David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 1055 (2022-11-05)

Notes (S1054)

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Notes (S1056)

	Session Aims & Highlights
	- Observing Result  - Night Summary Plot  - Session Event Log
	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (9),  Minor Issues (4),  Small Defects (3),  Continuous Improvement (12)
	Images from 2022-11-05 >>        [ Local Files >> ]

Session Aims & Highlights (2022-11-05)

Main aims

1. Targets.  Acquire images of a selection of variable stars, nearby stars, comets & deep sky targets as allowed by sky conditions.
2. AstroMain.  Check new AstroMain version (3.56.12) for any issues introduced by recent changes and additions.
3. CCDSoft / SBIG : Continue to check for  issues with CCDSoft .Camera (lockups, freezes, exceptions)
4. Dome Slews : Check if dome slews are less prone to hold-ups or not following cleaning of roof flange and outer drive wheel. Up to 22% of dome slews in the previous session (S1054) were affected by hold-ups during slewing..

 Equipment & Software

• 12" LX200 and ST-10XME
• 80mm APO and ZWO ASI 178MC
• CCDApp2, TheSky6, CCDSoft5, DeviceHub 6.6.0.16,  MeadeGeneric 1.3.5.414, UPB 1.5, ASCOM 6.6
• Pegasus UPB & Motor Focus, TCF-S
• SharpCap 3.2, PHD2  2.6.11dev2
   
• AstroMain 3.56.12, AstroPlan 1.33,   AstroShCap 1.3.12, AstroGuard 1.10.1
  AstroVOE 1.12  AstroSN 1.8.6,  AstroProtect 1.7,  AstroMove 1.9.4
  (AstroWeather 1.19.2, AstroAllSky 3.17.1,  AstroObsCam 1.10.1, AstroLaunch 1.10.3

Highlights

• Targets. x out of x planned targets where successfully acquired
• Guiding Performance. Mixed results, guiding on some targets totally failure (due to cloud/poor sky transparency, low SN) 
• Sky Conditions. Very poor sky conditions with high cloud or haze giving poor sky transparency particularly for targets below 40 deg altitude. 
• AstroMain. Both AstroMain 3.56.10 & 3.56.11 worked without problem or issue.
• CCDSoft/SBIG Camera/AstroMain. No issues/failures/exceptions from CCDSoft.Camera. No unplanned RestartCCDSoft operations required.

Notes:

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)

Actual Weather vs Pre-Session Weather Forecast

Session Event Log

Time     Event Detail 17:41:07 Session Monitoring AutoStart monitoring for Live Session opportunity between 17:41 & 05:26 17:41:08   AutoStart Delayed Session delayed due to cloud 17:47:38 Session AutoStarting Session autostarting (17:47) 17:47:58   CCDSoft Restarting CCDSoft being restarted (to set AutoSave No.) 17:48:22   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera connected (set point -25°C) 17:48:25 Session Created Session Created (Live, 2022-11-05 S01055, ImageSaveNum: 1055001) 17:48:27   Scope Switched On Telescope Power has been switched on via UPB Powerbox. 17:50:05   Services Started Observatory Services started 17:50:13 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode 17:50:16 Session Pending Session pending (2022-11-05) 17:50:18 Session Initiating Session initiating (2022-11-05) 17:50:20   Plan Requested Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan (1.33) 17:51:01   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (Plan ID: 817) 17:51:15   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera connected (set point -15°C) 17:51:20   Telescope Connected Telescope connected (TheSky6) 17:51:44 Session Equilibration Session ready to Open Dome 17:52:30   Dome Opened Dome opened (opening time 45s) 17:53:20 Session Running Session running 17:53:22   Queue Started Observing Queue started (40 targets selected) 17:53:25     Target Started (NrZen) Target started (Focus Field 21, HIP 103850) 17:53:37   Dome Unparked Dome unparked 17:57:37       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 18:00:06       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1, wide) 18:02:02       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1) 18:02:05       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 18:03:56       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2, wide) 18:05:39       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2) 18:05:56     Target Completed (NrZen) Target completed (Focus Field 21, HIP 103850) 18:06:46     Target Started (1/40) Target started (1/40, AT2022zkp (CV)) 18:12:09       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 18:18:31     Target Completed Target completed (1/40, AT2022zkp (CV)) 18:18:46     Target Started (2/40) Target started (2/40, C/2022 E3 (ZTF)) 18:24:19       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 18:36:39     Target Completed Target completed (2/40, C/2022 E3 (ZTF)) 18:36:43     Target Started (3/40) Target started (3/40, CGCG 056-009 w/SN2021apf) 18:41:39       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 18:48:45   SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend is called due to Deteriorating Conditions (too few stars) 18:58:56     Target Completed Target completed (3/40, CGCG 056-009 w/SN2021apf) 18:58:58   Queue Paused Queue paused for Session Suspension 18:59:00 Session Suspended Session suspended 18:59:46   Dome Closed Dome closed (closing time 50s) 19:03:28 Obs.Monitor Frozen Obs.Monitor appears to be frozen at around 19:03 in section 'Refresh Dome Picture' 19:13:53 Session Resuming Session resuming 19:14:38   Dome Opened Dome opened (opening time 45s) 19:14:41 Session Running Session running 19:14:43   Queue Resumed Observing Queue resumed 19:14:46     Target Started (4/40) Target started (4/40, AT2022vlm) 19:22:26     Target Completed Target partially completed (4/40, AT2022vlm) 19:22:30     Target Started (5/40) Target started (5/40, AT2022kl (CV)) 19:25:46       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 19:27:56       Focusing Failed Foc1 focusing failed (failed QC check - Ambiguous) 19:45:33     Target Completed Target completed (5/40, AT2022kl (CV)) 19:45:37     Target Started (6/40) Target started (6/40, AT2022xhz) 19:47:58     Dome Slew Dome slew held up at Az. 184.2, 160.2, 159.5° (Total delay 105s) 20:06:38     Target Completed Target completed (6/40, AT2022xhz) 20:06:42     Target Started (7/40) Target started (7/40, GCVS CI Cyg) 20:11:51       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 20:16:52     Target Completed Target completed (7/40, GCVS CI Cyg) 20:16:56     Target Started (8/40) Target started (8/40, AT2021afpm (CV)) 20:22:04       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 20:28:05     Target Completed Target completed (8/40, AT2021afpm (CV)) 20:28:09     Target Started (9/40) Target started (9/40, GCVS BL Lac) 20:31:41       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 20:34:30       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 4) 20:38:22     Target Completed Target completed (9/40, GCVS BL Lac) 20:38:26     Target Started (10/40) Target started (10/40, NGC 1233 w/SN2022bqi) 20:41:12     Dome Slew Dome slew held up at Az. 184.2, 160.3, 159.5° (Total delay 90s) 21:01:46     Target Completed Target completed (10/40, NGC 1233 w/SN2022bqi) 21:01:50     Target Started (11/40) Target started (11/40, GCVS Z And) 21:05:21       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:07:29       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 5) 21:12:20     Target Completed Target completed (11/40, GCVS Z And) 21:12:24     Target Started (12/40) Target started (12/40, AT2022xiv) 21:14:45     Dome Slew Dome slew held up at Az. 184.2, 160.3, 159.5° (Total delay 91s) 21:33:15     Target Completed Target completed (12/40, AT2022xiv) 21:33:19     Target Started (13/40) Target started (13/40, NGC 6745 w/SN2022prr) 21:55:41     Target Completed Target completed (13/40, NGC 6745 w/SN2022prr) 21:55:45     Target Started (14/40) Target started (14/40, AT2022bvd (CV)) 22:00:03       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 22:06:02     Target Completed Target completed (14/40, AT2022bvd (CV)) 22:06:06     Target Started (15/40) Target started (15/40, AT2021aeft (CV)) 22:10:22       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-S) 22:16:14     Target Completed Target completed (15/40, AT2021aeft (CV)) 22:16:56     Target Started (16/40) Target started (16/40, GCVS HH And) 22:20:02       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 22:22:54       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 6) 22:24:55     Target Completed Target completed (16/40, GCVS HH And) 22:24:59     Target Started (17/40) Target started (17/40, GCVS RX And) 22:26:29     Dome Slew Dome slew held up at Az. 205.1, 204.8° (Total delay 57s) 22:29:18       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 22:31:41       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 7) 22:35:01     Target Completed Target completed (17/40, GCVS RX And) 22:35:05     Target Started (18/40) Target started (18/40, AT2022vxe) 22:38:44       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - star is lost (TCF-S) 22:55:15     Target Completed Target completed (18/40, AT2022vxe) 22:55:55     Target Started (19/40) Target started (19/40, GCVS SS Cyg) 23:00:09       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 23:04:33     Target Completed Target completed (19/40, GCVS SS Cyg) 23:12:10     Target Started (20/40) Target started (20/40, GCVS EV Lac) 23:15:34       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-S) 23:18:21     Target Completed Target completed (20/40, GCVS EV Lac) 23:20:48     Target Started (21/40) Target started (21/40, SlewTest) 23:26:21       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 23:27:55     Target Completed Target completed (21/40, SlewTest) 23:28:29     Target Started (22/40) Target started (22/40, Jupiter) 23:29:46       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - unable to find a star (TCF-S) 23:33:49     Target Completed Target completed (22/40, Jupiter) 23:39:54     Target Started (23/40) Target started (23/40, NGC 946 w/SN2022yid) 23:42:04     Dome Slew Dome slew held up at Az. 205.5, 204.4, 184.4° (Total delay 102s) 23:44:29       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 23:47:03       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 8) 00:03:40     Target Completed Target completed (23/40, NGC 946 w/SN2022yid) 00:03:44     Target Started (24/40) Target started (24/40, Nova Per 2020) 00:05:56     Dome Slew Dome slew held up at Az. 160.6, 159.5° (Total delay 81s) 00:08:55       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 00:11:14       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 9) 00:19:33     Target Completed Target completed (24/40, Nova Per 2020) 00:19:37     Target Started (25/40) Target started (25/40, AT2022zkn (CV)) 00:23:37       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 00:25:34       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 10) 00:31:54     Target Completed Target completed (25/40, AT2022zkn (CV)) 00:31:58     Target Started (26/40) Target started (26/40, AT2022rat (CV)) 00:53:40     Target Completed Target completed (26/40, AT2022rat (CV)) 00:53:44     Target Started (27/40) Target started (27/40, AT2022dcp) 01:15:53     Target Completed Target completed (27/40, AT2022dcp) 01:15:57     Target Started (28/40) Target started (28/40, AT2022gvm) 01:18:45       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 01:21:39       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 11) 01:37:45     Target Completed Target completed (28/40, AT2022gvm) 01:37:49     Target Started (29/40) Target started (29/40, NGC 5894 w/SN2022pgf) 01:59:38     Target Completed Target completed (29/40, NGC 5894 w/SN2022pgf) 01:59:43     Target Started (30/40) Target started (30/40, C/2020 V2 (ZTF)) 02:23:05     Target Completed Target completed (30/40, C/2020 V2 (ZTF)) 02:23:10     Target Started (31/40) Target started (31/40, NGC 3759A w/SN2022hnt) 02:31:14 TheSkyScopeMonitor Frozen TheSkyScopeMonitor appears to be frozen at around 02:31 02:31:15 Program Hung AstroMain's ObsMonitor, ObsManager and JobQueue froze. Observing halted. 02:31:16 Obs.Monitor Frozen Obs.Monitor appears to be frozen at around 02:31 in section 'Refresh Dome Picture' 02:31:17 Obs.Manager Obs.Manager is frozen in section When TheSky6 Running (last cycle was at 02:31:16) 02:33:18 Make Observatory Safe Obs.Overseer intervened to Make Observatory Safe 02:33:44 Job Queue Frozen Job Queue appears to have frozen at around 02:31 - 02:33 02:34:25   Dome Parked Dome moved to Az 90° (Park Position) 02:41:44   CCDSoft Restarting CCDSoft being restarted (attempt to fix locked thread) 02:41:50   SBIG Camera Reset SBIG Camera being power-cycled 02:42:32   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera connected (set point -20°C) 02:42:40 Foc1FieldsUpdater Frozen Foc1FieldsUpdater appears to be frozen at around 02:42 in section 'Update Foc1Fields' 07:33:22 User Intervention User Intervention attempted to restart ObsMonitor/ObsManager 07:33:23   CCDSoft Restarting CCDSoft being restarted (user action) 07:37:29   CCDSoft Restarting CCDSoft being restarted (user action) 07:37:32   SBIG Camera Reset SBIG Camera being power-cycled 07:37:35   SBIG Camera Reset SBIG Camera being power-cycled 07:38:15   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera connected (set point -20°C) 07:40:16   CCDSoft Restarting CCDSoft being restarted (user action) 07:40:22   SBIG Camera Reset SBIG Camera being power-cycled 07:41:04   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera connected (set point -20°C) 07:42:32 Job Queue Frozen Job Queue appears to have frozen at around 02:31 - 07:42 07:43:03 Program Hung AstroMain UI appears to have stopped responding at 07:42 07:46:02 Foc1FieldsUpdater Frozen Foc1FieldsUpdater appears to be frozen at around 07:46 in section 'Update Foc1Fields' 07:50:33   CCDSoft Restarting CCDSoft being restarted (attempt to fix locked thread) 07:54:18   SBIG Camera Reset SBIG Camera being power-cycled 07:54:30   HardSuspend Called Hard Suspend is called due to TheSky6 failure 07:54:33     Target Completed Target partially completed (31/40, NGC 3759A w/SN2022hnt) 07:54:35   Dome Closed Dome closed (closing time 19,272s) 08:02:40 User Intervention User Intervention to kill and restart Observatory Programs 08:02:48 Session Resumed Session Resumed (Live, 2022-11-05 S01055, ImageSaveNum: 1055319) 08:03:09   Obs.Manager Started Obs.Manager started 08:03:11   Obs.Overseer Started Obs.Overseer started 08:03:15   Services Started Observatory Services started 08:04:09   Telescope Switched Off Telescope Power has been switched off via UPB Switch. 08:04:17   Telescope Parked User recorded telescope parked using DeviceHub (Park) 08:05:05 User Intervention User request to close and finish session 08:05:07 Session Closing Session closing 08:05:09   Dome Closed Dome already closed (closed at 18:59, closing time 50s) 08:05:11   Dome Parked Dome already parked 08:06:00   Services Stopped Night Services stopped 08:06:02 Session Housekeeping Session Housekeeping started (Create Fits Summary, Transfer Files) 08:06:40 Session Finished Session Finished

Session Alerts

Time     Alert Detail 19:04:00 Obs.Monitor Obs.Monitor appears to be frozen in section 'Refresh Dome Picture' (last cycle at 19:03:28) 19:05:01 Obs.Monitor Obs.Monitor has resumed again (19:05) after 1.5 mins 02:31:48 Obs.Monitor Obs.Monitor appears to be frozen in section 'Refresh Dome Picture' (last cycle at 02:31:16) 02:32:58 TheSkyScope Monitor TheSkyScopeMonitor appears to be frozen (last cycle at 02:31:14) 02:33:18 Obs.Manager Obs.Manager is frozen in section When TheSky6 Running (last cycle at 02:31:16) 02:43:44 Job Queue Job Queue appears to be frozen (last IamAlive message at 02:31:14) 02:44:24 Foc1Fields Updater Foc1FieldsUpdater appears to be frozen (last cycle at 02:42:40) in section 'Update Foc1Fields' 07:37:32 Foc1Fields Updater Foc1FieldsUpdater has resumed again (07: 37) after 0.0 mins 07:47:43 Foc1Fields Updater Foc1FieldsUpdater appears to be frozen (last cycle at 07:46:02) in section 'Update Foc1Fields' 07:52:34 Job Queue Job Queue appears to be frozen (last IamAlive message at 02:31:14) 07:54:19 Foc1Fields Updater Foc1FieldsUpdater has resumed again (07: 54) after 0.0 mins 07:54:31 TheSky6 Alert TheSky6 isn't running or isn't working correctly 07:54:33 Dome Closing Dome closure hasn't finished after 90s (ShutterState=Closed) 08:03:10 Cloud Sensor Cloud Sensor data has been inactive for more than 5 mins 08:03:29 Cloud Sensor Cloud Sensor data is active again (outage 0.5 mins)

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Operational Issues (2022-11-05, S1055)

• Critical Issues (0)
• Major Issues (9)
• Minor Issues (4)
• Small Defects (3)
• Continuous Improvement (12)
  

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Critical Issues

• None

Major Issues

• ObsCam Pictures stopped freshing (02:28). This is evidently due to AstroMain's job queue sending 'Camera Off' request to AstroObsCam at 02:28:06 just before taking the first image of Target  31/40 (NGC 3759A)  and then not sending a "Camera On" request as the JobQueue became frozen whilst taking images at  02:31. AstroObsCam restarted at 09:15.  A separate ticket is raised to make MakeObservatorySafe () routine send a request to turn-on ObsCam (to ensure that ObsCam isn't left in an Off state, by a failure of the Job Queue.
  Resolved 2022-11-06 (Session, AstroMain, AstroObsCam)
   
• ObsManager freezing in section 'When TheSky6 Running'  (19:04) & 02:31).  ObsManager froze twice during the session in section  'When TheSky6 Running'.  First occasion was at 19:04 and lasted for just 1.5 mins and appears to correspond with previously seen mini-freeze event of unknown cause that is always about 1.5 mins long. Second occasion was at 02:31 and left the Obs.Manager frozen until AstroMain was killed and restarted at 07:43 tthrough user intervention.   Issue is part of a large issue where TheSkyScopeMonitor and ObsMonitor/RefreshDomePicture are also frozen at the same time. This particular issue concerns just the freezing of the ObsManager. Examining the code in the 'When TheSky6 Running' section it is clear that the only part where it could realistically be freezing is in the call made to TheSkyIsRunningOk() function in the code line
     bConnected = Telescope.IsConnected
  A TheSky-Related freeze in ObsManager should be avoided by getting the necessary information about the TheSky6's RunningOk status from a variable that is set by the 'TheSkyScopeMonitor'.  In this way if there is an issue with TheSky6.Telescope, it only locks the TheSkyScopeMonitor and not the ObsManager.
  Besides the call to TheSkyIsRunningOk() from ObsManager.'When TheSky6 Running'  there are 5 other references to the function :ObsManager.CanResume, ObsManager.AutoStartSession,  btnTakeObjectOb..RunTakeObjectOb_New,  btnSetFullyAutomatedObservatoryMode_Click,  btnSetAutoStartObservatoryMode_Click.
  Since TheSkyScopeMonitor interrogates TheSky6.Telescope.IsConnected and puts the result in VM.TheSkyScopeConnection, which is updated by ObsOverseer if TheSkyScopeMonitor freezes, we can refer to VM.TheSkyScopeConnection in TheSkyIsRunningOk() function instead of referring directly to the Telescope object.
  Fixed 2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13) 
   
• Dome wasn't parked at correct Park position.  Although Dome was reported to be parked at Az 90 by AstroMain and DeviceHub, the dome was actually pointing toward SE  (?117 deg).  Pulsar though that its home position was at 117.  Entered 180 in home field, but didn't press apply. Recalibration successfully performed, and dome left at close to it home position 180 deg, except that Pulsar was left thinking that its position was 116.7 deg or so. Entered 180 in home field and this timed clicked apply. Left Pulsar and returned to DeviceHub, and performed Park operation, which position Dome close to it park position with shutter over the doorway.   Problem with dome's azimuthal position was present through the whole session and 15 targets failed to capture any usable images due to dome occluding the telescope's view of the sky.  Problem was caused during cleaning of roof flange and accidental disconnection of the communication cable to the dome's rotational encoder.  Although lead was put back and dome resynced at its park position (Az 90), the lost of difference in encoder counts whilst dome rotated without lead being present resulted in an upset to the dome Home position azimuth.
  Resolved 2022-11-06 (Pulsar Dome)
   
• 15 targets failed to capture any useable images due to dome roof occluding telescope view. Due to an issue with the Dome's azimuthal position the dome roof occluded the telescope view of the sky for 15 targets.  The problem began with the very first target suggesting a preexisting issue with the dome's azimuth angle rather than a drift caused by dome hold-ups during slewing.  Targets lying at reasonably high altitude (>40 deg) , which generally had enough view of the sky that imaging and guiding were still feasible, were ok.
  Resolved 2022-11-06 (Pulsar Dome)
   
• Obs.Overseer reported Job Queue frozen and executed a RestartCCDSoft operation but this didn't restore the job queue. (02:41).  ObsOverseer reported "Job Queue appears to be frozen. (02:41)" and proceeded to RestartCCDSoft() in "attempt to fix locked thread" . RestartCCDsoft appeared to be successful and Camera was reconnected ok.  ObsOverseer howwever still reported "Job Queue appears to be frozen. (02:43)". It is likely that JobQueue issued wasn't associated with CCDSOft.Camera but was associated with TheSky6.  A separate ticket has been raised so that ObsOverseer can report which procedure the Job Queue is frozen in.  Following the RestartCCDSoft operation ObsOverseer reported at 02:44:24 that Foc1FieldsUpdater (incl MonitorCamera1) had froze at 02:42:40 in section 'UpdateFoc1Fields'.  This is concerning as RestartCCDSoft appears to have created a problem and didn't solve anything.
  Issue understood  2022-11-06 (Pulsar Dome)
   
• RestartCCDSoft freezing before reaching call to KillCCDSoft (07:33).  On certain occasions which are most likely when CCDSoft.Camera is frozen / locked up initial call to RestartCCDSoft() freezes and can only be made to resume by making a second call to RestartCCDSoft(). From logfile tracing it is evident that RestartCCDSoft  stalls at either the line GC.Collect() or the line GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers (). Either of these is potentially blocking.  It is proposed to by pass these lines for the time being and see if that resolves some of the problems associated with using the CCDSoft.Camera object.
  Fixed  2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• User request to RestartCCDSoft froze and second user request, lead to a second set of Restart SBIG Camera and Restart CCDSoft command leading to a unwelcome CCDSoft  'dialog'.  After spotting the incompleted session and after finishing the lock down at 07:30 a user request to RestartCCDSoft was made at 07:33 as CCDSoft GUI was not responding.   The restart operation frooze after position opening title. A second user request to RestartCCDSoft was made at 07:37 based on past experience that this will unfreeze the first instance, which it did on this occasion as well. A new feature of RestartCCDSoft in AstroMain 3.56.12 is that the second instance should exit once the first instance has passed KillCCDSoft () however this ddn't happen and the second instance proceeded to Restart (power cycle) the SBIG Camera and restart CCDSoft.  This shouldn't have occurred.    Bug found and fixed by copying nRestartCCDSoftActive to a local variable 'instance' immediately after incrementing the global variable and using the local instance in conditions checks.  (problem was that second instance was setting nRestartCCDSoftActive=2, and the first instance was failing to raise the bRestartCCDSoftIsPostKill flag because nRestartCCDSoftActive was now longer 1 as expected. 
  Fixed  2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• AstroMain GUI stopped responding (07:43). Observatory Overseer reported "UI is Not Responding (5s) at 07:43:03.  This means the UI stopped responding around 07:42:58. occurred.  This made it necessary to kill Astromain and other observatory software (using AstroLaunch) and then restart them.   At 07:41:32 user reset "MakeObservatorySafe" flags (this clears IamAlive flags that will MakeObservatorySafe).  This sets bFrozenJobQueue = False and sets IamAliveData .bWarningReported, .bFrozenJobQueueReported & 
  .bSecondWarningReported = False..  This appeared to trigger ObsOverseer into initiating a RestartCCDSoft (in attempt to fix locked thread) at 07:50. This operation appears to stall as there were no report messages until 07:52 when the Job Queue was reported as appearing to be frozen. (07:52) with Last IamAlive message at 02:31. ObsOverseer then seemed to call 'Make Observatory Safe'  (07:52).   The stalled RestartCCDSoft process then resumed at 07:54 and proceeded to Stop CCDSoft, Restart SBIG Camera and Restart CCDSoft. At 07:54:30 JobQueue resumed  and reported the partial completion of target NGC 3759A  at 07:54:31.  TheSkyScope.Monitor  resumed at 07:54:30. .  Run AbortJobExplicit operation was run at 07:54:31. An operation to Abort Camera failed (Object variable or With block variable not set) . It was around this time that the GUI froze. The last log message came around 07:58:35 "JobAbort reset to 'False' to allow Closing operations to proceed".  Closed after review 2022-11-09 (Freezes of the GUI are thankfully now rare. In this case the program state was badly compromised at the time by frozen ObsManager, JobQueue and ObsMonitor. There isn't enough information to understand the cause or provide any clues that would allow tracing to be added. )
  Closed after review 2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• ObsManager & JobQueue froze (02:31).  Session was noted to be incomplete when checking the Observatory in morning via website and then via VNC.  Lockdown procedure initiated involving capturing screen shots of relevent applications (AstroMain, CCDSoft, TheSky etc).  Investigating showed that TheSkyScopeMonitor appeared to freeze first (last cycle at 02:31:14) but not reported until 02:33:18 (after ObsOverseer concluded that this was not a 90s mini-freeze. Other threads froze at about this same time: Obs.Monitor froze in section 'Refresh Dome Picture' (last cycle 02:31:16) and ObsManager froze in section 'When TheSky6 Running' (last cycle at 02:31:16). Note that the reporting delay for the freezes varies by thread.  ObsOverseer reported that the 'Last IamAlive message was from LocateImageLite/LinkImage/ at 02:31' .  ObsOverseer called the MakeObservatorySafe routine at 02:33  [ A little later Foc1FieldsUpdater (incl MonitorCamera1) froze at 02:42:40 in section 'UpdateFoc1Fields' but this followed a RestartCCDSoft operation and may be unrelated ] .

  Time		Alert	Detail
  02:31:48		Obs.Monitor	Obs.Monitor appears to be frozen in section 'Refresh Dome Picture' (last cycle at 02:31:16)
  02:32:58		TheSkyScope Monitor	TheSkyScopeMonitor appears to be frozen (last cycle at 02:31:14)
  02:33:18		Obs.Manager	Obs.Manager is frozen in section When TheSky6 Running (last cycle at 02:31:16)
  02:43:44		Job Queue	Job Queue appears to be frozen (last IamAlive message at 02:31:14)

  A number of attempted fixes added in AstroMain 3.56.13, 3.56.14 & 3.57.   Session S1056 (2022-11-06) using AstroMain 3.56.13 ran without a major problem.   Whilst not all issues relating to freezing when accessing TheSky.Telescope or CCDSoft.Camera have neccessarily been fixed/mitigated, the lessons from this particular issues have been taken to improve code.   Issue closed after review 2022-11-09.
  Closed after review 2022-11-09 (Session, AstroMain, TheSky6)

Minor Issues

• Red & Green Alert not sent out for ObsManager freezing for 1.5mins (19:04) . Red/Green alerts for Obs.Monitor freezing at the same time were sent out. Prehaps this is because outage was only 90s and hadn't reached 120s threshold for sending alert , which would have also called the MakeObservatorySafe() routine. Closed after review.
  Closed after review  2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13,)  
   
• PHD2 remained 'guiding' even though MakeObservatorySafe () had been activated and the observing had effectively stopped (02:33).  PHD2 carried on guiding until 07:33 in morning when intervention made to stop guiding via PHD2 GUI. MakeObservatorySafe() routine needs to send a message to PHD2 to stop guiding and to stop the GuideMonitor if running.
  Fixed 2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13 / MakeObservatorySafe, PHD2)  
   
• TheSkyMonitor, ObsMonitor & ObsManager froze for 1.5 mins  (19:04) . At about the same time (19:03:35), ObsMonitor froze in section 'Refresh Dome Picture',  TheSkyMonitor froze and the Obs.Manager froze in section 'Why TheSky Running'. All 3 thread resumed about 90s later. This likely corresponds with a mini freeze in TheSky6 which occasionally occur before returning to normal.   The freeze at 02:33 is basically similar except its freeze didn't resume after the '90s mini-freeze'  and it also included a freezing of the JobQueue. How to prove that mini-freezes are 'normal' time -limited freezes or always of the edge of turning into a prolonged / showstopping freeze ?   Even if TheSkyMonitor's mini-freezes can be prevented other threads such as ObsMonitor/ObsViewer and ObsManager should really be made to be independant and not freeze.  Changes made to ObsManager to make it less prone to freezing due to issue with TheSky6.Telescope. Closed 2022-09-08.
  Mitigated 2022-11-08 (AstroMain 3.56.14)
   
• There were delays during slewing to certain targets due to holdup in the Dome Rotation (19:45 to 00:03) . Holdups occurred at Az 160° (81s)., Az 160 & 184° (105s),  Az 160 & 184° (90s), Az 160 & 184° (91s),  Az 184° & 205° (102s), Az 205°(57s).   Problem was again particularly bad this session despite cleaning the roof flange earlier in the day.  Need to again check the Dome's Rotation Drive Tension.  Issue was eventually determined to be due to a loose/worn Drive Wheel Connector and was resolved by installing a Replacement Drive Wheel & Connector on 2023-11-17  (see Pulsar Dome - Replacement Rotation Drive Wheel, 2023-11-17).
  Fixed 2023-11-17 (Observatory, Pulsar Dome)

Small Defects

• When Obs.Manager is frozen the Obs.Overseer loop should the report the section in which the freeze occured in ' ' quotes.  This was a general feature added in AstroMain 3.56.12 but Obs.Manager monitoring seems to have not been implemented as planned.
  Fixed 2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• Obs.Overseer's check on TheSkyScopeMonitor are incorrectly logging the message 'Obs.Monitor is frozen' when TheSkyScopeMonitor is frozen (02:32+)
  Observatory Overseer Check TheSkyScopeMonitor  Info  | TheSkyScopeMonitor is Pending (70s)
Observatory Overseer Check TheSkyScopeMonitor  Alert | Obs.Monitor is Frozen (105s)
  (Note the pending message is correct)
  Fixed 2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13) 
   
• When a FitsSummary process step is cancelled the step number increments when it shouldn't.  Accidently click 'Group Reduced Images' before I was ready, and realising mistake, clicked cancel on the dialog, despite this the process step incremented from A5 to A6 (RetroAdd ReducedNames). Step number should remain on the current step and not be incremented in this situation. Added a parameter to
  Fixed  2022-11-06 (Excel / FitsSummary)

• AstroMain's MakeObservatorySafe() routine to send request to Turn-On ObsCam. This is to ensure that ObsCam isn't left in an off state.
  Done 2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• Housekeeping to report the total time lost to dome slew hold-ups..
  Done   2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• Dome Slew Chart to show the total time lost to dome slew hold-ups..
  Done  2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• Add column header 'Error 5' to for 5th column in web based table of pointing errors (slew/centering).
  Done  2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• AstroMain's MakeObservatorySafe() routine should call InsertSessionEvent ("Make Observatory Safe")
  Done  2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• Remove flag (clear view (green) or occluded view (red) ) at entrance to telescope in ObsViewer when Telescope is not disconnected. .
    Done 2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13 / ObsViewer)
   
• Add a local horizon line & legend to ToO AzAlt Plot.  Based on code used for AzAlt Plan add local horizon line, and local horizon & Dec limit legend..
  Done 2022-11-05 (AstroPlan 1.33.1)  
   
• Modify Fits Summary so that it automatically calculates correct Session Hours (HH:mm:ss) in F1 cell.  Currently the field only calculates the correct hours iif first and last point lie on the same date.  If session stretches across midnight, the equation has to be manually modified. Fixed with addition of new column 47, which is a great time saver.
  Done  2022-11-06 (Excel / FitsSummary)
   
• Only report Switch On / Switch Off Dehumidifier when called from Button Routine.  The Switch On / Switch Off Dehumidifier report lines are produced by the SwitchOnDehumidifier() and SwitchOffDehumidifier() routines which are called from both button routines and from ObsManager's ManageDehumidifier() routine.  The report line should be shown when called by button routines (manual operation) but shouldn't be shown when called from ManageDehumidifiierdify() routine (automated operation). Implemented by adding a Mode parameter SwitchOnDehumidifier() and SwitchOffDehumidifier(), with value either CallMode.Manual or CallMode.Auto).
  Done  2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• Record SBIG 'Error Code 206' exceptions separately from other exceptions. Need more information.  See session S1049 (2022-10-26)
  Done  2022-11-12 (AstroMain 3.57.1)
   
• Divide ObsViewer's DrawObservatoryPicture routine into sections to allow the position of execution freezes to be narrowed down.  DrawObservatoryPicture() routine modified on 2022-11-19 to set 'gObsViewerSection' to a suitablly named description at the start of each code section and refer to it when logging any exceptions in catch statements or by the ObsOverseer when obsMonitor is Pending or Frozen.
    Done  2022-11-19 (AstroMain 3.58) 
   
• Add checks/hold points in Job Executor to ensure that TheSky6 Telescope is currently accessible. Ensuring that TheSky6 Telescope is currently accesible ahead of slewing to a target is one way of ensure that the Job Queue doesn't freeze unnecessarily.  Since TheSkyScopeMonitor interrogates TheSky6.Telescope.IsConnected and puts the result in VM.TheSkyScopeConnection, which is updated by ObsOverseer if TheSkyScopeMonitor freezes, we can refer to VM.TheSkyScopeConnection or to TheSkyIsRunningOk() function instead of referring directly to the Telescope object.
  To do 2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• When ObsOverseer  reports that JobQueue is frozen in should include the name of the procedure / section that JobQueue is frozen in.. This is probably done already ?
  To do  2022-11-06 (AstroMain 3.56.13)
   
• Place ObsViewer refresh (DrawObservatoryPicture) into a separate thread from Obs.Monitor. This is to try to enable refreshing of Observatory to occur even if Obs.Monitor is frozen. May need to show that Obs.Monitor is frozen and some data may not be refreshing.  Item placed on hold on 2022-11-19 following successful introduction of sections in DrawObservatoryPicture()) and wider improvements in thread/object access (like TheSky.Telescope and CCDSoft.Camera).
    On hold  2022-11-19 (AstroMain 3.58 / SBIG Camera) 

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