David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 633  (2018-10-21)

Notes (S632)

Notes Main

Home Page

Notes (S634)

	Session Aims & Highlights
	- Observing Result  - Night Summary Plot
	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (3),  Minor Issues (4),  Continuous Improvement (0)
	Autofocussing
	Images from 2018-10-21  >>

Session Aims & Highlights (2018-10-21)

Main aims

1. Targets. Acquire images for a selection of variable stars, nearby stars, comets and deep sky targets (including Open Clusters from Herschel 400 catalogue)
2. Stability. Continue checking stability of the Observatory System (hardware & software) 

Equipment & Software

•  12" LX200 and ST-10XME
•  80mm APO and ZWO ASI 178MC
•  CCDApp2, TheSky6, CCDSoft5, PHD2,  POTH Hub

Highlights

• Image Data.  Images for a further 18 Targets were successfully acquired
• Observatory Manager / Weather . Observatory Manager performed well,  delaying  the start due to wind conditions, temporarily suspending the session due to cloud, and later closing the observatory due to forecast rain from radar and keeping it closed as a actual rain shower came through.
  
• Stability. Observatory Systems & Control Program reasonably stable throughout the session.
• CCDApp2.  There were no incidents of CCDApp2 Program freezing (was this because it wasn't being run as with VS2017 Debugging ?)

Summary Plots & Logs

Observing Result (2018-10-21, S633) Session on auto from 19:41, Job queue started at 19:51 Focussing run attempts at 20:53, 21:08, 22:17,  22:28 Session suspended at 00:28 due to cloud  (44 mins) . Session resumed at 01:12 Session on manual 01:26 to 01:48 whilst attemptingto create a Schedule for second half of the night Session on auto from 01:48. New Job Queue started at 01:48 (equilbration skipped) but no connection to TCF-S focuser.  Session abandoned at 02:05. Observatory closed down under Manual Control at 02:08.

(Observation Status :  Green=Completed, Yellow= Partially Completed, Red= Failed) Diagnosed Failures  :  Missed Start / Problematic StartUp (x1), Telescope Slew / Waiting on Received Data (3x), User Aborted Focusing (2x), Critical Cloud/Rain Threat (3x),  Target exceeds airmass cutoff (x4),  User Aborted (1x),  Not Attempted / Focuser Connection Lost  (20x) Diagnosed Non-Completions : Delayed by Focusing Run (1x)

Night Sky Summary Plot - 2018-10-21 Top axis: Sky Brightness at Zenith (in ADU/s) Lefthand axis: Local Time (hh LT). Righthand axis: Sun Altitude (degs)

Back to Top

Operational Issues (2018-10-21, S633)

• Critical Issues (0)
• Major Issues (3)
• Minor issues (4)
• Continuous Improvement (0)

[ Prev | Next ]

Critical Issues

• None

Major Issues

• Problematic Start to Session.   Operations was on hold during day light following successful completion of previous nights session.  Instead of starting the new session the program ran into problems when the Database Tool program crashed for some unknown reason and couldn't get a schedule for the new night.   During the process of getting the session underway the POTH.Hub was stopped which meant that it lost connection with Parked LX200 scope, leaving no option other than to visit the observatory to power cycle the LX200 scope, before restarting the ASCOM connection to the scope / POTH Hub.
  Resolved
  
• TheSky6 -Timed Out Waiting for Recieved Data .    Three planned targets (FG Sge, NGC 6823, NGC 6835) failed in succession when post-slew Scope Position Checks detected there had been problem with the slews such that the scope was not pointing at/near the intended target. Job Queue executor interpreted this as a possible 'Timed out waiting for received data' problem and attempted to perform a reconnection fix. (where the scope is disconnected in TheSky and then reconnected). The fix either didn't fully operate or didn't have the corrective effect. 
   
  Noticing a problem via remote monitoring and seeing that TheSky6 had put up a message. "ASCOM.Utilities : Timed out waiting for recieved data" or similar, the message was manually accepted by clicking ok (details are slightly sketchy on this occasion ). The scope appeared to be at the null RA/Dec coords point  in TheSky's virtual sky but this wasn't checked precisely.  The scope position was definately ok in the POTH window.  The scope was manually disconnected / reconnected in the TheSky6 (I think), and things then proceeded ok with the next target. 
  (The job queue wasn't stopped and the Observatory Manager remained in Automated Mode throughout the incident)
   
  Problem occurred previously during sessions on 2018-09-18.  The underlying reason for the problem is unknown. On this occasion it appears to have happened immediately after making the first corrective jog on the proceeding target 'GCVS CI Cyg',  Subsequent jogs didn't get through to the scope.  Log data shows that the Estimated Scope Change following each attempted jog was precisely "0.00 arc mins (W= 0.00', N= 0.00')"
   
  It's not sure why the coded Scope Disconnect / Reconnect operation didn't correct the situation.    Maybe the Error Message has to be manually dismissed first ? but this can't be done by code.  This is a potential showstopper for robust automated operation of the observatory.  Issue resolved (date uncertain).
  Resolved
  
• Lost Connection to TCF-S focuser.   Connectivity to the focuser is critical to observatory operations as it is needed to adjust focusing when using different filters and to adjust the focuser as the temperature gradually changes. On this occasion connection to TCF-Focuser seemed to have been lost between 01:25:41 and 01:27:41 UT when Foc. Temperature and Foc. DRO both began showing readings of 0. It is possible that the underlying problem may relate back to anytime between 00:25:41 and 01:25:41 since Foc.Temp and Foc DRO showed constant readings of 6.3 degC and 3620 during this period. 

  23:19 UT (00:19 LT)		Tube Temperature reported as 6.0 degC
  23:27 UT (00:27 LT).		Session suspended / dome closed
  00:26 UT (01:26 LT)		Observatory Mode set to Manual
  00:48 UT (01:48 LT)		Observatory Mode set to Automated
  00:48 UT (01:48 LT)		Job Queue resumed
  00:48 UT (01:48 LT)		Wind / Temperature missing
  00:51 UT (01:51 LT)		Tube Temperature reported as 0.0 degC

  The issue has been seen before.   Attempts to reconnect the focuser from within CCDSoft5 didn't work. Disabling/reenabling COM Port 5 to which the TCF-S focuser is connected didn't seem to work.   Resolved by installing and using TCF-S ASCOM Driver
  Fixed on 2018-10-31 (TCF-S ASCOM Driver)

Minor issues

• Timings File.  (timings).dat file wasn't archived to the session's _LOGS folder along with the other log/data files. Unclear cause - it was archived ok the previous session (S632)
    Resolved.
   
• Queue Suspension: Examine logs/logic associated with Target 'UGC 2536' which was aborted by Queue Executor at 00:28 due to critical cloud
    Resolved.
  
• Airmass Limits. Four targets CN Ori (airmass 4.62), RZ LMi (airmass 3.60), FO Ori (airmass 4.27) and SY Cnc (airmass 4.62) failed due to airmass  exceeding airmass cutoff. In theory airmass cutoff associated with targets/Variable programme should have prevented targets from being selected at these times.  Review Completed (The targets used P3 contraint which has airmass limit of 5.0 whilst CCDApp2 was using an airmass cutoff of 3.3 (data field on Controller Tab)
    Resolved
   
• Waiting Time. Need to investigate why one target (GCVS NV Ori) had a particularly long wait time of nearly 27 minutes. Average wait for other targets was 4.0 minutes (range 0.4 to 9.4 minutes). Review Completed (The preceeding target (UGC 2536, 21.9 mins planned duration) was aborted by the job executor when cloud conditions became critical leaving a particularly long gap in the schedule. )
    Resolved

Continuous Improvement

• None

[ Prev | Next ]

Back to Top

Autofocussing / HFD Profiles

Windy conditions and unstable seeing made focusing and espacially autofocussing very difficult this session.  The example below shows that AutoFocus has found correct best focus position (vertical yellow line) despite the poor dataset.

Focus Profile,  including new HFD measurements

Back to Top