20170706
Twilight Tests
Note: Twilight exposures are critical science calibrations for LRS and VIRUS and if possible should be done every night that science data is taken.
twilights with VIRUS with different tracker positions
Purpose: There is some interest in seeing what the long term illumination correction changes look like including what different track positions do to them. The script is "specialtwilight" in /home/mcs/astronomer/bin/. It takes a single argument which is the Observation number.
Procedure:
- Despite of pressures at the start of the night try to get the twilights.
- Setup the guide camera for sky twilight (GC2, 0.1 sec, B filter)
- When you hit the correct flux level (biased to a slight higher value, perhaps 5k) execute the specialtwilight script
Any new changes:
- There is a new version of shuffle. This has some of the following changes:
- There is a new file which ends in .cfg in the HETcommands directory. This file can be ignored and we only want the one that ends in .hetcommands
- a new --az command line option to select a user entry Az. example do_shuffle -v --use_brightness true --az 10 18:20:22.04 +66:13:38.06 0 0 056 0 0 fcs14_J18203+6613
- the visualize_probestars is not defaulted to False
- "id=XXXX" has been removed from the HETcommands output
- the go_next command has been removed at the end of the HETcommands
- The ACAM image is in "jpg" format as opposed to "png" and we no longer run "convert ..." but instead "\cp -f ..."
- There is a new version of TCS which will have no need for an id on the load_trajectory command.
- There is a change to the guiders which removes the large name labels for the markers.
- The hetdex-dither script may be changed such that it skips the last offset, ie. will not be move back to the 1st dither position fiducial.
On-sky science:
If we get any TOO targets during the engineering run which can be done with the current moon conditions this would be the highest priority. Regular science targets should be the lowest priority.
On-sky engineering:
This should be the 2nd highest priority (after any TOO targets). The priority of the tests is in the order given below.
Standards in each IFU
Purpose: We wish to get spectrophotometric standards in each of the IFU if the conditions are near photometric and you are within the middle portion of the track (in tracker X and tracker Y). Just give the IFU number to shuffle and then setup like a normal HETDEX observation. Please use the dither script. The exposure time will vary but will likely be less than 1 minute. Please check for saturation.
Testing of the ACAM position
Purpose: We want to see if the ACAM position changes with respect to the IHMP over time. We want this data about 2 times per week and when ever we get an unusually high or low temperature.
Determine the Center of the BIB:
- Select a 14th mag star in a reasonably rich field with shuffle for the BIB
- Setup on the very center of the BIB field of view (79, 98) and save an image.
- Guide on one of the guide probes
- Put in the ACAM and save an shallow image with the target star not saturated.
- Report on the position of the BIB in the night report and on NightOperations/Commissioning/Results
- Save a deeper image which should show more than a dozen stars.
Determine the Center of LRS2-B
- Select a 14th mag star in a reasonably rich field with shuffle for the LRS2-B
- Setup on LRS2-B and start guiding on one of the guiders
- Take LRS2-B spectrum, probably 60 seconds.
- Adjust the position so that the star is at the center of LRS2-B IFU using lmap until the offsets are less than 0.3"
- Confirm the star is at the center of the IFU by taking a spectrum.
- Once it is as the center of the IFU put in the ACAM and take a shallow image so that the star is not saturated.
- Report on the position of the LRS2-B in the night report and on NightOperations/Commissioning/Results
- Take a deeper image so that there are large number of stars.
Determine the Center of LRS2-R
- Select a 14th mag star in a reasonably rich field with shuffle for the LRS2-R
- Setup on LRS2-R and start guiding on one of the guiders
- Take LRS2-R spectrum, probably 60 seconds.
- Adjust the position so that the star is at the center of LRS2-R IFU using lmap until the offsets are less than 0.3"
- Confirm the star is at the center of the IFU by taking a spectrum.
- Once it is as the center of the IFU put in the ACAM and take a shallow image so that the star is not saturated.
- Report on the position of the LRS2-R in the night report and on NightOperations/Commissioning/Results
- Take a deeper image so that there are large number of stars.
Repeat the above tests a few times at different Az to confirm that the positions are good.
Testing dither script for non-optimal Az
Purpose: We want to test our new features of shuffle for setting up on a GC and how all of the TCS components work for non-optimal Az observing. Do this on a globular cluster (GC). Choose a a very rich wide GC. Want to put the center of the GC on one of the currently active IFU. This test needs to be run twice. Once at optimal Az and then again immediately at non-optimal Az.
Good globulars that we have used in past, that are up now, are:
NGC5024 = M53 NGC5272 = M3
If you use a different GC watch out that you stay away from CCAS.
You might need to set the catalog in shuffle.cfg to USNOB1
- Use do_shuffle to set up on a globular cluster on one IFU near the start of the track.
- setup on the cluster and take note of the Az
- be sure to guide on GC1 at the center of the bundle marker
- Run take a hetdex dither set with exposure with 120 seconds.
- re-setup back on the original fiducial position (center of the bundle marker)
- run a second hetdex dither exposure set with 120 seconds.
- change to guiding on GC2 at the center of the bundle marker.
- Run take a hetdex dither set with exposure with 120 seconds.
- re-setup back on the original fiducial position (center of the bundle marker)
- run a second hetdex dither exposure set with 120 seconds.
Repeat the above test again but this time at a non-optimal Az (perhaps 5-10 degrees off depending on track time available and Az).
Here is an example:
do_shuffle -v --use_brightness true 16:57:09.05 " -04:06:01.12" 0 1 095 0 0 ngc6254 do_shuffle -v --az 195.7 --use_brightness true 16:57:09.05 " -04:06:01.12" 0 1 095 0 0 ngc6254_az195.7
test vlexp dither script
Purpose: We have updated the dither script to run to see if we can move and keep the WFS centered while doing VIRUS dithered exposures. This requires VIRUS to be up and running.
Procedure:
- Setup on For VIRUS on IFU 095 for Globular cluster ngc6205 in the early in the track. (another very rich and big GC would be fine).
- Start guiding and close the loop on a WFS.
- Take a 180 second per dither set using $HET_SRC_ROOT/integration/hetdex-dither.py
- Take a 180 second per dither set using $HET_SRC_ROOT/integration/vlexp -i virus -dither -t tst -texp 180 -pobj vlexpdither
- Watch carefully as you dither to see if the position of the WFS gets much worse.
- repeat alternating between the two methods for the entire track.
- Report any problems.
Testing Probe offsets
Purpose: We want to see how accurately we offset using probe offsets with the same tools that we used for the guide probe measurements.
Procedure:
- Setup on For VIRUS on IFU 095 for Globular cluster ngc6205 in the east early in the track.
- Setup on GC1 (You can also run a WFS to keep good IQ).
- Expose VIRUS for 180 seconds syscmd -v -V 'expose( seconds=180, x_binning=2, y_binning=1, type="sci", object="ngc6205_095_E", observation=2, exposure=1 )'
- Wait for the shutter to close syscmd -V 'wait_for_shutter_close(observation=2, exposure=1 )'
- Move to 2nd dither position with a probe offset move mgp -toff=0.73,-1.27
- Expose VIRUS for 180 seconds syscmd -v -V 'expose( seconds=180, x_binning=2, y_binning=1, type="sci", object="ngc6205_095_E", observation=2, exposure=2 )'
- Wait for the shutter to close syscmd -V 'wait_for_shutter_close(observation=2, exposure=1 )'
- Move to 3rd dither position with a probe offset move mgp -toff=-1.46,0.0
- Expose VIRUS for 180 seconds syscmd -v -V 'expose( seconds=180, x_binning=2, y_binning=1, type="sci", object="ngc6205_095_E", observation=2, exposure=3 )'
- Wait for the shutter to close syscmd -V 'wait_for_shutter_close(observation=2, exposure=3 )'
- Move back to the start with a probe offset move mgp -toff=0.73,1.27
- Repeat the test but guiding on GC2 Be sure to change the observation number to 3
- Repeat the test but guiding on GC1 Be sure to change the observation number to 4
- Repeat the test but guiding on GC2 Be sure to change the observation number to 5
Confirmation of readiness for science
- Try some different modes of operations.
- VIRUS observing using $HET_SRC_ROOT/integration/hetdex-dither.py
- LRS2 observing with VIRUS parallel with vlexp
- Setting up on stars with all probes including WFS
- Doing LRS2-B -> LRS2-R observing.
Closed dome:
Please do the following if you are closed (in order of priority):
- 200 ldls flats for VIRUS
- dark 1800s x3 for LRS2
See the long cals page for more information:
