Announcements
12/13/2012 The Cycle 15 Call for Proposals and Proposers' Observatory Guide have been Released.
Proposal Related Documentation
- The Proposer's Observatory Guide (POG): the definitive guide to Chandra instruments
- Chandra Effective Area
- Chandra Point Spread Function
- General information
- PSF viewer (radius as a function of off-axis angle)
- Chandra Instruments and Calibration
- RPS (Remote Proposal Submission)
- Using RPS

- TOO trigger and follow-up observations in RPS

- Grids (rasters)-- RPS, Constraints and Scheduling

- General
- ObsVis: The Chandra Observation Visualizer

- When and How to Use Chandra
PRoVis

- Finding a Point Source in the Chandra Source Catalog

- FAQ for Multi Cycle Observations

- ACIS Observations
- Imaging Observations with
ACIS

- Observing a point source with ACIS

- Simulating an ACIS Spectrum for an On-axis Point Source, Including Pileup

- Characterizing Spatial Distribution in Groups and Clusters
- Simulating Chandra ACIS-S Spectra with Sherpa

- Constrained Observations
- Grids (rasters)-- RPS, Constraints and Scheduling

- Slew Tax and Constrained Observations for Grids
- FAQ for Constrained and Coordinated Proposals

- Examples in Classifying Constrained Observations

- Grating Observations
- Scripts for HETG and LETG Proposal Simulations

- Simulate High Energy
transmission Grating Spectrum of an X-ray Binary with ISIS

- Simulate High Energy
transmission Grating Spectrum of an X-ray Binary with Sherpa

- Simulating an LETG
spectrum of a source previously observed with the HETG
with Sherpa

-
Proposals to fund archival research or theoretical work using public Chandra data should be submitted through RPS. Archival proposals must include a short justification of costs. Refer to the CfP for specific details.
- Keeping track of Chandra Publications
- Science Justification LaTeX Template
- Previous Chandra Experience LaTeX Template
- Generating a PDF Science
Justification

Tools to Aid in Proposal Preparation
- WebChaSeR: Web-based Chandra Search and Retrieval Tool
- ChaSeR: Chandra Search and Retrieval Tool
- Target Lists and Schedules
- CSCView to access the Chandra Source Catalog (CSC)
- CSC interface to Sky in Google Earth
- PIMMS for web-based count-rate and flux predictions (including ACIS pileup). PIMMS helpfile.
- Alternative PIMMS command-line version from HEASARC .
- MARX the Chandra data simulator. MARX FAQ/Features
- Sherpa, the CIAO spectral
analysis and simulation
package.
Read the Sherpa simulations threads. - CIAO the Chandra data analysis package
- XSPEC the HEASARC spectral analysis and simulation package
- WebSpec the web version of XSPEC
- Chandra Instruments Response Files for SIMULATIONS ONLY
- Observation Visualizer (ObsVis) allows the inspection of sky images with overlaid instrument fields-of-view (FoV). Included as part of the latest CIAO package.
- PRoVis interactively plots Chandra spacecraft pitch, roll and visibility by date for any celestial target.
- Optional CCDs instructions on how to specify optional CCDs for ACIS observations
- MaxExpo page
allows estimation of the maximum uninterrupted exposure
time for a target observed at a given pitch angle by
season.

- Orbits page lists projected estimates of usable orbit intervals (and their unusable complement during the radiation zone), for observations which must be tightly constrained.
- Spectrum Visualization Tool displays where spectral features fall on the ACIS-S detector as a function of Y-offset and source redshift.
- Colden calculates galactic neutral hydrogen density. Colden Helpfile
- Precess precesses celestial coordinates (note that cookies must be on in your browser.) Precess Helpfile
- Dates performs date conversions. Dates Helpfile
- Other useful proposal helpfiles:
Overview of proposal tools
Coordinate systems used in proposal tools
Timescales used in proposal tools - The above routines form the Proposal Toolkit and can be run over the web or downloaded as command line tools, part of the latest CIAO package.
