20170810

Any new changes:

• There are now 18 VIRUS units installed and running
• LRS2 is back up and running with a new VG installed.
• The IHMP has been reinstalled and will need to have its orientation tested with respect to the ACAM
• The BIB has been reinstalled in the central plate of the IHMP and this might have a new fplane position.
• We have a new version of the guider fits software so we need to test the WCS.
• vlexp now can use type "eng"

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

version of shuffle installed so we are ready to resume testing of non-optimal Az setups.

• Sergey has fixed the auto numbering in cal and vlexp
• pivot on VIRUS now runs vhc automatically.

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

Engineering

Re install of the new DMI unit

Procedure for CCAS:

• Call George once you can open the dome safety
• Center up the array on CCAS
• Get to best focus and note the "mean" distance from DMI gui
• touch nothing else in the array or in the CCAS tower
• swap in the new unit
• measure the new mean distance
• change the software with the new value

Procedure for SAC:

• Stack
• go on sky (a star at center of track)
• adjust track position to get best focus
• measure SAC DMI distance
• repeat this 5 times.
• report average value on the white board and to hetdex-tcs mail list for changes to software.

Testing of the IHMP re-install

Purpose: The IHMP has been re-installed. This might change the orientation of the IHMP with respect to the ACAM. In addition, the central plate of the IHMP has been remounted so this might change the position of the BIB with repsect to the rest of the IHMP.

Procedure: This can be done by running the Testing of the ACAM position multiple times for both east and west Az tracks.

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=== Testing of the ACAM position === 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.

Guide probe positioning test

Guide probe offset test on sky. Use offset dither commands with probes=true and move sizes less than or equal to 0.3" and watch for motion on the ACAM. Save multipe images to beat down the noise. For example save 10 images before do the offset and save 10 images. Measure the mean position and error in the mean for both sets. Repeat for guiding on GC1 and GC2 for both X and Y offsets.

Jason would also like a variant of this test to be run. Don't guide during this test but have the system saving images and collecting metrology the entire time; use the largest guide box you can on both the GC and ACAM. After 10 images are saved make an offset and let it save 10 more images. Move back and forth until the guider drift takes you to the edge of the guide box (either the ACAM guide box or the GC guide box).

Prep for new trimester science

We need to determine how out of focus we need to be to get M17-3-002 STANDARDS (which are often 6th mag). Try being above focus by 0.5 mm but centered on the LRS2-B IFU and take an exposure. Determine how long we have to expose to get 10,000 counts and how wide the pupil is. How about for 1.0 mm above best focus?

Closed dome testing

WCS testing

We have new WCS values for the ACAM and guiders. This test can be performed on the images saved from the Testing of the ACAM position test.

1) Display the fake acam from gstar 2) Display the image that was actually saved from the sky 3) Look for zero points position problems. 4) Look for rotation of coordinate system problems.

Report results.