Las Campanas Observatory operations: current scheme and future challenges
2022
OBSERVATORY OPERATIONS: STRATEGIES, PROCESSES, AND SYSTEMS IX
DOI
10.1117/12.2629767
The Carnegie Observatories in 2019 celebrated 50 years since Las Campanas in northern Chile was chartered as the site for its large telescopes. Since that time Carnegie has deployed four telescopes, the Swope 1 meter, the du Pont 2.5 meter and, on behalf of the Magellan consortium, the two Magellan 6.5 meter. All telescopes are routinely used producing world class science. In this paper we will review the current science operations that are mainly performed in a classical observing mode, and then present the future strategies needed across the observatory to operate in survey, remote and robotic mode.