It is a pleasure to introduce the first edition of the Calar Alto Newsletter, and to welcome the reader to a complementary source of information concerning activities on Calar Alto, and upgrades to telescopes and instruments. We also wish to use this newsletter to present, on a semi-annually basis, a sketch of the research which is carried out using Calar Alto facilities.
One of the major activities on Calar Alto is going to improve local seeing conditions at the 3.5m telescope. To that extend we have removed all electronic laboratories from the building. We froze down, almost literally, daytime activities that were going on there in the past. The significantly decreased rate of heat dissipation in the bulding seems to have first, and certainly positive, effects on the local seeing. A ventilation system of the primary mirror, similar to a very successful experiment to eliminate mirror seeing at the ESO 3.6m telescope, is presently being installed and tested. Large-scale modifications to the dome, such as a system of ventilators and ventilating windows, are in their study phase. The latter measures will greatly increase the rate of air exchange, and thus bring the temperature inside the dome close to ambient in a short period of time. With these measures we hope to remove most if not all homemade contributions to the local seeing. The prevailing seeing outside the dome will be obtained in the near-future with a differential image motion monitor, to be set up on a tower located at the North-West of the 3.5m building.
To increase the observing efficiency on Calar Alto, we are discussing new observing modi. It is not new to the frequent observer, that atmospheric conditions on Calar Alto exhibit large variations. This may imply that programmes requiring special conditions such as good seeing or high transparency may suffer a complete loss, if rigidly scheduled. It is thus planned to introduce service observations starting in the summer of this year. This will allow a more flexible scheduling, and by that almost guarantee to finish in a reasonable time those programmes which have received the highest scientific ratings. To that extend, we are presently training our staff towards more independent work at the telescope.
In July 2000, we are organising a summer school on Calar Alto, now replacing the previously held ESO/OHP summer schools. Participants in this EU-funded project are Haute Provence Observatory and Asiago Observatory. ESO is bringing its experience and support to ensure that the school is fulfilling the requirements of preparing young observers to use large astronomical facilities. Student applications are invited before the deadline March 31.
This first issue contains contributed articles by Castro-Tirado et al., de Guindos, Hippler et al., Ortiz et al., and Sanchez et al. We particularly solicit contributions from the community, and should be glad to include your manuscript in a future issue.
