20170707
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. None of the changes should be visible to the user.
- There is a new version of TCS but nothing is being used.
- There is a new version of vlexp which should fix the auto numbering problem.
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.
Test the WFS
Purpose: To make sure that the WFS is in good working condition.
Procedure:
- Select a star to setup on using do_shuffle.
- Setup on the star and get both WFS centered.
- Watch the WFS and see if it is stable
- Offset focus by 0.15 mm and look for a response from the WFS.
Report any irregularities.
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 non-optimal Az setups with do_shuffle
Purpose: We want to test our new features of shuffle for setting up on a non-optimal Az.
Procedure:
- Use do_shuffle to set up on a field on the IHMP.
- after arriving on the target make note of the Az
- see if all guide probes and wfs can be setup on the object.
- Once the WFS and guiders are setup save an ACAM image.
- abort the trajectory
- Use do_shuffle with a new fixed az about 5-10 degrees away from the original Az.
- after arriving on the target make note of the Az
- see if all guide probes and wfs can be setup on the object.
- Once the WFS and guiders are setup save an ACAM image.
- abort the trajectory
Try the above test a 2nd time but setup on an LRS2 IFU (056 or 066) and then try a VIRUS IFU.
Here is an example:
do_shuffle -v --use_brightness true 16:57:09.05 " -04:06:01.12" 0 1 095 0 0 star1 do_shuffle -v --az 195.7 --use_brightness true 16:57:09.05 " -04:06:01.12" 0 1 095 0 0 star1_az195.7
test vlexp dither script
Purpose: Please try all modes of the vlexp to see if auto-numbering is working. Try vlexp on lrs2 and virus.
New setup for PSU17-2-003
The PSU17-2-003 has two new target groups: 1147-1149 and 1144-1146. The way it works now is that we setup on the bright star and then offset to one of two different positions (A and B in each group respectively). After observing A or B we then need to offset to a clean part of the sky for a short exposure. This sky exposure does not need to be guided but if we can determine a guide star that might help. If you can not determine a guide star that can make the jump don't worry we will unset all the probes before making the last offset or make it with probes=false.
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 hetdex-dither
- 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:
