Lick Observatory Support Policy

All obervers must be checked out. It is the policy of Lick Observatory that no person may operate a Lick telescope or facility instrument without first being instructed in its use by a person specifically designated by the faculty member in charge of that telescope or equipment. In general that person is one of the resident support astronomers. The purpose of this rule is to promote proper use of the facilities, and to ensure that all observers are fully aware of the unique factors affecting safety of observers and equipment at each telescope. For observers to check out other observers without explicit approval from the concerned faculty is expressly prohibitied. This does not preclude, for example, assistance with record keeping or with one's own experimental equipment. Failure to comply with this rule may lead to rejection of future time requests. Persons who have previously been checked out may request additional instruction if desired.

As a rule, Lick offers a single night of scheduled training for a given run to one of the attending observers. In the absence of another trained observer, this person will have sole responsibility for operating the telescope and instrument throughout the run.

It is our goal in providing training and support that instruments and telescopes deliver the best possible results and are safely operated with a minimum of downtime. A Lick support astronomer is on call every night of the year to provide assistance as needed. Please do not hesitate to contact the on-call astronomer should you need help. See the Support Astronomers' On-Call Schedule.



Observing Support Policy
All obervers must be checked out. It is the policy of Lick Observatory that no person may operate a Lick telescope or facility instrument without first being instructed in its use by a person specifically designated by the faculty member in charge of that telescope or equipment. In general that person is one of the resident support astronomers. The purpose of this rule is to promote proper use of the facilities, and to ensure that all observers are fully aware of the unique factors affecting safety of observers and equipment at each telescope. For observers to check out other observers without explicit approval from the concerned faculty is expressly prohibitied. This does not preclude, for example, assistance with record keeping or with one's own experimental equipment. Failure to comply with this rule may lead to rejection of future time requests. Persons who have previously been checked out may request additional instruction if desired. As a rule, Lick offers a single night of scheduled training for a given run to one of the attending observers. In the absence of another trained observer, this person will have sole responsibility for operating the telescope and instrument throughout the run. It is our goal in providing training and support that instruments and telescopes deliver the best possible results and are safely operated with a minimum of downtime. A Lick support astronomer is on call every night of the year to provide assistance as needed. Please do not hesitate to contact the on-call astronomer should you need help. See the Support Astronomers' On-Call Schedule.