UT 20131015UT FLAO+PISCES DX

Observer: Arcidiacono,C, Boutsia, K, (INAF), D.Miller (LBTO)
Telescope Operator:Bechetti G
SW Support:
AO Support: D.Miller
Telescope Support: Kevin
Instrument Support:

Summary

At 07:45UT - humidity at 95% and clouds on the all sky camera - the dome closed

Project_RUN	Objects	Filter	ExpTime	Notes
Cusano	659668577	Ks,J	1080s, 1800s	COMPLETED - we also took some extra sky frames off-target because there were many fainter stars around the central object
Bongiorno	IRAS_18368	Ks	9min	we lost 1 hr because of problems to the AOS (IsTr 4861/4862) and we did not manage to get a separate PSF calibrator - nevertheless we tried to keep the AOref star in the FOV in case it could be used for the PSF
Bongiorno	NGC1068	Ks	10m	we managed to obtain sky in Ks but not the PSF calibrator - the target is not saturated - during this project we had to close the dome for humidity

Details

12:35 Start K flats - 90s - high/low

01:31 Slew for pointing and collimation

01:48 we slew to CUS_659668577- we are facing the wind

• the shell ripped - problems with the autogain
• set the shell and try one more time

02:00 loop closed

• windspeed = 10m/s - on the adsec:5m/s
• mag of the ref star on the AO guider R=15.6

02:06 dither pattern in KJJK - 30s both

02:23 dither pattern in KJJK - with longer exptimes

• K:60s / J:120s

03:06 we tried to offset for the sky frames but the script gave error

• we sent the preset in TRACK mode
• seeing ~1.2"-1.5"

03:25 Slew to Bongiorno IRAS_18368

• preset failed - no stars found in TVframe - AO bias level need to be adjusted??
• we send an aquire preset - we don't fing the AO ref
• the TO adjusts the pointing
• after an aquire preset with the AO as GS and TS, we see the AO ref star on the guider
• we try with a different guide star
• it worked with RS=37 and TS=37 - we will try to manually center the field on the source
• there is a problem with the camera lens - it is offset one pixel higher - we tried to manually center it but the AO loop opened

03:49 send preset again - this time with RS=37 and TS=0

• before sending the preset DLM has manually set the position of the camera lens
• we move the stage to the opposite direction
• no easy way to fix this - we proceed with TS=37 and will offset field to center the target

04:00 preset succeded - we try to manually center the target

• the AO failed 3 times during 5-10" offsets and we had to repeat the preset each time

04:24 preset again after AO loop opened

• the AO loop opened again - DLM is writting an issue track (4861)

04:41 the last preset just closed the AO loop

• we center the source that is visible on the right and we hope is the correct one

04:50 start dither pattern, where we have in the field the target and the AO ref so that it can be used as a PSF calibrator

• safe skip - the AO loop opened during a 0.5" offset with the camera lens OFF!!
• we give up on this target

05:00 we obtain some sky frames before slewing to the next target pisces.20131015.10122.fits - .10127.fits

05:14 We slew to NGC1068

• while it is doing runAO - we realize that it is not using the proper flat ...
• the shell ripped

*05:38 shell set - load proper flat - send preset again

• seeing is terrible - DIMM 2.3"
• safe skip - recover failled - AO loop open

05:50 send preset again - the AO reg

• shell ripped

06:02 send preset again and we manually change the autogain to prevent the loop from opening

06:17 dither pattern in K

• the loop opened

06:26 dither pattern sky in Ks while setting the shell

06:33 preset again!!

• finish with dither in Ks

06:59 the loop failed after we changed the filter to H2

• while setting the shell and before doing the new preset we obtain sky for the Ks band

07:09 send preset to do H2 filter

07:17 dither pattern in H2

07:19 the loop is open - max skipped reached

07:20 slewing for the PSF star for N1068- since the humidity is rising and we might close down soon

• the loop opened - the star on the AOS did not have the correct mag anyway
• taking some more sky in Ks

07:34 we don't find the star in track mode - correct pointing

• clouds are coming in - the all sky camera is full of clouds
• we see the star and we center it on the guider
• humidity 94% and clouds!!!

07:42 send track preset with the PSF star - there is no proper guide star for the PA allowed by Pisces

• the star is very variable in flux probably because of the clouds
• if this fails, we will go to an AO star
• nothing to do - the star is not visible

07:45 95% humidity!! - the TO closes the dome!

08:40 obtain darks - 120s,90s,60s,30s,5s,3s,2s,1s,0.8s

• correct ones are from pisces.20131015.10346.fits - pisces.20131015.10535.fits
• there are some frames that don't have the correct header

-- KonstantinaBoutsia - 15 Oct 2013