David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 781 (2020-05-12)

Notes (S780)

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Notes (S782)

	Session Aims & Highlights
	- Observing Result  - Night Summary Plot  - Session Event Log
	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (0),  Minor Issues (3),  Continuous Improvement (4)
	Images from 2020-05-12 >>

Session Aims & Highlights (2020-05-12)

Main aims

1. Software Testing: Test new 3.22 version of AstroMain which has had multiple changes since 3.21.6. Check for absence of introduced bugs / new issues. Check bug fixes and new features/enhancements
2. Targets: Acquire images of a number of targets if conditions allowed.   Weather conditions forecast to be marginal.

Equipment & Software

• 12" LX200 and ST-10XME
• 80mm APO and ZWO ASI 178MC
• CCDApp2, TheSky6, CCDSoft5, PHD2,  POTH Hub
• Pegasus UPB & Motor Focus, TCF-S
• SharpCap 3.2, PHD2  2.6.6dev3
   
• AstroMain 3.22,  AstroGuard 1.2.11,   AstroPlan 1.14.4,  AstroShCap 1.2.22, AstroVOE 1.3.6, UPB 1.4.17 
  (AstroWeather 1.9, AstroAllSky 3.5.1)
  

Highlights

• Software Testing. Testing of new 3.22 version of AstroMain was largely successful.  No major issues were found and the majority of bug fixes/ new features in new version worked well.
• Rain Protection.  Weather Data Comms & Obs.Manager operated well and closed the observatory dome at 23:44 when rain threat & cloud developed ahead of a light rain shower that came through at 23:58 to 00:02.

Lowlights

• Cloud.  Skies were cloudy for most of night and only 1 target was successfully imaged

Summary Plots & Logs

Observing Plan

Observing Result

Dome & Scope Slewing Performance

Slew/Centering Performance

Guiding Performance

Sky Conditions (Locate Frames)

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

Pre-Session Weather Forecast (API data from darksky.net) Pre-Session Weather forecast showed variable skies range from 5 to 50% cloud cover,  light winds (wind 7mph) and a minimum temperature of 6°C. In the event conditions were clear and calm through the whole night, with a minimum temperature of around 4°C

Session Event Log

Time     Event Detail 23:14:06 Session Created Live Session Created (2020-05-12 S00781, ImageSaveNum: 781001) 23:14:57   Obs.Manager Started Obs.Manager started 23:14:59   Obs.Overseer Started Obs.Overseer started 23:15:03   Services Started Observatory Services started 23:15:07   Scope Switched On Telescope Power has been switched on via UPB Powerbox. 23:16:52   Services Started Observatory Services started 23:18:42 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode 23:18:44 Session Pending Session pending (2020-05-12) 23:18:46 Session Initiating Session initiating (2020-05-12) 23:18:48   Plan Requested Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan (1.14.4) 23:19:13   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (2020-05-12 V1 BEST PLAN, Plan ID: 509) 23:19:26   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -25°C) 23:19:32   Telescope Connected Telescope Connected (TheSky6) 23:19:44 Session Equilibration Session ready for dome & camera equilibration 23:19:46 Wait on Weather Waiting for acceptable weather conditions 23:20:45 Session Suspended Session suspended 23:20:47   Shutter Closed Shutter already closed (closure time is unknown) 23:20:49   Queue Started Observing Queue started (14 targets selected) 23:25:05 Session Resuming Session resuming 23:25:50   Shutter Opened Shutter opened (opening time 46s) 23:25:53 Session Running Session running 23:25:55   Queue Resumed Observing Queue resumed 23:26:29     Target Started (1/14) Target started (1/14, C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)) 23:30:46       Focusing Started Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 23:32:51       Focusing Failed Foc2 Focusing Failed - failed QC check (Quadratic) 23:34:15       Focusing Failed Foc1 Focusing Failed - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 23:43:57 Critical RainThreat Alert Critical Rain Threat Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Shutter) 23:43:59   HardSuspend Called Hard Suspend is called due to Critical Conditions (threat of rain) 23:44:00     Target Aborted (1/14) Target aborted (1/14, C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)) due to threat of rain 23:44:03   Queue Paused Queue pausing for HardSuspend 23:44:05 Session Suspended Session suspended 23:44:52   Shutter Closed Shutter closed (closing time 50s) 23:50:46     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (1/14, C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)) due to cloud 23:54:03   Camera1 SetPoint SBIG Camera Set Point Temperature Updated (new set point -20°C) 00:10:53     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (2/14, NGC 3643) due to cloud 00:33:15     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (3/14, NGC 4277) due to cloud 00:55:37     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (4/14, UGC 8067) due to cloud 01:17:59     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (5/14, NGC 5157) due to cloud 01:29:25     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (6/14, GCVS R CrB) due to cloud 01:49:02     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (7/14, IC 1222) due to cloud 02:01:20     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (8/14, GCVS CY Lyr) due to cloud 02:13:50     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (9/14, Berkeley 90) due to cloud 02:25:50     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (10/14, Berkeley 91) due to cloud 02:36:16     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (11/14, GCVS AM Her) due to cloud 02:48:31     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (12/14, Berkeley 45) due to cloud 02:57:29     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (13/14, GCVS CI Cyg) due to cloud 03:09:56 Session Resuming Session resuming 03:10:40   Shutter Opened Shutter opened (opening time 45s) 03:10:43 Session Running Session running 03:10:45   Queue Resumed Observing Queue resumed 03:11:53     Target Started (14/14) Target started (14/14, 61 Cyg) 03:19:42     Target Completed Target completed (14/14, 61 Cyg) 03:19:45   Queue Completed Job Queue completed 03:19:48 Session Closing Session closing 03:20:41   Shutter Closed Shutter closed (closing time 50s) 03:20:51   Dome Parked Dome parked (parking time 10s) 03:21:04   Telescope Parked Telescope parked (parking time 9s) 03:21:34   Scope Switched Off Telescope Power has been switched off via UPB Powerbox. 03:22:22   Services Stopped Night Services stopped 03:22:24 Session Housekeeping Housekeeping Started (Cleanup FITS, Create Fits Summary, Transfer Files) 03:22:27 Session Finished Session Finished

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Operational Issues (2020-05-12, S781)

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

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Critical Issues

• None

Major Issues

• None

Minor Issues

• Dew Heaters remained stuck at 62% beyond the end of the session and weren't dropped back to ~ 30%. Logfiles show 'Fail'  messages ' every 10s saying 'Set DewHeater   -  Setting dew heaters was unsuccessful'.  This is almost certainly a bug introduced in 3.22 as a result of attempted improvements to the dew heater setting routine.  The only reason for giving the 'Setting dew heaters was unsuccessful' messages is if a call to SetDewHeater() routine gives a bSuccess = False result.   Examining SetDewHeater() routine a  bSuccess=False result is only given  a) there is an exception in the routine b) the 'objPowerBox' object is Nothing or c) the Proposed Heater Percent was outside the range 0 to 100.  The first two situations can be ruled out;  no exceptions messages are logged and  Dew Heater Values changes are still recognised, which means the Proposed Heater Percent was invalid. Problem was identified as due to squaring of Humidity term which cause Proposed Heater Percent to exceed 100. Offending equation changed to   DewHeaterPower = ((H / 100) ^ 2) * 100 * 0.3
  Fixed 2020-05-13 (AstroMain 3.22.1) 
   
• Scope slewed to a Near Zenith Focus Field but then immediately slewed to the first Target without doing any Near Zenith focusing.  This occurred after Equilibration was interrupted by poor conditions and the job queue was begun in a suspended state, such that Target 1 details were reported before Focus Field was attempted after conditions improved.  It also seemed that Obs.Manger was too quick to start the Job queue in a suspended state and could have waited in Equilibrating State for longer
  Fixed 2020-05-20 (AstroMain 3.22.4) 
   
• Identical Focus Star properties reported for each one of 14 focus frames for TS80 Focus Profile 1. Focus Frames were badly affected by cloud, but that can't explain why all frames appeared to have idenifical values for FWHM, HFD, Max Pixel, Elong etc. The majority of focus frames should have generated  null FWHM values which should have cut short the Focusing attempt but didn't. Investigating shows that none of the focus frames had an associated .fSRC file (only the Locate frame has a fSRC file). This indicates that the routines  didn't get as far as attempting a Star Inventory on any of the focus frames. This is almost certaininly a bug introduced in AstroMain 3.22 which attempts to use a different method of focus frame analysis as AstroMain 3.21.6.  Checking code showed the problem was that a hard-coded image file substitution used for testing was still active, causing the analysis of the same focus frame for each focus step and hence identical focus star properties.
  Fixed 2020-05-13 (AstroMain 3.22.1) 
   

Continuous Improvement

• Add 'Sun Alt' to the Obs.Viewer picture. Add sun alt value and associated traffic light flag to Obs.Pic and reposition Star's value and flag
  Done 2020-05-13 (AstroMain 3.22.1) 
   
• Add 'Relay' to the Obs.Viewer picture. Add Cloud Sensor Relay value (Safe / Unsafe) and associated traffic light to Obs.Pic.
  Done 2020-05-13 (AstroMain 3.22.1) 
   
• Add 'Relay' to the Obs.Manager Tab.   Add Cloud Sensor Relay value (Safe / Unsafe) and associated traffic lights to Obs.Manager tab
  Done 2020-05-13 (AstroMain 3.22.1) 
   
• Access Barometer Pressure and post alongside Focus related data. Data accessed through WeatherData.BarometricPressure and posted in Focus Summary data and Focus2 data file.
  Done 2020-05-13 (AstroMain 3.22.1) 

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