David's Astronomy Pages
Notes - Session 906 Attempt (2021-08-17)

 
Bullet Session Aims & Highlights
 - Observing Result
 - Night Summary Plot
 - Session Event Log
 
Bullet Operational Issues
  - Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (0),  Minor Issues (5),  Small Defects (1),  Continuous Improvement (7)
 
Bullet No Images >>      [ Local Files >> ]
2021-08-21
Bullet RSpec Update (2.0.0)

Session Aims & Highlights (2021-08-17)

Main aims

  1. Targets. Acquire images of a selection of variable stars, nearby stars, comets & deep sky targets as allowed by time & conditions
  2. AstroMain. Test Scope Slewing graph after fix in AstroMain 3.40.9 to use Az/Alt positions direct from Telescope instead of using Az/Alt positions calculated from Ra/Dec position.

Equipment & Software

Highlights

Notes

Summary Plots & Logs

Observing Plan
Image
  
Observing Result
Image
   
Dome & Scope Slewing Performance
Image
  
Slew/Centering Performance
Image
  
Guiding Performance
  Session Suspended/Finished before activation of any autoguiding.
  
Sky Conditions (Locate Frames)
Image
 
  
Night Sky Summary Plot
Top axis: Sky Brightness at Zenith (in ADU/s)
Lefthand axis: Local Time (hh LT). Righthand axis: Sun Altitude (degs)
Image   
  
Actual Weather vs Pre-Session Weather Forecast
Image
Image   
  
Session Event Log
Time     Event Detail
23:23:33 Session Monitoring AutoStart monitoring for Live Session opportunity between 23:23 & 03:45
23:23:33   AutoStart Delayed Session delayed due to cloud
03:25:56 Session AutoStarting Session autostarting (03:25)
03:26:37   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -5°C)
03:26:39 Session Created Live Session Created (2021-08-17 S00906, ImageSaveNum: 906001)
03:26:41   Scope Switched On Telescope Power has been switched on via UPB Powerbox.
03:28:22   Services Started Observatory Services started
03:28:29 Observatory (Auto) Observatory placed in Fully-Automated Mode
03:28:31 Session Pending Session pending (2021-08-17)
03:28:33 Session Initiating Session initiating (2021-08-17)
03:28:35   Plan Requested Observing Plan requested from AstroPlan (1.22.4)
03:29:42   Plan Loaded Observing Plan loaded to queue (, Plan ID: 646)
03:29:49   Camera1 Connected SBIG Camera Connected (set point -10°C)
03:29:54   Telescope Connected Telescope Connected (TheSky6)
03:30:09 Session Equilibration Session ready for dome & camera equilibration
03:30:56   Dome Opened Dome opened (opening time 46s)
03:31:31 Session Running Session running
03:31:33   Queue Started Observing Queue started (2 targets selected)
03:31:35     Target Started (NrZen) Target started (Focus Field 0, HIP 106)
03:32:36       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
03:35:32       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1, wide)
03:37:11       Focusing Completed Foc1 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 1)
03:37:15       Focusing Started-Foc2 Foc2 Focusing Started (Secondary Scope, using ShCap)
03:39:26       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2, wide)
03:41:14       Focusing Completed Foc2 AutoFocus Completed (Profile No 2)
03:41:34     Target Completed Target completed (Focus Field 0, HIP 106)
03:43:31     Target Started (1/2) Target started (1/2, GCVS BL Lac)
03:46:42       Focusing Started-Foc1 Foc1 Focusing Started (TCF-S)
03:48:02 Critical Cloud Alert Critical Cloud Alert (Obs.Manager will close the Shutter)
03:48:04   HardSuspend Called Hard Suspend is called due to Critical Conditions (cloud)
03:48:11       Focusing Aborted Foc1 Focusing Aborted
03:48:13     Target Aborted (1/2) Target aborted (1/2, GCVS BL Lac) due to cloud
03:48:15   Queue Paused Queue paused for Session Suspension
03:48:17 Session Suspended Session suspended
03:49:02   Dome Closed Dome closed (closing time 49s)
03:52:49     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (1/2, GCVS BL Lac) due to cloud
04:11:59     Target Cancelled Target cancelled (2/2, WDS GRB 34) due to cloud
04:12:04   Queue Completed Job Queue completed
04:12:09 Session Closing Session closing
04:12:14   Dome Closed Dome already closed (closed at 03:49, closing time 49s)
04:13:35   Dome Parked Dome parked (parking time 72s), Az: 90.0 deg
04:14:58   Telescope Parked Telescope parked (parking time 76s)
04:15:13   Telescope State Scope parked Turn scope off. (Handbox)
04:15:33   Telescope Switched Off Telescope Power has been switched off via UPB Switch.
04:16:21   Services Stopped Night Services stopped
04:16:23 Session Housekeeping Housekeeping Started (Cleanup FITS, Create Fits Summary, Transfer Files)
04:16:25 Session Finished Session Finished
 
Session Alerts
Time     Alert Detail
-- No Alerts                --                              

Back to Top


Operational Issues (2021-08-17, S906A)

[ Prev | Next ]

Critical Issues

Major Issues

Minor Issues

Small Defects

Continuous Improvement

[ Prev | Next ]

Back to Top


2021-08-21


RSpec Update (2.0.0)

The RSpec application for realtime spectrography was updated on the Observatory and House Computers from version 1.8.0 to the latest 2.0.0 (Build 13) version. (dated 2021-08-15).  This involved the purchase of an upgrade licence for $24.95, since access to free-updates expired in 2014.

An appealing feature of the new version is that it includes a new screen called the Presentation Manager that allows one to display up to 20 spectra at the same
time, as shown below

Image

A further potentially useful new feature is that spectra presentations can now be standardised.  By removing the checkmark from the Auto-Scale Y-axis option, a new “Set Zoom” button let’s one zoom to any values. It had been hoped that this feature would allow overall size of RSpec Graphs to be standardised but this is not the case.  Unless one is careful not to change the size of the RSpec window between sessions it remains extremely difficult to capture graphs as image files that remain constant across a number of sessions.  

Using the RSpec 2.0.0 Update as new incentitve to get back into Spectroscopy after a long gap , a review of the current/planned Spectra Processing & Analysis workflow was made on 2021-08-30 (Review - Spectra Processing and Analysis).

RSpec Site:
RSpec Updates (Information)

RSpec Video Tutorials


Back to Top