We are offering the opportunity to purchase network observing time for scientific and educational purposes on our telescopes. LCO Observing semesters run (A semester) February-July and (B semester) August-January.
All prices quoted are for standard queue time. Purchase agreements for Semester A must be finalized by December 1 and for Semester B by June 1.
LCO 1-meter network price list
Up to 2,000 hours per year are available for purchase on our 1-meter network.
- $450/hr + $3,500 (admin fee) for 20-99 hours per year
- $400/hr for 100+ hours per year with no admin fee
LCO 2-meter network price list
2-meter network time is not available for purchase.
LCO 0.4-meter network price list
Up to 1,000 hours per year are available for purchase on our 0.4-meter network.
- $250/hr + $3,500 (admin fee) for 20-99 hours per year
- $250/hr for 100+ hours per year with no admin fee
Scientifically justified Time Critical (TC) time may also be purchased at a premium of +50%. Rapid Response time is not available for purchase. Proposals for TC time must be technically reviewed and approved in advance by LCO. Other requests that drastically limit our ability to schedule (e.g., 500 hours of pre-scheduled blocks, or only dark time) may also be charged a premium.
The hours billed are for allocated observations, and standard calibration is included at no cost. Data are pipeline processed and available through the LCO Science Archive. We provide scientific support to help users submit requests and access their data. Users are responsible for scheduling their observations. Time allocated does not carry over past the end of the semester. The first semester cost plus the administration fee are due on approval of contract and then billed by the start of each subsequent semester. Other billing arrangements are possible.
For more information, please contact observe@lco.global.