David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 880 (2021-04-02)

Notes (S879)

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Notes (S881)

	Session Aims & Highlights
	- Observing Result  - Night Summary Plot  - Session Event Log
	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (1),  Minor Issues (2),  Continuous Improvement (0)
	Images from 2021-04-02 >>     [ Local Files >> ]

Session Aims & Highlights (2021-04-02)

Main aims

1. Targets. Acquire images of a selection of variable stars, nearby stars, comets & deep sky targets as allowed by conditions

Equipment & Software

• 12" LX200 and ST-10XME
• 80mm APO and ZWO ASI 178MC
• CCDApp2, TheSky6, CCDSoft5, PHD2,  DeviceHub 6.5.1.0,  UPB 1.5, ASCOM 6.5 SP1
• Pegasus UPB & Motor Focus, TCF-S
• SharpCap 3.2, PHD2  2.6.9Dev4
   
• AstroMain 3.38.12,  AstroGuard 1.6,   AstroPlan 1.21.6,  AstroShCap 1.3.11, AstroVOE 1.7, AstroSN 1.5,  AstroProtect 1.6
  (AstroWeather 1.12.1, AstroAllSky 3.10.3, AstroObsCam 1.5.4 )

Highlights

•   AstroGuard.  After AstroMain Program crashed at 00:18,  AstroGuard operated as per design : issuing warnings after 5 and after 10 minutes, and then proceeding to close up the observatory (close shutter, park dome, park telescope) after 15 minutes.
•   AstroMain Crash. AstroMain Program crashed at 00:18 due to unhandled exception in StartPHD2Guiding.  Around 3 hours of observing time was lost.

Summary Plots & Logs

Observing Plan

Observing Result

Dome & Scope Slewing Performance

Slew/Centering Performance

Guiding Performance Dec Notes : Run 1 (red) impacted by periods of ineffective Dec guiding

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 20:24:27 Session Monitoring AutoStart monitoring for Live Session opportunity starting between 20:49 & 04:32 20:49:19   AutoStart Waiting AutoStart waiting till earliest start time at 20:49 20:49:20   AutoStart Delayed Session delayed due to cloud 21:01:25 Session AutoStarting Session autostarting (21:01) 21:02:07 Session Created Live Session Created (2021-04-02 S00880, ImageSaveNum: 880001) 21:02:09   Scope Switched On Telescope Power has been switched on via UPB Powerbox. 21:04:08   Services Started Observatory Services started 21:04:16 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode 21:04:21 Session Pending Session pending (2021-04-02) 21:04:23 Session Initiating Session initiating (2021-04-02) 21:04:25   Plan Requested Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan (1.21.6) 21:05:08   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (, Plan ID: 618) 21:05:26   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -20°C) 21:05:34   Telescope Connected Telescope Connected (TheSky6) 21:05:45 Session Equilibration Session ready for dome & camera equilibration 21:07:06   Dome Opened Dome opened (opening time 45s) 21:07:22   Equilibration Started Dome Equilibration started 21:12:21   Equilibration Skipped Dome Equilibration skipped by user 21:12:23 Session Running Session running 21:12:25   Queue Started Observing Queue started (26 targets selected) 21:13:52       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 21:17:48       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1, wide) 21:19:51       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1) 21:19:54       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 21:22:02 Critical Cloud Alert Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Shutter) 21:22:04   HardSuspend Called Hard Suspend is called due to Critical Conditions (cloud) 21:22:17       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2, wide) 21:22:21   Queue Paused Queue pausing for Session Suspension 21:22:24 Session Suspended Session suspended 21:23:12   Dome Closed Dome closed (closing time 48s) 21:25:53 Session Resuming Session resuming 21:26:38   Dome Opened Dome opened (opening time 45s) 21:26:40 Session Running Session running 21:26:42   Queue Resumed Observing Queue resumed 21:27:08 Critical Cloud Alert Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Shutter) 21:27:10   HardSuspend Called Hard Suspend is called due to Critical Conditions (cloud) 21:27:16       Focusing Skipped Foc1 focusing skipped - star is too dim (TCF-S) 21:27:18       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 21:27:38   SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend is called due to Deteriorating Conditions (reducing clarity) 21:27:41     Target Aborted (1/26) Target aborted (1/26, UGC 5245) due to cloud 21:27:43   Queue Paused Queue paused For Session Suspension 21:27:45 Session Suspended Session suspended 21:28:33   Dome Closed Dome closed (closing time 47s) 22:05:35     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (2/26, NGC 3310 w/SN2021gmj) due to cloud 22:21:57     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (3/26, Nova Per 2020 (CV)) due to cloud 22:33:49 Session Resuming Session resuming 22:34:34   Dome Opened Dome opened (opening time 45s) 22:34:36 Session Running Session running 22:34:38   Queue Resumed Observing Queue resumed 22:35:18       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 22:35:49   SoftSuspend Called Soft Suspend is called due to Deteriorating Conditions (reducing clarity) 22:35:54 Critical Cloud Alert Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Shutter) 22:35:56   HardSuspend Called Hard Suspend is called due to Critical Conditions (cloud) 22:35:59       Focusing Aborted Foc1 Focusing Aborted due to HardSuspend 22:36:22       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 22:36:42     Target Aborted (4/26) Target aborted (4/26, UGC 3502 w/SN2021cwc) due to cloud 22:36:44   Queue Paused Queue paused For Session Suspension 22:36:45 Session Suspended Session suspended 22:37:34   Dome Closed Dome closed (closing time 49s) 23:04:41     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (5/26, NGC 4165 w/SN2021gno) due to cloud 23:26:33     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (6/26, NGC 4227 w/SN2021biz) due to cloud 23:48:25     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (7/26, IC 992 w/SN2021dwg) due to wind 23:55:31 Session Resuming Session resuming 23:56:16   Dome Opened Dome opened (opening time 45s) 23:56:18 Session Running Session running 23:56:20   Queue Resumed Observing Queue resumed 23:57:04       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S) 23:59:06       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 3) 23:59:08       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap) 00:01:24       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 4, wide) 00:03:13       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 4) 00:03:29       Focusing Checked Foc2 Focusing Check Succeeded 00:03:36     Target Started (8/26) Target started (8/26, CGCG 264-017 w/AT2021bjy) 00:15:58     Target Completed Target partially completed (8/26, CGCG 264-017 w/AT2021bjy) 00:16:01     Target Started (9/26) Target started (9/26, GCVS RZ LMi) 00:18:13 Program Crashed AstroMain program crashed with unhandled exception in StartAutoguider 00:20:16 Job Queue Frozen Job Queue appears to have frozen at around 00:17 - 00:20 00:33:00 Session Closing Observatory Closed by AstroGuard (Shutter Closed, Dome & Scope Parked)

Session Alerts

Time     Alert Detail 07:33:09 Job Queue Job Queue appears to be frozen (last IamAlive message at 00:17)

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Operational Issues (2021-04-02 S880)

• Critical Issues (0)
• Major Issues (1)
• Minor Issues (2)
• Continuous Improvement (0)

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Critical Issues

• None

Major Issues

• AstroMain program effectively crashed due to a unhandled exception whilst starting autoguiding for Target 9/26 (RZ LMi) at 00:18. AstroGuard stepped in after 15 minutes to make the observatory safe (closing shutter, and parking the dome & telescope).  Exception  'InvalidCastException: Conversion from string to type Double is not allowed' in Line 326 in Guider.StartPHD2Guiding() routine.
  Report(Tab2 + "Guiding Params", "Ok", "Binning: " + CStr(Binning) + ", ImageScale: " +
                 FormatNumber(ImageScale, 3) + """/px" + ", North: " + NorthOrientation +
                 ", Exposure " + CStr(Exposure / 1000) + "s")
  Error seems to have been caused by Exposure having the string value "" .  This appears to be a bug that was waiting to happen.  Exposure is a local variable of type string. an clearly dividing a string by 1000 is sooner or later going to cause a problem.  It is also a design failure that the routine isn't protected by a Try Catch block that could have allowed the target to continue even if AutoGuiding wasn't available.  Just beforehand, at 00:18:12.83,  there was another exception in PHD2.PixelScale. This one was caught but similarly this also a 'Conversion from string "" to type 'Double' is not valid." error.
  There seems to some anomalies with the earlier Guide Run 1:   Profile Name (TS80/178MC)  wasn't reported but was posted on Guiding Chart.  The Guiding Chart shows vcNull values for RA Rate and Dec Rate. For Guide Run 2 (RZ LMi) the correct values are posted on the Guiding Chart and Profile Name (TS80/178MC) was reported ok.  It is evident that calls to PHD2.get_pixel_scale and PHD2.get_exposure both failed (PHD2 logfile shows there was no response to either request.
  There was no response to 'get_calibration_data' request at 21:03:58, and 00:06:51,  but there were responses to requests at 00:06:49, 00:17:46 & 00:17:48.
  Underlying issue was probably a glitch in the PHD2 communication/server, but it shouldn't have brought down the AstroMain program ending the night's observing session.   Exposure set as type Double in AstroMain 3.38.13 instead of string and a new outer Try Catch block added to  StartPHD2Guiding()  routine and a Try Catch block put around the call to StartPHD2Guiding() in StartGuider().   
  Fixed 2021-04-03 (AstroMain 3.38.13)

Minor Issues

• 'Deactivate Last Session' button routine should update window.ShutterStatus. After using deactive last session button, following unexpected program crash Shutter Status still showing as OPEN, when actual shutter status is CLOSED.    
  Done 2021-04-05 (AstroMain 3.38.14)
   
• 'Pulsar Shutter Data Outage chart implies an outage when the reason is an outage of the ObsEnv data stream (due to outage of AstroMain program due to crash or other reason).  Pulsar Data outage chart (Chart ID=52) should check ObsEnv datastream/times (.DateX) before drawing/implying any outage of the Pulsar Shutter Data.    
  Done 2021-04-05 (AstroWeather 1.12.4)

Continuous Improvement

• None

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