8米望远镜观测资源的门户。科学研究将包括对光学和红外波长的宽视场成像研究，以定位和表征宇宙中最远的可见物体和遍布宇宙的暗物质；光谱研究以了解恒星和星系的组成、距离和年龄；成像研究以定位和表征柯伊伯带天体、太阳系中最遥远的天体；超新星和其他恒星爆炸的成像和光谱观测；超新星和其他恒星爆炸的成像和光谱观测；测量宇宙由“暗能量”加速的速度；星系和类星体中心的光谱研究以确定位于这些活跃星系核中的大质量黑洞的性质。NSO的设施位于新墨西哥州的萨克拉门托峰和基特峰。萨克拉门托山顶的主要望远镜是一台真空塔望远镜，通过使用太阳自适应光学系统，在太阳研究中具有世界上最好的图像质量。基特峰的主要望远镜是1.5米全反射太阳望远镜，是世界上最大的太阳望远镜，并针对红外观测进行了优化。NSO还将为全球振荡网络集团(GONG)运营太阳天气光学长期调查(SOLIS)望远镜和全球望远镜。利用NSO望远镜进行的科学研究将包括：对太阳表面的磁场进行高精度成像以了解太阳耀斑的能量释放机制；对太阳表面的变化(包括太阳黑子和爆炸活动)进行天气监测以确定这些变化如何影响地球，包括全球气候变化；利用日震学描述太阳的内部结构；确定太阳随太阳黑子周期变化的原因；对太阳色球和日冕的红外光谱以确定较冷的分子物质云的位置和组成；对太阳日冕的红外光谱以了解磁场在形成和控制日冕中的作用；太阳物质被抛入行星际空间。

AST 0132798Smith, WilliamThis award will support a five year Cooperative Agreement with the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for management and operations of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) and the National Solar Observatory (NSO). NOAO and NSO will administer observing time to the astronomical community via peer reviewed observing proposals, providing access to research facilities for over 1000 scientists per year in astronomy and solar physics. NOAO and NSO will also administer public outreach through education programs, visitor centers, and Web-based information and imagery. NOAO and NSO will also be responsible for coordinating planning by the US community for major new federally funded initiatives in ground based optical and infrared astronomy; this planning is in close partnership with US universities and non-federal observatories. NOAO's facilities are located at Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) near Tucson, Arizona, and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) near La Serena, Chile, which together include 4 telescopes of 4-meter class. NOAO is also responsible for the US Gemini Program Office (USGP), which is the gateway for US astronomers to their share of observing resources on the twin 8-meter Gemini Telescopes. Scientific studies will include Wide field imaging studies in optical and infrared wavelengths to locate and characterize the most distant visible objects in the universe and the dark matter pervading the universe, Spectroscopic studies to understand composition, distances, and ages of stars and galaxies, Imaging studies to locate and characterize Kuiper Belt Objects, the most distant bodies in the solar system, Imaging and spectroscopic observations of supernovae and other stellar explosions, to understand their intrinsic nature and their use a measures of the acceleration of the universe by "dark energy", Spectroscopic studies of the centers of galaxies and quasars to determine the nature of massive black holes located in these active galactic nuclei. NSO's facilities are located on Sacramento Peak, NM, and on Kitt Peak. The principal telescope at Sacramento Peak is a vacuum tower telescope with world's best image quality for solar studies, through use of solar adaptive optics. The principal telescope at Kitt Peak is a 1.5-meter all-reflecting solar telescope, world's largest solar telescope and optimized for infrared observations. NSO will also operate the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) telescopes and the worldwide telescopes for the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG). Scientific studies with the NSO telescopes will include High precision imaging of magnetic fields on the surface of the sun to understand the energy release mechanisms in solar flares, Synoptic monitoring of changes on the solar surface, including sunspots and explosive activity, to determine how these changes affect the Earth, including global climate change, Characterization of the internal structure of the sun using helioseismology, to determine why the sun changes with the 11 year sunspot cycle, Infrared spectroscopy of the solar chromosphere and corona to determine the location and composition of cooler clouds of molecular material, Infrared spectroscopy of the solar corona to understand the role of magnetic fields in shaping and controlling the corona, where solar material is ejected into interplanetary space.