Following the decision taken by the then PPARC Science Committee that the UK will withdraw from the AAO in mid 2010, UK contributions to the Anglo-Australian Observatory are ramping down rapidly. This is matched by a decrease in the observing time available to UK astronomers.
Projections indicate that the UK Share of AAT time will fall from just below 20% of the total in semester 2008A to about 10% in semester 2010A. However, because of commitments to large programmes involving UK astronomers, current estimates indicate that the time available for new UK projects will be substantially smaller than this, amounting to only about 1 week in semesters 2008A, 2009A and 2010A, and about 3 and 2 weeks in semesters 2008B and 2009B respectively.
Potential applicants should bear these figures in mind, particularly if planning to seek substantial amounts of time. These figures apply to UK proposals, but note that collaborative projects with astronomers of other nationalities, and particularly those led by Australian astronomers, will have a smaller impact on the UK time quota than UK-only projects.
Patrick Roche on behalf of the AAT Board 2 August 2007