David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 660 (2019-02-07)

Notes (S659)

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Notes (S661)

	Session Aims & Highlights
	- Observing Result  - Night Summary Plot  - Session Event Log
	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (0),  Minor Issues (4),  Continuous Improvement (2)
	Images from 2019-02-07  >>
	2019-02-08
	Dark Frames, -20°C

Session Aims & Highlights (2019-02-07)

Main aims

1. Undertake Deep Sky, Variable Star and Nearby Star imaging
   (plan was to take advantage of clear evening skies before forecast clouds rolled at 22:00 -23:00 hrs)
   
2. Monitor Observatory for incidences of unexpected closures of the dome's shutter
   (this has been a problem in recent sessions and particularly during session S647 three nights ago)
   
3. Test updated /new routines in AstroMain 3.8.8, if time allowed
   (this includes new focus logging and Sky Survey focusing)

 
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
   
  
•  AstroMain 3.8.8,  AstroPlan 1.6.2

Highlights

• Images.  x targets were successfully imaged before sky condition deteriorated at 01:15
  
• Shutter.  There were no unexpected closures of the dome's shutter during this 7.8 hour session.  This is the second session in a row which hasn't sufferered from the problem which produced 6 unexpected closures during the 4.1 hour session on 2019-02-04.  Changing AutoClosure Delay in Dome Controller Settings from 0s to 30s is the only change made.
  
• Image Reduction.  A new faster workflow was again used for create a Session Workbook incorporating the session Fits Summary.dat file with its details of the session image files.

Lowlights

• None

Summary Plots & Logs

Observing Plan (2019-02-07, S660)

Observing Result (2019-02-07, S660)

Night Sky Summary Plot - 2019-02-07, S660 Top axis: Sky Brightness at Zenith (in ADU/s) Lefthand axis: Local Time (hh LT). Righthand axis: Sun Altitude (degs)

Session Event Log (2019-02-07, S660)

Time     Event Detail 17:36:03 Session Created Live Session Created (2019-02-07 S00660, ImageSaveNum: 660001) 17:36:43   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -25°C) 17:38:19   Obs.Manager Started Obs.Manager started 17:38:26   Services Started Observatory Services started 17:38:42 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode 17:38:46 Session Pending Session pending (2019-02-07) 17:38:47   Plan Requested Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan () 17:42:44   Telescope Connected Telescope Connected (TheSky6) 17:43:27   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (2019-02-07 V1 BEST PLAN, Plan ID: 272) 17:43:35   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -25°C) 17:43:37   Telescope Connected Telescope Connected (TheSky6) 18:07:03   Shutter Opened Shutter opened (opening time 45s) 18:07:04   Equilibration Started Dome Equilibration started 18:14:19   Equilibration Ended Dome Equilibration ended (7.3 mins total) 18:14:20   Queue Started Observing Queue started (38 targets selected) 18:14:21     Target Started (1/38) Target started (1/38, GCVS HH And) 18:18:37     Target Completed Target completed (1/38, GCVS HH And) 18:37:51     Target Completed Target completed (2/38, UGC 118) 18:40:32     Target Started (3/38) Target started (3/38, WDS GRB 34) 18:46:58     Target Completed Target completed (3/38, WDS GRB 34) 18:47:57     Target Started (4/38) Target started (4/38, GCVS RX And) 18:54:24     Target Completed Target completed (4/38, GCVS RX And) 18:55:27     Target Started (5/38) Target started (5/38, NGC 201) 19:09:38     Target Completed Target completed (5/38, NGC 201) 19:12:19     Target Started (6/38) Target started (6/38, GCVS S Cyg) 19:27:13     Target Completed Target completed (6/38, GCVS S Cyg) 19:38:15     Target Completed Target completed (7/38, GCVS RR Tau) 19:38:16     Target Started (8/38) Target started (8/38, GCVS SU Tau) 19:46:10     Target Completed Target completed (8/38, GCVS SU Tau) 19:46:18     Target Started (9/38) Target started (9/38, GCVS CN Ori) 19:52:36     Target Completed Target completed (9/38, GCVS CN Ori) 19:54:39     Target Started (10/38) Target started (10/38, GCVS FO Ori) 20:02:52     Target Completed Target completed (10/38, GCVS FO Ori) 20:11:09     Target Completed Target completed (11/38, GCVS NV Ori) 20:13:57       Focusing Started (Foc1) Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 20:17:19       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1) 20:21:49     Target Completed Target completed (12/38, GCVS FU Ori) 20:21:50     Target Started (13/38) Target started (13/38, GCVS DX Cnc) 20:29:05     Target Completed Target completed (13/38, GCVS DX Cnc) 20:38:13     Target Completed Target completed (14/38, GCVS RZ LMi) 20:39:11     Target Started (15/38) Target started (15/38, GCVS AM CVn) 20:45:13     Target Completed Target completed (15/38, GCVS AM CVn) 20:48:14     Target Started (16/38) Target started (16/38, GCVS CN Leo) 21:00:36     Target Started (17/38) Target started (17/38, NGC 2628) 21:19:28     Target Completed Target completed (17/38, NGC 2628) 21:22:28     Target Started (18/38) Target started (18/38, GCVS SY Cnc) 21:27:17     Target Completed Target completed (18/38, GCVS SY Cnc) 21:28:17     Target Aborted (19/38) Target aborted (19/38, 46P/Wirtanen) due to other condition 21:42:27     Target Completed Target completed (20/39, NGC 3304) 21:49:39     Target Started (21/39) Target started (21/39, UGC 6865) 22:09:22     Target Completed Target completed (21/39, UGC 6865) 22:11:31     Target Started (22/39) Target started (22/39, GSC 1224:29) 22:21:07     Target Completed Target completed (22/39, GSC 1224:29) 22:21:23     Target Started (23/39) Target started (23/39, NGC 2950) 22:39:31     Target Completed Target completed (23/39, NGC 2950) 22:42:19     Target Started (24/39) Target started (24/39, NGC 2742) 22:45:51       Focusing Started (Foc1) Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 22:49:06       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2) 23:06:44     Target Completed Target completed (24/39, NGC 2742) 23:06:45     Target Started (25/39) Target started (25/39, GCVS U Gem) 23:12:15     Target Completed Target completed (25/39, GCVS U Gem) 23:13:14     Target Started (26/39) Target started (26/39, LAMOST-HVS1) 23:18:43     Target Completed Target completed (26/39, LAMOST-HVS1) 23:22:10     Target Started (27/39) Target started (27/39, GCVS U And) 23:36:29     Target Completed Target completed (27/39, GCVS U And) 23:42:29     Target Completed Target completed (28/39, GCVS GK Per) 23:43:37     Target Started (29/39) Target started (29/39, 38P/Stephan-Oterma) 23:52:28     Target Completed Target completed (29/39, 38P/Stephan-Oterma) 23:53:44     Target Started (30/39) Target started (30/39, GCVS ER UMa) 00:01:12     Target Completed Target completed (30/39, GCVS ER UMa) 00:03:31     Target Started (31/39) Target started (31/39, GCVS U Mon) 00:13:45     Target Completed Target completed (31/39, GCVS U Mon) 00:31:54     Target Completed Target completed (32/39, NGC 3079) 00:34:40     Target Started (33/39) Target started (33/39, IC 983) 00:53:32     Target Completed Target completed (33/39, IC 983) 00:56:32     Target Started (34/39) Target started (34/39, NGC 2768) 01:15:18     Target Completed Target completed (34/39, NGC 2768) 01:17:28     Target Started (35/39) Target started (35/39, GCVS R CrB) 01:25:07     Target Completed Target completed (35/39, GCVS R CrB) 01:25:19     Target Started (36/39) Target started (36/39, GCVS R CrB) 01:33:22     Target Completed Target completed (36/39, GCVS R CrB) 02:04:00 User Interventation User Interventation in order to close session 02:06:06   Shutter Closed Shutter closed (closing time 46s) 02:07:34   Camera1 Disconnected SBIG Camera closed down & disconnected 02:11:39   Services Stopped Observatory Services stopped 02:13:06   Obs.Manager Started Obs.Manager started 02:13:12   Services Started Observatory Services started 02:14:00 Session Finished Session Finished (Manual)

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Operational Issues (2019-02-07, S660)

• Critical Issues (0)
• Major Issues (0)
• Minor issues (4)
• Continuous Improvement (2)

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Critical Issues

• None
  

Major Issues

• None

Minor issues

• Session should be suspended when cloud cover increases significantly.  Similar to previous session , with Cloud Cover at 90%, AllSkyStars Count of only 4 and locate images failing to link, the Session should have suspended even though Clarity was still around 32.  Largely fixed through use of 'Suspend When Few Stars' option.
  Resolved 2019/2020  (AstroMain)
   
• Park Scope, Park Dome events not being created when using Shutdown Observatory button.
    Fix attempted 2019-02-10 (AstroMain 3.9.1)
   
• Target CN Leo (Wolf 359, id 238) failed as it's airmass of 4.41 exceeded the general Photometric airmass cutoff of 3.3 .  Examing the Database using AstroPlan indicated that the CN Leo target is using a P3 constraint of 3.3 which means that an observation at airmass 4.4 with fitness of 0 shouldn't have got onto the Observing Plan, but obviously somehow it did.
  >> Continue to investigate
   
• CCDSoft's Camera Control Window pops up after completing 'Process All' Reduction and other inappropriate times.    Camera Control windows pops up as a by-product of calling AbortAutoguide  in PostJobTasks
     Fixed 2019-02-10 (AstroMain 3.9.1, AbortAutoguide is now only called if Session is in Observatory Mode)

Continuous Improvement

• Add additional application shortcuts to AstroLaunch's 'Support Apps' tab. 
     Done 2019-02-10 (AstroLaunch 1.3  additional shortcuts added (including  FV, Web Expression4 )
   
• Report Time (Local) for each Dark Set
     Done 2019-02-10 (AstroMain 3.9.1)

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2019-02-08

Dark Frames,  -20°C

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