Las Campanas Observatory

Di Mille, F.; Boutsia, K.; Infante, L.; Osip, D.; Palunas, P.; Phillips, M.; Peck, AB; Seaman, RL; Benn, CR
2018
OBSERVATORY OPERATIONS: STRATEGIES, PROCESSES, AND SYSTEMS VII
DOI
10.1117/12.2312825
Las Campanas Observatory (LCO) of the Carnegie Institution of Science has been operating in Chile for about 50 years, currently operating four main telescopes. Carnegie operates the two 6.5 meter Magellan telescopes on behalf of a partnership that includes a consortium of universities. The Magellan Telescopes were commissioned in 2000 and 2002 and offer the consortium users a suite of twelve instruments. In this paper we will first provide a brief description of the science, technical and administrative structure of the observatory. We will then present an updated review of the Magellan telescopes operations and maintenance. Details on status and performances of the instruments will be given. We will finally cover the operations of the duPont 2.5 meter and Swope 1 meter telescopes including the current and future collaboration with the two hemisphere surveys SDSS-IV and SDSS-V.