UK astronomers have lost their front-row view of the northern sky. Following UK funding cuts to the Gemini Observatory, the observatory鈥檚 board has refused to allow the country to use the 8-metre Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, US 鈥� the only telescope of its calibre in the northern hemisphere that the UK had direct access to.
In December 2007, the UK鈥檚 Science and Technology Facilities Research Council (STFC) announced a plan to withdraw from the international partnership that funds the Gemini Observatory, which owns both the Gemini North telescope and its twin, the Gemini South telescope in Chile. It had been paying 24% of Gemini鈥檚 budget.
But astronomers protested, and the STFC requested that UK astronomers be able to retain access to just the Gemini North telescope (the country can still observe the southern sky through its role in the ).
Advertisement
Gemini鈥檚 governing board, comprised of representatives from the US, Canada, Chile, Australia, Brazil and Argentina, has rejected the idea of a UK stake in just one of the observatory鈥檚 telescopes, however. It is cutting off access to UK astronomers as of 1 February.
鈥楴o choice鈥�
鈥淭he remaining members of the Gemini Partnership, [are] firmly committed to the underlying philosophy of the Gemini Agreement of one Observatory, two telescopes to advance the frontiers of astrophysics,鈥� the board says in a . 鈥淭he remaining Parties consider that the UK has wholly withdrawn from the Gemini Partnership.鈥�
The UK STFC says its cuts to Gemini funding were necessary to free up money for projects it considers to be higher priorities given an 拢80 million shortfall in its budget to 2011. 鈥淲hile we sincerely regret the need to withdraw from Gemini, the current circumstances leave us no choice,鈥� reads a on its website. The money saved will go towards other projects, such as the planned Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), the statement says.
But UK Royal Astronomical Society treasurer Paul Murdin of the University of Cambridge, UK, says the pullout is 鈥渁 disaster鈥�, leaving UK astronomers without access to any large telescope in the northern hemisphere.
Kindness of others
In future, UK astronomers will only be able to access Gemini North if they are carrying out joint observations as part of an international team with members from the US or other Gemini partner countries, he says.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no obligation on the part of astronomers in other countries to accept British astronomers into a collaboration,鈥� Murdin told New 杏吧原创. 鈥淚t puts us at a negotiating disadvantage.鈥�
The withdrawal is also bad news for Gemini, Murdin says. He thinks the reduction in funding will likely lead to cutting back on upgrades to the observatory鈥檚 instruments. He hopes the STFC can be persuaded to reverse its cuts and that discussions with the Gemini partnership can be revived.
An association of UK space scientists called MIST (Magnetosphere, Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial) issued a statement criticising the STFC on Friday, saying it is 鈥渄eeply concerned about the lack of transparency in recent decision-making within the STFC 鈥� and the lack of consultation and discussion with the community鈥�.
