Override Programmes

Before proposing an override programme, please visit the Applying for Telescope Time web pages.

1. For Override Teams
2. For Observers at the Telescope
3. Allocations
4. Conflict Resolution

Vignetting at low elevation The WHT lower dome shutter is currently (and probably until July 2013) out of action, and observations at elevation <25 deg will be vignetted (plot).

Step 1: CHECK

Before triggering, find your programme in the override-allocations table below and check:

• Which programmes you can override and which instruments you can use, by checking what is scheduled for the night on the ING schedules.
• The observations made so far of your programme and the limits for the semester.
• The visibility of your targets (sky brightness, moon distance, airmass, telescope limits).

Overrides can only be triggered by a member of an Override Team (see the allocations table below for nominated members).

Step 2: PHONE

The Override Team must make phone contact with the observers prior to execution of the observations in order to obtain an email address where to send the request. This phone call will establish precedence in the event of more programmes being activated that night.

Contact	Phone
WHT Control Room	+34 922 405 559
INT Control Room	+34 922 405 640

If the phone numbers above are unavailable, please phone the Residencia (+34 922 405 500) and ask for the relevant control room; or call the OSA mobile phone (+34 616 97 45 13), available only from 19:30 (summer) or 18:30 (winter) until sunrise every night.

Step 3: EMAIL

Email the override request template to the observer and to triggering.iac.es (this will automatically forward the communication to the Observing Support Assistants (OSAs), Support Astronomers (SAs) and Override Programme Manager). If bounced, then please fax the request to WHT's control room: +34 922 405 646 and let the observers know.

Step 1: CHECK

Look for the triggering programme in the allocations table below and check the following:

• Whether the observers' programme can be overridden, can be overridden only at the observers' discretion or cannot be overridden at all.
• The maximum allowed duration of the override, including the overheads.
• That the observing plan was correctly received from the Override Team, it is clear and it can be carried out.

If everything is fine then please acknowledge the triggering email from the Override Team replying to the sender and all copied recipients (including triggering.iac.es) and proceed to the next step. If anything is not clear, check the conflict resolution rules below and contact the Override Team as soon as possible.

Step 2: OBSERVE

Please observe at the earliest opportunity on the timescale requested by the Override Team. For example, prompt reaction to rapid-response GRB programmes is important and target acquisition should commence immediately on receipt of the alert if so requested by the GRB team. For other GRB triggers target acquisition should commence no later than thirty minutes after the phone request, unless a more relaxed observation timeline is confirmed by the GRB team.

Non-ACAM observers undertaking an ACAM override should seek advice from the OSA about how to configure and use the instrument, and if the Override Team submitted a specific ACAM observing sequence, then proceed to execute.

Step 3: REPORT

Whether the attempt has been successful or not, always and immediately submit the “Night Report” below  right after obtaining the target data. The same night report can be edited and submitted later on with any remaining calibration frames, but the immediate submission of the night report  is critical for communicating the results, sending the data and taking any further observing decisions. The night report is also essential for recording the override programme's used time and triggers.

Override Report

Only if the above form is not available (the form is only available at the ING intranet) or the file upload failed, then follow these alternative instructions:

The data should be copied promptly to the appropriate directory in the anonymous ftp area. For example, as user whtguest (replace wht by int below for INT observers) on any public linux PC:

Then the data can be retrieved from the ING ftp server as follows:

user> ftp ftp.ing.iac.es (login as anonymous, password your email address)
ftp> cd whtguest/20110801
ftp> bin
ftp> prompt
ftp> passive
ftp> mget *
ftp> bye

The prompt and the passive commands should set the interactive and the transfer modes on respectively.

Or browsing as an anonymous user:

ftp://ftp.ing.iac.es/whtguest/20110801/

Please email the downloading instructions and their description promptly to the override team and to the Override Programme Manager (overrideing.iac.es). Delete the files once downloaded:

rm /obsdata/outgoing/whtguest/20110801/*