OSU/RC Queue Observing UTC 2011 Sept 26
(civil date 2011 Sept 25/26)
=======================================

Observers: R. Pogge, R. Stoll, S. Chung (OSU)
Observing Assistant: David Gonzalez-Huerta
Support Astronomer : Olga Kuhn
Instrumentation    : 

Instrument: MODS

Summary:

Overall a successful night.  Seeing was good, ranging from 0.5 to 0.8 arcsec in the red channel.  A few minor glitches, detailed below.  Telescope closed at 09:00 (UT) due to clouds.  


Details:

02:11 -- Begin preset on bright pointing star.  Star is extremely aberrated.  
WFS starting to correct aberrations.  

02:21 -- Initial collimation finished, WFE converged.

02:22 -- Preset to Stone-O field, centering on star 1520.  Image in g and r 
filters, for astrometric reference.  Bright diagonal streak across both g 
and r.

02:36 -- Taking more images of the same field. 60 sec exposures in g and r. 
Bright diagonal streak across both blue and red camera images. Seeing is 
about 0.75 arcsec in g-filter, 0.6 arcsec in r.  However,guider reported 
seeing is 1.0 arcsec.  Note: guider internal focus is a little soft. 


02:45 -- 120 sec exposures in both u,g,r,i

      Seems to be stray light on both blue and red channels, originating from 
outside the instrument, through the baffle.  


02:50 -- Taking u-band and z-band image, 120 sec.


02:54 -- Closing hatch to test whether the light source is coming from inside 
or outside MODS.  Taking 120 sec image in g and i (with hatch closed). 
Telescope is tracking but not guiding. 

      These images show no signs of light streaking. This confirms that light 
leak is from outside MODS. No obvious stray light within the dome.  Possible 
light source is from stadium or prison.  


02:58 -- Start preset to stone-o star 1477.  

03:00 -- WFS converged.  Start exposing 120 sec in g and r.  Guide star is 
on-axis therefore probe shadow is in the field.  Need to pick another huide 
star. 

03:07 -- Begin preset for same field (stone-o, star 1477) with off-axis guide 
star. 

03:09 -- Begin imaging on field, 120 sec in g and r.  Diagonal streaking from 
stray light.  Seeing in i-filter is 0.6 arcsec, in g-filter ~0.8 arcsec.

03:20 -- Imaging 180 sec in u-band, 120 sec in z-band.  Guider shows 0.9 
arcsec seeing.  

03:25 -- Start acquisition on OSU SDSSqsos 2103.  

03:37 -- Start OSU SDSSqsos 2103 obs with 0.6 arcsec slit, red grating only.  

04:01 -- Start acquisition on standard star sdssqsos_lds749b. 

04:10 -- Start standard star obs 

      Error... IMCS lock timed out.  Bug in execmods script; Rick Pogge has 
fixed this.  Able to continue observation.  


04:32 -- Start acquisition on OSU FeIIAGN/pks2216 

      Rick updated modsalign to version 1.1

04:41 -- Start obs on OSU FeIIAGN/pks2216.  0.6 arcsec slit,  dual grating.  
Seeing is 0.5 arcsec in r


05:17 -- Start acquisition on standard star BD+284211.acq.  Preset failed.  
Guide star showed huge astigmatism and preset failed because it could not 
guide.  Elevation of this star was ~82 deg.


05:20 -- Start acquisition on standard star Feige110.  Seeing is 0.67 arcsec 
in red.  Guider seeing is 0.93 arcsec.  


05:29 -- Start obs on standard star Feige110 (0.6 arcsec slit).


05:38 -- Start acquisition on ND wolfrayet.  Seeing from acq image is 0.66 
arcsec in red, guider seeing is 1 arcsec.


05:47 -- Start ND wolfrayet obs.  1 arcsec slit, dual grating. 

      Blue channel fits transfer got stuck again.  No data lost, observation 
continued without delay.  


06:20 -- Start acquisition on feige110 standard star for the ND wolfrayet 
program.  This .acq and .obs file has been modified from the 
OSU_FeIIAGN/feige110 to have a 1.0 arcsec slit.  Seeing is 0.69 arcsec in red. 
    

06:25 -- Start feige110 obs (1.0 arcsec slit)       

06:37 -- Manually started one 180 sec exposure of feige110 using the MODS 
observing GUI.

06:41 -- Start acquisition on OSU_LSNeSpec_SN2006gy.  Seeing is 0.74 arcsec 

06:51 -- Start obs on OSU_LSNeSpec_SN2006gy, 1 arcsec slit, dual grating.
 
07:04 -- Manually started two additional images on SN2006gy, 180 sec per 
image. 


07:27 -- Start acquisition on OSU_m33obXmods 

      Pointing problem.  Guide star not found.  

07:32 -- Retry acquisition script for OSU_m33obXmods.  Guide star found.  
Seeing on acq image is 0.65 arcsec in red.

07:43 -- Start OSU_m33obXmods, 0.6 arcsec slit, dual grating 

08:28 -- Failed. Second (out of 4) image read out from OSU_m33obXmods obs, 
then failed.  Lost tracking at elevation ~87.8 deg.  Light cirrus during the 
past half hour or so of observation.


08:36 -- Re-start OSU m33obXmods acquisition 

08:45 -- Re-start OSU m33obXmods obs  

     Modified m33obXmods script to run 2 images (since we already took two).
     Seeing is 0.5 arcsec in red. 
     There are some clouds coming in.

     Slight shift in position on the slit between the first two images 
(pre-transit) and the second two images (post-transit)

     More clouds, guide star is fading out.  

     09:07 -- Lost guide star, just after 3rd (out of 4) image read out.  

09:15 -- telescope closed due to clouds 

09:44 -- telescope still closed.  Take 10 min test images in g and i, with 
hatch open, dome closed.  Purpose is to narrow down source of light leak seen 
in earlier images.  Telescope at horizon.  

      Images show no sign of stray light.  Most likely the previously seen 
light leak was coming from outside the dome. 

10:00 -- Start arc lamp calibrations, 0.6 arcsec slit 

10:07 -- Start slitless spectral flats 

10:26 -- Start 0.6 arcsec spectral flats   

10:50 -- Start 1.0 arcsec spectral flats 

      Some of the red flats were not transferred.

11:19 -- Start bias frames