******************************************************** ** ** ** IIII NNN NN GGGGG ** ** II NNNN NN GG GG LA PALMA ** ** II NN NN NN GG ** ** II NN NN NN GG GGG INFORMATION ** ** II NN NNNN GG GG ** ** IIII NN NNN GGGGG BULLETIN ** ** ** ** ** ** DATE: 1 December 1993 ** ** NUMBER: 1 ** ** ** ******************************************************** >>>>> WHT PRIME FOCUS COMMISSIONING UPDATE <<<<< Vik Dhillon The WHT prime focus team are carying out the engineering phase of commissioning; astronomical commissioning is planned for January 1994. The focal ratio at WHT prime is f/2.8, which gives an image scale of 17.5 arcsecs/mm and an unvignetted field of view of 40 arcmins. The instrument platform contains a field corrector, an atmospheric dispersion corrector, a CCD autoguider and a seven position filter wheel which can accommodate filters of up to 125mm in diameter. For further details, please see the March 1993 edition of Gemini. >>>>> ISAAC NEWTON TELESCOPE <<<<< Derek Jones, Emilios Harlaftis New IDS AgRED collimator arrived. Its cell requires adjustment before it can be used. Furthermore, IDS camera shutters have been taken out as a temporary measure because of problems they were causing. This means, however, that light can now shine from one camera into the other so that the camera which is not in use must be properly shielded until the shutters are fixed and placed back. The GEC7 chip is operational again. The primary mirror was aluminized at the end of October in the WHT tank for the first time. It is planned to de-commission the INT aluminizing tank. The air-bag support for the primary mirror and the Cassegrain cable wrap were serviced and improved. There is an interaction between Dome Rotation and Telescope vibration. The vibration has a period of 0.23 seconds and an amplitude of about 1 arcsec which is nearly independent of the Dome rotation speed. It is believed that this frequency is intrinsic to the telescope tube. Further investigation is in progress. It is planned to modify the dome-drive software so that rotations are longer and less frequent. >>>>> IMAGING POLARIMETRY WITH ISIS <<<<< Rene' Rutten The option to perform linear and circular spectropolarimetry with the standard ISIS optics is not the full story of ISIS' polarimetric capabilities. Charles Jenkins and Robert Laing (RGO-Cambridge) have successfully explored the possibility to use ISIS as an imaging polarimeter. By exchanging a grating for a flat mirror and removing the slit, the spectrograph camera images the sky onto the detector. A special Savart plate has been bought and aperture masks have been manufactured to fit into the multislit seat. The same halfwave plate is used as with spectro- polarimetry. Filters may be inserted below the focal plane to select a wavelength band. This optical arrangement makes the ISIS spectrograph into an imaging polarimeter. Although preliminary results look promising, more tests need to be performed to characterize the system fully. Details about imaging polarimetry will be given later. >>>>> NEW DOCUMENTATION FOR UES <<<<< Nic Walton A full atlas of the spectrum of the Th-Ar hollow-cathode lamp normally used for wavelength calibration with UES, covering the wavelength range 3000-10350 A with the 31 grooves mm-1, has been distributed recently (La Palma Technical Note No. 91). Users requiring personal copies of these publications should contact Bill Martin at RGO-Cambridge (WLM@UK.AC.CAM.AST-STAR). The UES Users' Guide (User Manual No. XXIII) will be available for distribution to libraries before the end of 1993. The software package ECHWIND --- which allows the optimum echelle format(s) to be selected depending on the detector to be used, spectral features of interest, etc. --- is in the process of being modified for use in X-windows environments. It should be available in the near future at most STARLINK nodes and at the WHT. Max Pettini at Cambridge (PETTINI@UK.AC.CAM.AST-STAR) and Nic Walton on La Palma (NAW@ES.IAC.ING.LPVE) will be happy to answer user enquiries regarding UES. >>>>> NEW TEK CCD <<<<< Rene' Rutten A new CCD, TEK2, has been delivered and commissioned for use on the WHT. The following details apply to the CCDs available on the WHT in standard read-out speed: CCD size [px] gain [e/ADU] r-o noise [e] bias [ADU] linear to [ADU] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- EEV3 1280x1180 0.8 3.0 4970 65k EEV6 1280x1180 1.1 4.1 3520 65k TEK1 1024x1024 1.3 4.3 2290 65k TEK2 1024x1024 1.2 4.5 1125 65k GEC5 400x590 1.8 7.4 1240 65k >>>>> CCD CONTROLER SOFTWARE UPGRADES <<<<< Rene' Rutten Upgrades to the CCD controler software on the WHT have been implemented successfully. We now have 5 readout speeds for the CCDs, as opposed to the two modes we had to date: SLOW, SLOUCH, SPEEDY, TURBO and NONASTRO, in order of increasing speed. Details regarding these different options are available on request. In general, faster read out gives higher noise and lower dynamic range. The NONASTRO speed should only be used for setting up. Furthermore, the problem with binning the TEK chips has been cured, TEK can now handle binning in both X and Y. Note that when binning in X on any of the CCDs on the WHT the readout speed is always reset to the standard SLOUCH speed. The readout speed of windowed CCDs has been improved as well by implementing rapid skipping of the parts of the CCD outside the window. Finally, the CCD clocks are now automatically synchronized with UTC once every day. >>>>> ON-LINE INFORMATION SERVICE AT ING <<<<< Nic Walton Information concerning the telescopes and instruments at the ING is now available on-line to the general astronomical community. This information can be reached by means of the GOPHER utility - connect to ing.iac.es (port 70). Other items kept on-line include current instrument user manuals, application forms for use of the telescopes, details of the SERVICE programme, information on access to the La Palma Archive, local La Palma information, and up to date weather data. Additionally, you will find this and earlier issues of the ING Bulletin available on-line. This service is currently experimental and its scope and content will be increased over the next few months. Please address queries or comments to Reynier Peletier (peletier@ing.iac.es) or Nic Walton (naw@lpve.ing.iac.es) >>>>> WHO-IS-WHO FOR INSTRUMENT RESPONSIBILITIES ON SITE <<<<< Contact the following persons if you have queries about specific instruments (usernames given in brackets): WHT - Chris Benn (CRB) / Vik Dhillon (VSD) INT - Derek Jones (DHPJ) / Emilios Harlaftis (EHH) JKT - Phil Rudd (PJR) / Derek Jones (DHPJ) Imaging - Reynier Peletier (PELETIER) / Phil Rudd (PJR) WHT prime - Reynier Peletier (PELETIER) INT prime - Emilios Harlaftis (EHH) / Reynier Peletier (PELETIER) ISIS/FOS2 - Rene' Rutten (RGMR) / Vik Dhillon (VSD) UES - Nic Walton (NAW) TAURUS - Nic Walton (NAW) LDSS - Mike Breare (BREARE) IDS/FOS1 - Emilios Harlaftis (EHH) / Derek Jones (DHPJ) RBS - Phil Rudd (PJR) PP - Derek Jones (DHPJ) / Phil Rudd (PJR) MPF - Rene' Rutten (RGMR) GHRIL - Vik Dhillon (VSD) / Mike Breare (BREARE) >>>>> ASTRONOMY PERSONNEL CHANGES <<<<< Hans Slingerland has left the island and return to the Kapteyn Observatory in Roden, The Netherlands. His e-mail address there is SLING@KSW.RUG.NL >>>>> SERVICE NIGHTS COMING UP <<<<< The following service nights are scheduled for the current semester Y: WHT Dec. 18 - full night ISIS Dec. 20 - half night UES Jan. 5 - half night ISIS INT Dec. 28 + 29 - full night prime focus Jan. 17 - full night IDS Jan. 24 - half night IDS JKT Dec. 3 - full night imaging Dec. 11 + 12 - full night imaging Dec. 18 + 19 - full night imaging Jan. 1 + 2 - full night imaging Jan. 21 + 22 - full night imaging To apply for service time send you e-mail service application to SERVICE@AST-STAR.CAM.AC.UK >>>>> CONTACTING La Palma <<<<< La Palma can best be reached through INTERNET address: user@ING.IAC.ES In case of routing problems try: user@LPVE.ING.IAC.ES And through SPAN: 29146::user >>>>> NEXT patt APPLICATION DEADLINE <<<<< March 31, 1994 (for observations between Aug. 1, 1994 and Jan. 31, 1995). Note that applications are now required to have instrumental setup specified using the Instrument Scheduling Form. ============================================================================== This information bulletin was prepared at the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes. Distribution is by e-mail only. For free subscriptions send your Internet or JANET address to: >>>>>>>>>>>>> BULLETIN@ING.IAC.ES <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Or, for UK users, to: >>>>>>>>>>>>> DXC@CAST0.AST.CAM.AC.UK <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Suggestions regarding content are appreciated. ==============================================================================