David's Astronomy Pages
 Notes - Session 747 (2020-01-27)

 Previous Notes
Notes
(S746)		   Notes
Notes
Main		   Home
Home
Page		   Next Notes
Notes
(S748)		  
 
Bullet Session Aims & Highlights
 - Observing Result
 - Night Summary Plot
 - Session Event Log
 
Bullet Operational Issues
  - Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (0),  Minor Issues (6),  Continuous Improvement (2)
   
Bullet Guiding Performance
 
Bullet Images from 2020-01-27  >>
 

Session Aims & Highlights (2020-01-27)

Main aims

  1. Testing: Test new features in AstroMain 3.20.1 including new GuideSumm and  Seeing Charts
  2. Targets: Acquire images of a number of deep sky objects

    Biurakan (or Byurakan) comes from the Armenian observatory (BAO).

Equipment & Software

Highlights

Lowlights

Summary Plots & Logs

Observing Plan
Image
  
Observing Result
Image
   
Dome & Scope Slewing Performance
Image
  
Slew/Centering Performance
Image
  
Sky Conditions (Locate Frames)
Image
  
Night Sky Summary Plot
Top axis: Sky Brightness at Zenith (in ADU/s)
Lefthand axis: Local Time (hh LT). Righthand axis: Sun Altitude (degs)
Image   
  
Pre-Session Weather Forecast (API data from darksky.net)
Forecast showed potential clear interval between 20:00 and 23:00 with 14-21% cloud cover, but becoming cloudy in second part of night.
Winds of 15-17 mph before midnight.  Temperatures of 3degC falling to 0 degC by dawn.  
Later forecasts (once session was underway) showed rain and snow (up to 3cm) around 05:00 to 07:00

In the event skies were moderately clear from 17:30 to 23:00, but with cloud intervals 18:45  and 21:15 .
The Obs.Manager suspended operations and closed the shutter at 21:16 and 22:47

User Intervention made at 23:05 to shutdown the Observatory for the night in view of the rain/snow forecast in the latter part of the night.
In the event there was no snow during the night, but there were spells of heavy rain between 01:00 and 05:30
Image   
  
Session Event Log
Time     Event Detail
20:06:53 Session Created Live Session Created (2020-01-27 S00747, ImageSaveNum: 747001)
20:07:22   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -25°C)
20:07:26   Scope Switched On Telescope power has been switched on via UPB Powerbox.
20:09:09   Shutter Opened Shutter opened (opening time 46s)
20:10:10   Services Started Observatory Services started
20:11:04   Telescope Connected Telescope Connected (TheSky6)
20:12:44       Focusing Started Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap)
20:15:07       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1)
20:15:12       Focusing Started Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap)
20:21:37       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2)
20:22:16 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode
20:22:20 Session Pending Session pending (2020-01-27)
20:22:22 Session Initiating Session initiating (2020-01-27)
20:22:24   Plan Requested Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan (1.14)
20:22:56   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (2020-01-27 V1 BEST PLAN, Plan ID: 463)
20:23:00   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -25°C)
20:23:03   Telescope Connected Telescope Connected (TheSky6)
20:23:20 Session Equilibration Session ready for dome & camera equilibration
20:23:23   Equilibration Started Dome Equilibration started
20:23:25   Equilibration Skipped Dome Equilibration skipped by user
20:23:27 Session Running Session running
20:23:29   Queue Started Observing Queue started (39 targets selected)
20:28:20     Target Started (1/39) Target started (1/39, GSC 1224:29)
20:32:25       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
20:35:34       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 3)
20:40:24     Target Completed Target completed (1/39, GSC 1224:29)
20:40:26     Target Started (2/39) Target started (2/39, GCVS RR Tau)
20:42:39       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
20:45:26       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 4)
20:51:28     Target Completed Target completed (2/39, GCVS RR Tau)
20:51:30     Target Started (3/39) Target started (3/39, LAMOST-HVS1)
20:56:34       Focusing Failed Foc1 Focusing Failed - unable to find a star (TCF-S)
21:01:16     Target Completed Target completed (3/39, LAMOST-HVS1)
21:01:18     Target Started (4/39) Target started (4/39, GCVS HH And)
21:04:07       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
21:07:05       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 5)
21:09:00     Target Completed Target completed (4/39, GCVS HH And)
21:09:02     Target Started (5/39) Target started (5/39, WDS GRB 34)
21:11:16   SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend is called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars)
21:11:41       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
21:14:28       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 6)
21:16:09     Target Completed Target completed (5/39, WDS GRB 34)
21:16:12   Queue Paused Queue paused for SoftSuspend
21:16:14 Session Suspended Session suspended
21:17:02   Shutter Closed Shutter closed (closing time 50s)
21:26:00     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (6/39, GCVS DY Per) due to cloud
21:26:13   Camera1 SetPoint SBIG Camera Set Point Temperature Updated (new set point -20°C)
21:38:00     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (7/39, Basel 10) due to cloud
21:52:00     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (8/39, C/2017 T2 (PanStarrs)) due to other condition
22:01:09     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (9/39, GCVS NV Ori) due to other condition
22:06:16   Camera1 SetPoint SBIG Camera Set Point Temperature Updated (new set point -25°C)
22:16:47 Session Resuming Session resuming
22:17:33   Shutter Opened Shutter opened (opening time 45s)
22:17:36 Session Running Session running
22:17:38   Queue Resumed Observing Queue resumed
22:17:40     Target Started (10/39) Target started (10/39, Scholz's Star)
22:26:35     Target Completed Target partially completed (10/39, Scholz's Star)
22:26:37     Target Started (11/39) Target started (11/39, GCVS RZ LMi)
22:28:45       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
22:31:43       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 7)
22:36:43     Target Completed Target completed (11/39, GCVS RZ LMi)
22:36:45     Target Started (12/39) Target started (12/39, GCVS GK Per)
22:40:45   SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend is called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars)
22:41:06       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
22:44:04       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 8)
22:47:02     Target Completed Target completed (12/39, GCVS GK Per)
22:47:05   Queue Paused Queue paused for SoftSuspend
22:47:06 Session Suspended Session suspended
22:47:56   Shutter Closed Shutter closed (closing time 50s)
22:53:12     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (13/39, GCVS U Mon) due to cloud
22:57:06   Camera1 SetPoint SBIG Camera Set Point Temperature Updated (new set point -20°C)
23:05:07 User Intervention User request to close and finish session
23:05:09   Queue Aborted Job Queue aborted
23:05:12 Session Closing Session closing
23:05:17   Shutter Closed Shutter already closed (closed at 22:47, closing time 50s)
23:06:42   Dome Parked Dome parked (parking time 85s)
23:06:56   Telescope Parked Telescope parked (parking time 11s)
23:07:26   Scope Switched Off Telescope Power has been switched off via UPB Powerbox.
23:08:13   Services Stopped Night Services stopped
23:08:15 Session Housekeeping Housekeeping Started (Cleanup FITS, Create Fits Summary, Transfer Files)
23:08:24 Session Finished Session Finished
   

Back to Top

Operational Issues (2020-01-27, S747)

[ Prev | Next ]

Critical Issues

Major Issues

Minor Issues

Continuous Improvement

[ Prev | Next ]

Back to Top

Guiding Performance

Session saw second use of a new chart type that is designed to highlight the varying quality of guiding performance across different parts of the sky.

During the short (0.9 hour) session all 5 guided targets lay in one relatively small patch of sky. Consequently the plot was unable to show the suspected differences between the area west of Meridian (asserted to have worse guiding) and east of Meridian (asserted to have better guiding).  

Best guide run (no.4) has average RMS of 1.2", with 9 other runs wth average RMS in range 1.3 to 1.5"

Target guiding was badly affected by wind / cloud in second half of night, guide runs 11, 14, 16, 17 & 18 were complete failures.
(these were generally in the same sky area as early successful guiding)

Image

Notes:
- points show the quality of individual guide runs relative to their sky position
- left-hand plot shows Average RMS for all frames, right-hand plots show Average RMS for the Worst Frame or FrameSet

Back to Top

This Web Page: Notes - Session 747 (2020-01-27)
Last Updated : 2024-02-21
Site Owner : David Richards
Home Page : David's Astronomy Web Site