MAGIC observation proposals (Cycle 22)
MAGIC observations proposed by external scientists
The MAGIC collaboration encourages external scientists to propose observations using the MAGIC telescopes, with observation time granted by the Time Allocation Committee (TAC) based on scientific merit. There is no predefined allocation of time between internal or external collaborators.
Observing cycle
The observing cycle 22 spans 12 moon periods, from April 22, 2027 to April 7, 2028. The deadline to submit the MAGIC proposals is January 22, 2027 at 17:00 UT. Following submission, the TAC will evaluate proposals with this cycle's review conducted by a joint MAGIC+LST TAC, comprising members from both MAGIC and the LST (the Large-Sized Telescope) collaborations. External scientists may act as Principal Investigators (PI) or co-Investigators (coI) on MAGIC-only proposals. They can act as coI on LST-only and joint MAGIC-LST proposals, provided they agree to a Non-Disclosure Agreement with the LST collaboration (see below “Guide for proposal submission”). LST1 observation time is available on a best-effort basis.
PIs will be informed of the evaluation outcome by the end of March 2027, after the final approval from the MAGIC Collaboration Board and the LST Steering Committee.
Data and authorship
MAGIC data is proprietary to the MAGIC collaboration and requires specific expertise and tools for analysis. Selected MAGIC members, either appointed by the collaboration or proposed by the external PI, will support external projects through proposal submission, data reduction and publication if time is granted. Authorship details will be defined before proposal submission, with the MAGIC collaboration listed on publications that report these data for the first time.
Transnational access to MAGIC for scientists not affiliated with Spanish institutes can be supported by the ACME Transnational Access Programme funded by the European Union. See the information at the bottom of this page.
Guide for proposal submission
General information
Annually, MAGIC performs around 900 hours of observations in dark time, with an additional 300 hours possible under moonlight conditions (though with reduced performance). For joint XMM-MAGIC proposals, the MAGIC TAC can award up to 42 hours (150 ks) of XMM observing time for Cycle 22 proposals.
Proposal submission preparation
The submission deadline is January 22, 2027 at 17:00 UT. External scientists must get in contact with the TAC chairs (Josefa Becerra -jbecerra@iac.es- and Pol Bordas -pbordas@fqa.ub.edu-), as soon as possible, but in any case before December 14, 2026 to verify whether the proposed observations have been conducted or are planned as part of an existing project. To enhance feasibility, details of the proposed observations should be discussed with MAGIC scientists before submission.
The TAC chairs can also be contacted for information on LST+MAGIC proposals.
Proposals should be submitted via the Multi-IACT Proposal Submission System (MPSS). The PI should include all required information in electronic format (collaborators and their roles, targets, and details on observing conditions), along with the scientific justification and feasibility document, uploaded in PDF format using the LaTeX template available on the MPSS platform.
For guidance on preparing your observation proposal, please refer to the observation proposal guidelines available for download below.
MAGIC telescopes performance
Regular observations: For complete performance specifications under dark conditions, see Aleksić et al. (2016). For moonlight conditions, see Ahnen et al. (2017). The main performance plots are reported on this page. Key details include:
- Sensitivity for point-like sources (< 0.1 deg): 0.8% of the Crab Nebula flux above 0.2 TeV in 50 hours of observation (using Li & Ma 1983 significance and 3 background regions), which is about 5% of the Crab Nebula flux in 1 hour. Values from the differential sensitivity plot can be retrieved from this page.
- Sensitivity for extended sources (> 0.1 deg): MAGIC sensitivity decreases with source extension approximately as \(\sqrt{(0.1\,\mathrm{deg})^2 + (\mathrm{Source\ Radius})^2}\). Analysis becomes difficult (though not impossible) for extensions larger than 0.6 degrees in radius.
- Analysis energy threshold: approximately 75 GeV × cos(zenith angle)−2.3 for a Crab-like spectrum. For strong and/or steep sources, gamma rays can be measured below this threshold, as shown in Ahnen et al. (2015a) and Ahnen et al. (2015b), which report spectra starting at 40–50 GeV.
- Energy resolution: about 20% per incoming gamma ray.
- Angular resolution: better than 0.1 deg per incoming gamma ray.
MAGIC proposal tools
Source visibility
The visibility of a source from the MAGIC site can be evaluated with the custom-made source visibility tool. Other publicly available visibility tools can be found at the TeV Catalog and the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes.
Source detectability
A macro for evaluating source detectability is available in ROOT and Python versions. Input parameters include the source spectral shape and observing time. Usage details are provided in each file's header.
- ROOT version: mss.cpp
- EBL model file: dominguez_ebl_tau.txt
- Python version: mss.py
When using this macro for scientific publications, please cite: Aleksić, J., et al., 2016, Astroparticle Physics, 72, 76.
Energy threshold and sky brightness
The energy threshold depends primarily on the source zenith angle and the level of sky brightness. A calculator is available on this web page to help determine the best sky-brightness limits for your proposal.
ACME Transnational Access Programme
Further information on this funding action dedicated to observations with the MAGIC telescopes can be requested from Oscar Blanch Bigas (blanch@ifae.es).
The ACME project enables transnational access (TA), on the basis of scientific merit, to a wide range of complementary astroparticle, high-energy and astronomical research infrastructures to perform new science in multi-messenger astrophysics.
Transnational access to MAGIC is provided to selected user groups comprising one or more researchers, with the majority of users working in EU and/or Associated Countries and not affiliated with Spanish institutes. Access includes logistical, technological and scientific support and specific training. Financial support for travel and accommodation may also be offered to selected users.
Only user groups allowed to disseminate the results generated under this programme may benefit from access. Publications based on the TA programme should acknowledge the funding accordingly:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
ACME project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101131928.