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WIYN CONSORTIUM INC

TUCSON, AZ · EIN 860669456 · Form 990 · FY2021 · NTEE U31C · Science & Technology · Medium ($1M-$10M) · www.wiyn.org
revenue
$3.6M
expenses
$4.5M
net assets
$24.9M
employees
0
volunteers
11
program ratio
88%
mission · from form 990

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH-ASTRONOMY

profile · synthesized from sources

WIYN Consortium Inc. operates the WIYN 3.5m Telescope, providing observational facilities and instrumentation for astronomical research. It serves university and NOIRLab astronomers by offering access to advanced spectrographs and imagers, along with operational and instrument support at Kitt Peak.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2021

what they reported doing

Program narrative the organization filed with the IRS. Ordered by program spending.

  1. #1 primary $79K
    OPERATION OF 0.9 METER TELESCOPE.
named programs · 7 · from sources

what they call their work

HexPak/GradPak
Integral Field Units (IFUs) that feed into the Bench Spectrograph, designed for studying extended objects with varying spatial resolutions.
Hydra Multi-Object Spectrograph
A fiber-optic multi-object spectrograph used with the Bench Spectrograph to simultaneously record spectra from numerous celestial objects.
NEID
A spectrograph funded by the NASA/NSF Exoplanet Exploration Program, used for exoplanet research, consisting of a port adaptor and a spectrograph built by Penn State.
ODI (One Degree Imager)
A wide-field imager with a 1° x 1° field of view, utilizing Orthogonal Transfer Array CCDs for astronomical imaging.
SparsePak
A sparsely packed fiber optics bundle designed for studying spatial distribution of internal motions in galaxies and other nebulae, feeding into the Bench Spectrograph.
WHIRC (WIYN High Resolution Infrared Camera)
A 2K x 2K near-infrared imager used with the WIYN Tip-Tilt Module (WTTM) for high spatial resolution imaging in the 1-2.5 micron range.
WIYN 3.5m Telescope Operations
Provides access to the WIYN 3.5m Telescope for astronomical observations, including operational and instrument support for visiting and remote observers.
activities · 2 clusters

what they do

  • Optical and Infrared Instrument Operations 20 activities
    • Development and Operation of Integral Field Units (IFUs)
      Developed and operates HexPak and GradPak, two Integral Field Units (IFUs) that feed into the Bench Spectrograph, with HexPak having a high spatial resolution core of 0.94 arcsec fibers for face-on and early type galaxies, and GradPak being a 39 X 55 arcsec rectangular array with varying fiber sizes for edge-on systems.
    • Development and Operation of Integral Field Units (IFUs)
      Developed and operates HexPak and GradPak, two Integral Field Units (IFUs) that feed into the Bench Spectrograph, with HexPak having a high spatial resolution core of 0.94 arcsec fibers for face-on and early-type galaxies, and GradPak being a 39 X 55 arcsec rectangular array with varying fiber sizes for edge-on systems. Also developed and operates SparsePak, a sparsely packed fiber optics bundle designed for studying the spatial distribution of internal motions of gas and stars in nearby galaxies and for general use in galactic and extra-galactic nebulae.
    • Development and Operation of SparsePak
      Developed and operates SparsePak, a sparsely packed fiber optics bundle with a nearly-integral core, designed as an Integral Field Unit to study the spatial distribution of internal motions of gas and stars in nearby galaxies and for general use in galactic and extra-galactic nebulae.
    • Development and Operation of SparsePak
      Developed and operates SparsePak, a sparsely packed fiber optics bundle with a nearly-integral core, designed to study the spatial distribution of internal motions of gas and stars in nearby galaxies and for general use in galactic and extra-galactic nebulae.
    • Maintenance of Instrument Adapter Subsystem (IAS)
      Maintains an Instrument Adapter Subsystem (IAS) that serves as the general Scientific Instrument interface and guider for the WIYN telescope, including support electronics.
    • Operation of Integral Field Units (IFUs)
      Developed and operates HexPak and GradPak, two Integral Field Units (IFUs) that feed into the Bench Spectrograph, with HexPak having a high spatial resolution core of 0.94 arcsec fibers for face-on and early-type galaxies, and GradPak being a 39 X 55 arcsec rectangular array with varying fiber sizes for edge-on systems.
    • Operation of WHIRC (WIYN High-Resolution Infrared Camera)
      Operates WHIRC (WIYN High-Resolution Infrared Camera), a near-infrared imager that can be used with the WIYN Tip-Tilt module (WTTM) for high spatial resolution and sensitivity.
    • Operation of the Bench Spectrograph
      Operates a stable, isolated Bench Spectrograph optimized for optical fibers, allowing for configuration changes between high and low dispersion and various spectral regions, and built a new spectrograph room to house the NEID spectrograph.
    • Operation of the Hydra Multi-Object Spectrograph
      Operates Hydra, a multi-fiber positioner and multi-object spectrometer that places optical fibers at the telescope focal plane to transmit light from multiple objects within a 1-degree field diameter to the Bench Spectrograph, maintaining 10 guide fibers and providing 90 active red and 83 active blue fibers per cable.
    • Operation of the Hydra Multi-Object Spectrograph
      Operates Hydra, a multi-fiber positioner and multi-object spectrometer that places optical fibers at the telescope focal plane to transmit light from multiple objects within a 1-degree field diameter to the Bench Spectrograph, maintaining 10 guide fibers and offering 90 active red and 83 active blue fibers per cable.
    • Operation of the Hydra Multi-Object Spectrograph
      Operates Hydra, a multi-fiber positioner and multi-object spectrograph that places optical fibers at the telescope focal plane to transmit light from multiple objects within a 1-degree field diameter to the Bench Spectrograph, maintaining 10 guide fibers and providing 90 active red and 83 active blue fibers per cable.
    • Operation of the NEID High Precision Radial Velocity Spectrometer
      Commissioned the NEID high precision radial velocity spectrometer in 2019, which is permanently mounted onto the folded cassegrain port, and observes 1-3 RV standard stars from a list of 9 targets every night, making the raw and reduced data publicly available.
    • Operation of the NEID Spectrometer
      Commissioned the NEID high precision radial velocity spectrometer in 2019, which is permanently mounted onto the folded cassegrain port, and observes 1-3 RV standard stars from a list of 9 targets every night, making the raw and reduced data publicly available.
    • Operation of the NN-Explore Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager (NESSI)
      Operates and commissioned NESSI, which uses two electron-multiplying CCD cameras to capture speckle images for detecting faint companions to target stars with astrometry and photometric characterization, primarily for NN-Explore observing programs to scrutinize known or candidate exoplanet host stars and other stellar samples, and can be used for high-speed photometry.
    • Operation of the NN-Explore Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager (NESSI)
      Operates and commissioned NESSI, which uses two electron-multiplying CCD cameras to capture speckle images for detecting faint companions to target stars with astrometry and photometric characterization, primarily for NN-Explore observing programs to scrutinize known or candidate exoplanet host stars and other stellar samples, and can image at a maximum frame rate of 26 frames per second over full 1024x1024 pixel detectors.
    • Operation of the NN-Explore Exoplanet Stellar Speckle Imager (NESSI)
      Operates and commissioned NESSI, which uses two electron-multiplying CCD cameras to capture speckle images for detecting faint companions to target stars with astrometry and photometric characterization, primarily for NN-Explore observing programs, and can image at a maximum frame rate of 26 frames per second over full 1024x1024 pixel detectors.
    • Operation of the One Degree Imager (ODI)
      Operates and commissioned the One Degree Imager (ODI), an instrument with a one-degree field of view and 0.11" pixels, capable of up to 1 Gigapixel imaging, utilizing Orthogonal Transfer Array CCD technology for improved image sharpness, and transferring all data for pipeline processing, archiving, and public access after an 18-month proprietary period.
    • Operation of the One Degree Imager (ODI)
      Operates and commissioned the One Degree Imager (ODI), an instrument with a one-degree field of view and 0.11" pixels, capable of up to 1 Gigapixel imaging using 30 out of 64 possible Orthogonal Transfer Arrays (OTAs) covering approximately 40 x 48 arcminutes, and transfers all data to Indiana University for processing, archiving, and public access after an 18-month proprietary period.
    • Operation of the WIYN High-Resolution Infrared Camera (WHIRC)
      Operates WHIRC (WIYN High-Resolution Infrared Camera), a near-infrared imager that can be used with the WIYN Tip-Tilt module (WTTM) for high spatial resolution and sensitivity.
    • Solar Spectroscopy Research
      Obtains approximately 300 spectra of the Sun daily using a dedicated solar feed.
  • Public Observatory & Planetarium Programs 2 activities
    • Operation of the WIYN Observatory and 3.5-meter Telescope
      Owns and operates the WIYN Observatory, featuring a 3.5-meter Ritchey-Chrétien telescope located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Southern Arizona, which produced its first astronomical image in 1994 and provides access to universities and the broader astronomical community.
    • Operation of the WIYN Observatory and 3.5-meter Telescope
      Owns and operates the WIYN Observatory, featuring a 3.5-meter Ritchey-Chrétien telescope located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Southern Arizona, which produced its first astronomical image in 1994 and provides access for universities and the broader astronomical community.
financials · form 990 · fy2021

the money

revenue
Total revenue$3.64M
Contributions & grants$3.13M86%
Program service revenue$503K14%
Investment income$5K0%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$4.46M
Program expenses88%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$26.88M
Cash$3.16M
Investments$0
Liabilities$2.01M
Net assets$24.86M
Liquid reserves8.5 mo
3 years on record · 2019–2021 · YoY revenue -1.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2021

who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
JAYADEV RAJAGOPAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $146K
board members · 12
  • ABHIJIT SAHA — DIRECTOR
  • AMY BARGER — SECRETARY (OUTGOING)
  • ERIC WILCOTS — DIRECTOR
  • JOHN SALZER — TREASURER
  • KATHERINE RHODE — DIRECTOR
  • KYOUNG-SOO LEE — DIRECTOR
  • MICHELLE EDWARDS — SECRETARY
  • NICOLA POHL — DIRECTOR
  • PAUL ROBERTSON — DIRECTOR
  • ROBERT MATHIEU — PRESIDENT
  • SUVRARTH MAHADEVAN — DIRECTOR
  • VERNE SMITH — DIRECTOR
relationships · 36

who they work with

  • Advanced Visualization Lab Partner — Assisted with the "WIYN in Motion" video.
  • Bench Spectrograph Partner — SparsePak feeds into the Bench Spectrograph
  • Contraves Partner — Fabricated the secondary mirror of the WIYN telescope.
  • Indiana University Partner — Hosts the ODI PPA system for data transfer, processing, and archiving.
  • Indiana University Partner — Member of the WIYN Consortium
  • Indiana University Partner — Several WIYN Consortium Inc. contacts are affiliated with Indiana University, including the Treasurer and a board member.
  • Indiana University Department of Astronomy Partner — Provided video credit for "WIYN in Motion".
  • KPNO Partner — WIYN User Handbook is a supplement to the KPNO User Handbook; KPNO Observing Support opens the dome and provides an Observing Assistant.
  • Kitt Peak National Observatory Partner — Location of the WIYN Observatory
  • Kodak Partner — Fabricated the tertiary mirror of the WIYN telescope.
  • Matt Bershady Partner — Instrument PI for HexPak and GradPak, with detailed web pages providing further information.
  • NASA Partner — Received NASA Exoplanet GO Proposals for the WIYN 3.5-m Telescope.
  • NASA/NSF Exoplanet Exploration Program Funder — NEID is funded by the joint NASA/NSF Exoplanet Exploration Program (NN-EXPLORE).
  • NExScI Partner — Processes all data taken with NEID through its data reduction pipeline and makes data products available via the NEID archive.
  • NN-Explore program Funder — Provided funding for the NESSI speckle imager.
  • NOIRLab Partner — Copyright holder for videos and images related to WIYN Observatory, including "WIYN at Night" and "ODI Installation videos".
  • NOIRLab Partner — Observers apply for time on WIYN through the NOIRLab Observing Proposal form; NOIRLab sets standards for facility opening and closing.
  • NOIRLab Partner — Several WIYN Consortium Inc. contacts are affiliated with NOIRLab.
  • NSF's NOIRLab Partner — Member of the WIYN Consortium (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory)
  • National Observatory Partner — Astronomers at the National Observatory continue to watch Sn 2014J.
  • National Science Foundation Funder — Funded the One Degree Imager (ODI).
  • PTI Cyberinfrastructure and Service Center Partner — Research Technologies, which assisted with the "WIYN in Motion" video, is a PTI Cyberinfrastructure and Service Center.
  • Penn State University Partner — Built the NEID spectrograph, with Suvrath Mahadevan as PI.
  • Pennsylvania State University Partner — A WIYN Consortium Inc. contact is affiliated with Pennsylvania State University.
  • Pennsylvania State University Partner — Member of the WIYN Consortium
  • Princeton University Partner — A WIYN Consortium Inc. contact is affiliated with Princeton University.
  • Princeton University Partner — Member of the WIYN Consortium
  • Research Technologies Partner — The Advanced Visualization Lab is a unit of Research Technologies, which assisted with the "WIYN in Motion" video.
  • Schott Glass Partner — Fabricated the secondary and tertiary mirrors of the WIYN telescope.
  • University Information Technology Services Partner — Research Technologies, which assisted with the "WIYN in Motion" video, is a division of University Information Technology Services.
+ 6 more