![]() | |||
|
Home > Astronomy > Wide Field Camera > Observing Guide > INT/WFC Operation Manual |
INT/WFC Operation ManualContents
1. Introduction
In this guide, the following syntax will be used:
2. Areas of the telescope
The control room is located at the top floor of the building, and has the following key areas:
3. Safety
4. Preliminaries
5. Moving the telescope out of access park
6. Moving the telescope into access park
To avoid having to do this it is easiest to park the telescope at zenith before re-starting the TCS, should you be forced to do so. 7. Zeroset
The "Complete zeroset" of the telescope should be done only in the afternoon of the first night of
your run by the SA. It could be also executed by the observer after any TCS restart or when the pointing
is poor. IMPORTANT: During all runs, the "Complete zeroset" must be run only by the INT SA student astronomer. This must not be run by the visitor observers during any another night. Visiting observers only need to run the "Abbreviated zeroset" in order to inherit the TCS pointing model from the previous night or the INT TCS default one. IMPORTANT NEW REQUEST (26 Aug 2021): Record an encoder log whenever the complete zeroset is done. The command sequence should be (in the TCS User window): USER> LOG ENC ON 10
... Perform the complete zeroset ... USER> LOG ENC OFF
7.1 Complete zeroset
USER> cal def Loads the default TCS pointing model. 7.2 Abbreviated zeroset
On subsequent nights of the observing run, and if the TCS has not been restarted, load the previous TCS pointing model:
USER> cal last Loads the previous TCS pointing model. Should 8. Initial TCS commands
These should all be typed now so that the telescope is
ready for the night's observing. If the focal station is not the one
you expect, contact your support astronomer.
USER> show focal Shows the focal station setup.
USER> focus {x} Sets focus to a good value, 9. Loading catalogues
Start by checking which objects are loaded into the TCS current list of targets.
USER> out term
If there are objects loaded which you don't need, then the command
USER> erase
can be used to delete all targets from the current list. Note that the catalogues will still be
stored on the computer, but will no longer be loaded into the TCS. It is possible to load your own catalogue onto the TCS with all your targets in it. They can be created with any text editor, and should be saved as {your_catalogue}.cat, with no capital letters in the filename. Each line of the file should contain one object and its coordinates in the following format: [object] [ra] [dec] [epoch] [!comments]So, for an example object SN 1987A: sn1987a 05 35 27.9 -69 16 10.00 J2000 ! commentThe line must be delimited by spaces (one or more), but no tabs, and there should be no spaces or punctuation other than an underscore in the object name. They can then be loaded into the /int/cat/ directory on the ICS computer. This can be done using the scp command to copy the catalogue from your laptop to the data reduction computer (intdrpc1 or intdrpc2): your_laptop$> cd directory/containing/catalogue your_laptop$> scp {your_catalogue}.cat intguest@intdrpc1:/home/intguest/and then, from the instrument control system: intobs@inticsdisplay$> cp /home/intguest/{your_catalogue}.cat /int/catThe catalogue can then be included using the command: USER> include {your_catalogue}
Note that the .cat extension is not required. It is also possible to add and remove individual objects using the following commands: USER> source sn1987a 05 35 27.9 -69 16 10.00 J2000 Creates object.
USER> add Important! Loads USER> remove {object_name} Removes object.
USER> out file {your_catalogue} Writes the contentsNote that to add the object you must include the epoch. No error message will be shown if you do not, but the object will not load properly. 10. Readout Speed
Check that the readout speed being used is correct. This can be changed either from the SYS prompt using the commands:
SYS> rspeed slow
SYS> rspeed fast
or from the GUI by pressing the 'fast' or 'slow' button.
The fast readout speed is ~10s faster than the slow. However, the fast readout adds read noise
to your image, so if looking at faint objects for which it is the dominant source of noise then
slow readout is recommended.
11. Filling the cryostat
Important! Wear safety helmet (with visor), apron and gloves when filling cryostats. Example. Important! (since 5 Nov 2015) The cryostat on WFC should be filled at least every 16 hours. During normal working week days, the ops-team working at ING will fill it at midday, so observers should fill it just before and after the observing night. During weekends and public holidays, the observer at INT is in charge of ensuring that the cryostat is filled at intervals not exceeding the 16 hour limit. If for any reason the observer at INT cannot ensure that the cryostat will be filled within 16 hours, he/she should contact the WHT Operator to coordinate the filling of the cryostat with sufficient notice. Public holidays are marked in green in the ING schedule. Please take extra care when working with dewars, particularily with the follwoing points:
12. Opening up
13. Flat fields
13.1 Twilight sky flats
13.2 Autoflat
SYS> cd
SYS> cd jmcc/autoflat
SYS> /int/ObservingSystemSupportPackages/python-3.2.2/bin/python3.2
autoflat.py num_flats_per_filt rspeed f1 f2 ... fn
where: num_flats_per_filt represent the number of flats in each filter,
rspeed is the CCD readout speed (slow or fast), and
f1, f2, ..., fn are the filter names for filters 1, 2, ...., n Example: SYS> /int/ObservingSystemSupportPackages/python-3.2.2/bin/python3.2
autoflat.py 5 fast r stY stB Hbb
This will attempt to take 5 flat fields in fast readout speed in the
filters Sloan r, Stromgren Y, Stromgren B and H-beta. The script does not work yet for the following filters: WFCWash51 (#223), WFCStrHbN (#225), all the NOVA filters. For these filters, flat fields shall be taken manually. The script can be aborted using Ctrl+C. After breaking the script, please check the binning, readout speed and windowing, as they are changed as part of the normal functioning of the script. The autoflat script aims to fulfil the following criteria: MAX counts: 40,000; MIN counts: 20,000; TARGET counts: 30,000; MAX exptime: 120s; MIN exptime: 1s. The filters are prioritised first by bandwidth into broad (B) and narrow (N), then each group of B and N are prioritsed according to central wavelength. Use typically blue-to-red in the afternoon and red-to-blue in the morning. 13.3 Dome Flats
USER> park flat Sends the telescope to the right position for dome flats
The telescope should now point to hour angle 0 0 0, declination +80 0 0. Now move
the dome to position 242 by typing the command:
USER> dome 242 Sends the dome to the right position for uniform illumination
The main dome lights should be closed, and the dim lights should be opened from the
horizontal button located in the right part of the door going to the dome, and the
knob should be turned somewhere at 2/3 or full position. In the
WFC Dome Flat Assistant
we give a table for some guides about exposure times to be used with the WFC and different filters.
14. Single star calibrate
On the first night, the default pointing model should have been loaded
in the initial TCS commands, and is likely to be accurate. However, it
is good to check it and make an additional correction with the
following procedure. First, check the lower shutter which should be in
the low (default) position. SYS> agwin acq pos 1032 512 Sets readout to the centre SYS> autotv on Turns on continuous readout mode.
On the autoguider window mark a cross in its centre by selecting TOGGLE CENTRE CROSS from the SETUP menu.
USER> cal faint Sends the telescope to aWhen the HANDSET menu appears use <ctrl-z> to break out of it. USER> aper 5 Changes the telescope pointingIf the star appears right on the cross-hairs then the pointing is okay, and the rest of this section can be skipped. Otherwise, press the HANDSET button (INSERT) to centre the star on the cross-hairs in the centre of the autoguider window. In case no star is visible in the autoguider window, check on the GUI if the camera shutter is open, according to these instructions. Points to consider:
USER> point calibrate Writes the new pointing model to file.
USER> cal anal zero Loads the new pointing model
The rms of this solution is typically 0.01, because only one star is being used. Type 'Y ' to accept. Prepare the telescope pointing back to the centre of chip 4: USER> enter aperture 0 -251 326
SYS> autotv off Turns off continuous readout mode.
Note: If the pointing is still bad after the single star calibrate, then refer to the troubleshooting
guide. First try zerosetting the telescope again, the default calibrate and then the 7 star calibrate if necessary.
15. Focusing the Telescope
The typical "default" WFC focus is around 43.35 and the last night value is written on the white board.
If the seeing is unstable (changing rapidly) or bad (> ∼2 arcsec) do not
attempt to focus the telescope. Instead, you can adopt the focus from the
last night. If you need to determine focus values in more filters, use
preferably broad band filters first, which need lower exposure times, and
afterwards narrow band filters, if sky conditions are stable. Otherwise you could
rely on filter offsets if they are known in the filter database. Focusing in narrow band filters needs longer
exposure times (at least 2-3 times or more) than in broad band filters.To determine the best telescope focus select a suitable field (e.g. one of the WFC photometric standard fields). Choose either a field close to your first target, or continue using the same field as the single star calibrate. Sometimes these fields can be too crowded and in that case try a suitable blank field. SYS> gocat {suitable standard field}
Then make sure the camera is not windowed (disable any eventual defined window),
SYS> window 4 disable
and run the focus script.
SYS> focusrun &
Note: Complete the focus run in a suitable filter. The reddest filter in the wheel is desirable,
since it will have the smallest FWHM for a point source. Note: After the fucusrun, it is important to check that the detector configuration was correctly restored and it is recommended to take a glance to confirm. A dialog box will pop up and the appropriate values may be filled in and a focus run started. The default values should be good, but the recommended values are: Number of exposures (n) = 9 Focus start value = 0.2mm below last known focus (see white board) Step size = 0.05 mm Exposure separation = 10 arcsec Exposure time = 15 sec
USER> focus {value}
If the target is needed back at the original position then the gocat command will need
to be repeated.
Enter the value obtained on the whiteboard and in the log book. If, after running the focus script, the stars are still very unfocussed or doughnut-like instead of point-like, then the focus run can be done again using a larger step size and more steps as appropriate. A 0.1mm step size with 11 steps may be a good next try. Note (related to FR 22542): Be aware to the TELFOCUS in the WFC FITS image headers, which seems variable in time after a given setup. This information in the headers is actually false, the actual telescope focus being constant, with the old UNIX TCS software being responsible for this minor apparent change in the headers. There is no failure in the focus mechanisms and both the telescope and the instrument are working just fine. 16. Observing
This section acts as a glossary of standard commands, but is organised into progressions of
tasks and order of use. Note: it is strongly recommended to use guiding for exposures of
longer than two minutes.
16.1 Lower shutter
You must close the mirror petals anytime you move any dome shutter! Remember that the lower shutter starts to vignette at an elevation of 33 deg. The system does not warn you. If you need to observe at elevation <33 deg then the lower dome shutter must be raised (see section on opening up). Then you can observe targets with altitudes between 20 deg and 34 deg without any shutter obscuration. Remember to open the petals, once you prepared the shutters for observing. 16.2 Acquisition
Loading catalogues and objects is described in the section Loading Catalogues. To move to one of these objects:
SYS> gocat {object} Telescope will slew to that object, SYS> gocat 92-248 Moves the telescope to the Landolt field 16.3 Filters
SYS> filter {filter} Changes filter. Use the same formatA de-focus term will automatically be applied when you change filter. It can take a few seconds to finish changing focus, and this can be seen on the TCS information screen. 16.4 Guiding
Check that the autoguider tv-mode is off. If it is on, type:
SYS> autotv off
When the gocat command has been executed to slew to a new field then a list of guide stars
will appear in the Talker window. This list can also be seen by entering:
SYS> more /tmp/gsc.out
If this does not occur then check that the auto predict is on (see section on finding guide stars in the troubleshooter).The guide window size can be set in the GUI under the settings tab. A size of 120x120 pixels (resulting in a sky field 45"x45") is recommended. A guide star of appropriate magnitude should be selected from this list. To guide on this star use the command: SYS> guide on pixel {x} {y}
with {x} and {y} being the same values as before.
If the guide star doesn't appear within the window you can try a larger
window size (for instance 180x180 pixels under "Settings" on the GUI)
or do the following:
SYS> guide off
SYS> agwin acq pos {x} {y}
SYS> field This centres the AG on
the position where the guide star should be and searches for potential
guide stars within that field displayed. They will be marked and
numbered on the autoguider. Sometimes this command needs to be issued
twice before it works.To guide on one of these stars, use the command SYS> guide on star {n}
where {n} will be a number assigned to each star, being 1 the
brightest. Be aware that the field command often picks up artifacts, so
you should always check that you are guiding on a real object. For this
reason it is recommended not to use scripts for setting up guiding.Before starting the exposure it's important to leave the autoguider to settle. When guiding, the TCS will display A/G on rather than tracking, and show the x and y errors in the guiding. These should be allowed to drop below 0.3, though if the seeing is bad the errors may not get lower than 0.5. It can take a few readout cycles for the errors to be displayed in the TCS. If you do not see them then the guiding is not working. NOTE: After setting a new exposure time for the autoguider, you should close the popup window with the buttons provided and NOT the X button (at top right of the window), since doing the latter prevents display of the popup again. NOTE: When using long autoguider integration times, then increase the wfc_ag_sequencer time before readout to be integration time + 9s. It usually takes some time to turn the guiding off (SYS> guide off). If it takes too long, then use <ctrl-c> to exit it, then check guide job ID number and kill this process: SYS> autotv off
SYS> jobs
SYS> kill 'job_number'
The command to turn the guiding back on is:
SYS> guide on
16.4.1 Autoguider sequencer
The aim of the so-called "guiding sequencer" (the wfc_ag_sequencer program)
is to avoid extra noise (interference) on science images if they are read out while
autoguider is reading out. The following two cases are possible: Observing programs using guiding (exposure times longer than 2-3 min), the sequencer must be always used, so the sequencer should remain active (red flag checked) during the whole run. Also note that any TCS restart will start/default the observing system with the sequencer active. Observing programs not needing guiding (but only tracking) for their short science exposures (less than 2-3 min) should un-mark the sequencer by pressing in the small window on red click button (un-press it) to dis-activate. Also, observers should un-mark this option after each TCS restart. When observing guiding for time-series measurements, it is best to change the command in the sequencer to "guide on pixel {x} {y}" where {x} and {y} are the coordinates given when starting the guider. This will help minimise drifts between exposures. 16.5 Not guiding
For short exposures (under 2-3 min) you may want to turn off the autoguiding. This can be
done using the command:
SYS> guide off
Remember also to turn off the sequencer by turning off the enable button on its GUI. NOTE: By default in guiding mode, the sequencer stops autoguiding 10s before the WFC science image readout, in order to avoid this noise, but you can change this value (thought, it should not be less than 8s). If you do not need guiding for your science, then you should stop the autoguiding and sequencer using the above two actions, or using the following sequence commands: SYS> guide off
SYS> jobs
then look for which job is connected with wfc_ag_sequencer, and type:
SYS> kill %n
where n is
the corresponding job number. If you decide to guide later because you
are doing longer exposures, if the sequencer GUI is not on screen then
it can be started using the command:
SYS> wfc_ag_sequencer &
16.6 Dithering
Dithering can be done in several ways, and which is most
useful will depend on if you're using guiding and the size of the
offsets you wish to use.Offsets can always be applied using the command: SYS> offset arc {arcsecRA} {arcsecDEC}Note that the {arcsecRA} and {arcsecDEC} offset shifts are in the RA and DEC directions, expressed in arc seconds. The offsets are relative to the last pointing, with the original position at {0,0}. Therefore, if you keep issuing the same offset, then the telescope will not move. If you're not using guiding this will be the easiest way to perform all your offsets. If you are, however, then complications can arise, because guiding must always be turned off before using the offset command, otherwise the guiding will move the telescope back to its original position. If you're guiding and making offsets small enough to keep the star within the field of the autoguider, then the field command may be used to locate it once again: SYS> guide off
SYS> offset arc {arcsecRA} {arcsecDEC}
SYS> field
SYS> guide on star {n}
Where {n} is the number assigned to your guide star.If your dither positions extend over a range >1 arcmin then you will probably find the guide star moving out of the field. In this case the easiest thing to do is calculate multiple dither positions for the object you're looking at beforehand, and then load them from a catalogue. Doing this allows you to gocat to each new position, and when the gocat command is used new positions for the guide star will automatically be calculated. There is a tool on the NASA Extra-Galactic Database (NED) to help you convert offsets into RA and Dec. You would then use the commands: SYS> guide off
USER> gocat {new_dither_position}
SYS> more /tmp/gsc.out Find suitable guide star.
SYS> guide on pixel {x} {y}
Remember to let the guiding settle before starting your exposure, so that the errors shown on the TCS display are <0.3.Please note that if you want to mosaic images using all four chips then, because of the chip gaps, you will need to offset by at least 30 arcseconds in both x and y. This is due to the layout of the chip, which can be seen here: offsetting in just x or y merely causes you to move along the gaps. Should you have any questions about dithering please direct them to your Support Astronomer, preferably in advance of your run. 16.7 Exposing
Before taking any sky exposure, make sure the dome has finished rotation to the new target,
checking in the TCS Display window that the DOME label is not flashing! SYS> glance {time} Take a glance of {time} seconds. SYS> bias Take a bias frame.
SYS> flat {time} Take a dome flat of {time} seconds.
SYS> sky {time} Take a sky flat of {time} seconds.
SYS> run {time} {"comments"} Take an exposure of {time} secondsFor multiple biases, flats, skyflats, runs or glances, simply prefix the command with 'mult' and put the number desired directly after the command, e.g. SYS> multrun {n} {time} {"comments"} Take {n} exposures of {time} 16.8 Windowing
For time resolved photometry windowing data can be a useful way to
reduce readout time. Note that only chip 4 of the WFC can be windowed. This link shows how the readout time
varies with window size (and binning). The window size can be set with the command:
SYS> window {n} "[{x1}:{x2},{y1}:{y2}]"
To enable this window type:
SYS> window {n} enable
and to disable type:
SYS> window {n} disable
The window size and whether it's enabled can be seen on the GUI. NOTE: Please do not attempt to use the entire CCD4 as a window (with or without any binning option)! This will crash the system, plus there will be no gain in readout time (which is the same as using the entire 4 chip camera). 16.9 Apertures
With a gocat command the telescope is sent to the RA and DEC specified
for the object, so that this object appears in the middle of the centre
chip (chip 4). Occasionally, it may be desirable to centre the object
in a different position, and for this apertures can be used.
Aperture 0 is an absolute measurement and sets the centre, from which point all other apertures will be measured. This is the default pointing for the telescope and is set at -251" 326" (expressed in arcseconds), the centre of chip 4. All other apertures have values relative to aperture 0. Apertures 1-5 point to the middle of chips 1-5 (where 5 is the autoguider). This means that aperture 4 is defined as 0 0. To see a list showing the different apertures set, use the command: USER> show apertures
If, for example, you wanted to have the object you're pointing at to appear in the centre of
chip 1, then simply gocat to that object and then type:
USER> aperture 1
This pointing will only be used for one command before reverting to its default pointing, so the
aperture command should only be issued just before you want to use it.
If it's necessary to reset the pointing of the telescope for more than one target, and you don't want to keep re-typing the aperture command, then it is possible to redefine aperture 0 so that it has this new value as the default pointing. Extreme care should be taken when doing this, however, to return the telescope to its normal pointing afterwards. Also note that when this is done apertures 1-5 will no longer point to the centre of chips 1-5, since those values are set relative to aperture 0. The command for doing this is: USER> enter aperture 0 {x"} {y"}
In general, this should only be necessary if a seven star calibration has to be performed, and
this procedure is explained in detail in the Troubleshooting Guide.
16.10 Observing scripts
We list here two kind of scripts for WFC automate observing:
16.10.1 ING dithering scripts
Effective 25 Jun 2018, we are offering two new WFC dithering scripts (written in Python v. 3.2)
named WFCdithtrack.py and WFCdithguide.py for 2-point (AB nearby fields),
4-point (ABCD neighbour field) or 9-point (ABCDEFGHI neighbour fields) in tracking (first script)
or guiding mode (second script). The guiding script WFCdithguide.py is capable for both small dither offsets (max half guiding window, by default 10") and larger offsets (larger than half guiding window, but having longer overhead time). You can lauch these scripts by pointing the telescope to the target, then type: SYS> WFCdithtrack.py or
SYS> WFCdithguide.py
then answer the few options.
Two similar older 2017 scripts (written in TCS language) offer small dithering and change of filter in tracking and guiding mode. They could be run as: SYS> dither_script_tracking or
SYS> dither_script_guiding
One can also copy them with another name (ex. dither_script_tracking_john) and change them
to suit your needs, but these changes are observer time-risk basis.
16.10.2 Other user defined scripts
The observers could use their own observing scripts to observe a given sequence,
given an object (ex. obj1) previously defined in the catalog, using standard observing
commands (example of guiding with small dithering here: wfcsamplescript). First, from your laptop you have to FTP your script (example johnscript) to the INT system: sftp intobs@intdrpc1Second, you have to change directory to: sftp> cd /home/intobsThird, you have to put your script there: sftp> put johnscriptFourth, change its permission for execution there: sftp> chmod 555 johnscriptFinally, from the INT ICS terminal in the same /home/intobs/ directory, you can run the script by simply entering its name at the prompt, namely: SYS> johnscript
Here are two lists including commonly used WFC scipts written by ING staff or past observers (internal links): Astronomy Ad Hoc Software List of commonly used INT scripts 16.11 Examining data
If IRAF is not open on the data reduction PC then type iraf into a terminal window.
This will open up an xgterm window, a DS9 window and execute IRAF automatically.
The data being collected will be stored in the directory shown on the GUI, which is /obsdata/inta/yyyymmdd with the last directory being the date on which the night starts. Data can be looked at in the /obsdata directory but not reduced, and must also never be moved or deleted. If you plan to reduce the data on that machine then it should be copied to the /scratch directory, in which you may make your own sub-directory. Data can be displayed in the ds9 window using the command: ecl> display r{number}[4] 1
This loads the contents of extension 4, corresponding to CCD4, of image r{number}.fits to the
ds9 display. The {number} for the exposure is found on the GUI, or in the night log. If the
exposure was windowed then the image will be written into extension 1. If a glance was taken
instead of a run, bias, or flat then the image will have been written to file s1.fits.The image can then be examined using the imexam task: ecl> imexam
Useful imexam commands include:'v' for vector cut; click start and end 'c' for column cut 'l' for line 'e' for elliptical plot 's' for surface plot 'a' for text statistics 'm' to obtain pixel statistics on section around cursor 'r' for radial profile 'q' to quit imexam imexam commands are listed on the desk. Alternatively, the display and imexam tasks can be combined in one line by using a semi-colon: ecl> display r{number}[4] 1; imexam
Important: To match correct sky orientation
(North up, East left, needed to correctly match star charts), in DS9 one should
rotate CCD1, CCD3 or CCD4 images by 270 deg (Zoom/270), while CCD2 should be
rotated by 180 deg (Zoom/180).
If you want to display all 4 different buffers (corresponding to the four CCDs) at once, then this can be done using the command: ecl> wfc_display r{number}
The 'tile' option must be selected under frame. We recommend the following star chart server to identify the field: DSS STScI. On the form, you must introduce the RA and Dec corresponding to the INT pointing (typicaly centre of CCD4), set Height=11, Width=22 (corresponding to CCD4 field), change File format to GIF, then press Retrive image. The resulting star chart should match exactly the WFC CCD4 (as displayed and Rotated 270 deg in DS9). 16.12 New "talkerBellINT" command
Since October 2015, one could use the following new command to ring
a bell sound after finishing any exposure, example:
SYS> run 20; talkerBellINT
17. Special observations
17.1 Observations below 33 degrees
If you wish to observe at a zenith distance between 57 deg and 70 deg (33 deg - 20 deg elevation),
then you need to raise the lower shutter (see
section 12
of the INT/WFC Operation Manual). There will not be any warning given from the TCS if you are observing the inside of the dome, so you will have to check the zenith distance (ZD) on the TCS monitor from time to time. Alternatively please check this INT visibility plot. Please consider if opening the lower shutter is essential. Opening up takes around 10 minutes and the image quality will decrease due to observing through higher air masses. Remember to bring the lower shutter down afterwards, as you will not be able to observe above 34 degrees elevation if it is left in the raised position. 17.2 Observations of moving targets
Moving targets (such as asteroids, comets or planetary satellites) could be observed with
the INT in both tracking or guiding modes using non-sidereal (differential) telescope moving rates.
If you wish to observe such a moving target, then you need to compute its motion rates in the equatorial coordinate system. The TCS requires the differential tracking rates to be expressed as:
dd = d(delta)/dt in ARCSECONDS/sec
d(delta)/dt in ARCSECONDS/hour (2)
dd = (2) / 3600 The differential tracking rates are then input to the TCS using the following sequence of commands: USER> gocat {object name}
USER> diff_rates da dd
USER> next
To return to sidereal tracking (e.g. for standards) issue the TCS command:
USER> diff_rates 0 0
The science exposure time when using guiding at differential rate is limited by the object's
proper motion and maximum WFC available autoguider window size (recommended bellow 120x120 pixels,
namely 40" box size).
18. Closing down at the end of the night
19. Closing down in a hurry
If it starts to rain or snow, the humidity rises above 90% or the winds above 80km/h you will
be forced to shut down in a hurry. If this is the case:
20. Saving data
With WFC, you can save your data either on DVD, on a DAT tape, or directly
to your laptop or hard-drive. You only need to write your copy disk/tape, there
is no need to write an archive tape.
20.1 Recording data on DVDs
DVDs can be burnt on either of the two Linux public computers in the
control room (INTDRPC1 and INTDRPC2).
Please refer for details to the following document (also shown on the
wall to the right of INTDRPC1):
http://www.ing.iac.es/Astronomy/computing/recording.html.
20.2 Direct to laptop
Data can be transferred directly to your laptop through the INGEXT network.
Please refer for details to the following document
http://www.ing.iac.es/Astronomy/computing/recording.html.
21. Creating the observing log
Fill in the night report (even if the weather was bad and
you could not observe!) by selecting 'night report' which is situated
in the observing logger window on the ICS monitor.
Fill out all fields, and when done hit 'create log'. A copy called
run_log_yyyymmdd.int is put in the observation directory so you can
copy it when copying your data, and there is an option to email it to a
comma-separated list of addresses. Please note that from March 2011 the
online logs
no longer show information on the targets observed for a proprietary
period of one year. They only show the names of the observers, causes
and amount of time lost and weather information for the night. If you
arrive home and find you have lost your copy of the log please contact
your support astronomer to obtain another. Since June 2022, the new ING Observing Log web-based night logging system must be used to enter and show any night reports. To use it, must load in any web browser http://obslog.ing.iac.es, which should load by default the current INT night form - otherwise, please type for example http://obslog.ing.iac.es/20221110/INT, eventually changing the date 20221110 accordingly. This form should load in near real time all images (including the ones most recently taken). At the end of the night, if you scroll down the page to the end, you will see a button End-Of-Night Report (leave active or eventually change to INT under the other button Chose telescope), which must be pressed to get displayed the Night Report form, able for completion. Please complete all fields there, then scroll down the page at the bottom, then press the two buttons Save to database and Save to /home/lplogs! 22. Filling in the log book
The printed logbook in the control room contains fields which must be filled out during the
night:
23. Leaving the building
Before leaving the building, please switch off all major lights in the control room and in the
kitchen area. Check that no electrical devices are left on in the kitchen, e.g. sandwich toaster,
coffee machine, etc.
24. Observers' handover check
Ready to go it alone? Please check you are familiar with the following tasks:
25. Acknowledgements
Credits should be given to the following ING students who
contributed to improve this manual: Hugo Ledo, Dora Fohring, Lee Patrick,
Liam Hardy, Mansour Karami, Yudish Ramanjooloo, Inaki Ordonez, Fatima Lopez,
Manuel Diaz Alfaro, Luis Peralta and Abel de Burgos. |
Top | Back |
|