OSU/RC Queue Observing UTC 2011 Dec 28 (civil date 2011 Dec 27/28) =========================================== Observers: BShappee, ERyan, RGreen & WBian Observing Assistant: Support Astronomer : DThompson Instrumentation : Instrument: MODS Summary: High Cirrus mostly on the horizon. Seeing variable seeing, ~0.8-1.5". Programs run: AZ_cl0218 has 3 hours of masks executed this night, only needs 1 additional hour on mask 1 some small issues during night with ds9 stretch making it difficult to pick out faint objects when trying to line them up with slit Details: Late start on writing the observing log. acqMODS bd28.acq Noticed that there is a faint companion close to the disperion axis of the standard. Cancelled first calibration sequence but the decided it is better not waste telescope time fixing script for rotation angle and finding a new guide star, so took standard as is. Becareful using, look at acquistion images. We will take another standard later. 01:40: acqMODS cl0218_mask1.acq 01:55: execMODS cl0218_mask1.obs 1st and 2nd exposures seeing variable, started at ~1.0-1.4 3rd exposure seeing <1 03:00: execMODS cl0218_mask1.obs 1st, 2nd exposure seeing ~0.9 3rd exposure 1.1 04:08: execMODS cl0218_mask1.obs 1st, 2nd exposure seeing ~0.9 3rd 1.3 05:20: execMODS cl0218_mask1.obs 1st exposure seeing 1.4 Aborted script after the 1st exposure because the seeing was bad and elevation 05:45: acqMODS SN2000ei-UT06.acq some uncertainty for which faint object is the target, but when looking at different finding chart we think have the right object 05:55: execMODS SN2000ei_A.obs seeing ~0.8 giving an extra 20 min because of poor conditions on previous nights 07:05: standard star G191b2b acqMODS g191b2b.acq dual grating: execMODS -b DualGrating g191b2b.obs red grating: 07:23: acqMODS OSU_MD_FeII_sdss0835p4352.acq 07:35: execMODS OSU_MD_FeII_sdss0835p4352.obs seeing ~1.1 08:32: acqMODS sn11b_spec.acq Saw that this object had already been done. But the wrong program (the imaging) had been removed from the queue. We saw that the seeing (this far north) was 1.6-1.8" which was not acceptable for the imaging portion of the program so we moved on. 08:46: acqMODS J0746p35.acq had to take two images because of wind 08:55: execMODS J0746p35.obs 1st exposure seeing ~1.2 2nd exposure ~1.4 09:17: acqMODS J0805p30.acq 09:25: execMODS J0805p30.obs doubled the exposure time in the script because the seeing is ~1.5 10:08: acqMODS J0808p30.acq 10:13: execMODS J0808p30.obs seeing ~ 1.1 10:27: acqMODS J0857p28.acq 10:50: acqMODS ASSASSIN0-UT11.acq 10:57: execMODS ASSASSIN0.obs seeing 1-0.8 11:20: acqMODS PTF10heh-UT11.acq we had difficulties using modsAlign -l mods1r.20111228.0054.fits mods1r.20111228.0055.fits in the OSURC user. When doing the second step (selecting the source) the scale was completely wrong to see the target. In the DS9 window scale was greyed out so we could not change it. Had to log into an AZ account and then the scale was correct (although scale bar was still greyed out). Also had a little trouble identifying the correct source from the finding chart. Assumed it was the source closet to the crosshairs of the finding chart, which is the star at the vertex of the faint triangle. [**NOTE ADDED 2012 DEC 31 [RWP]: Problem was identified the following day and a new version of modsAlign uploaded and tested. The cause was that a previous OSURC user had altered the display task parameters in IRAF, and since modsAlign uses PyRAF and so shares the parameter files with regular IRAF, it got messed up. modsAlign now explicitly clears ("unlearns" in IRAF-ese) the current set of display parameters, fixing the problem.] 11:39: execMODS PTF10heh_B.obs looked at the first image and teh object was placed close to the transition between the amplifers. But the second exposure was already on the way. We then aborted the thrid exposure and offset X 0.0" Y 5.0" rel after the completion of the second exposure to move the target away from the transition. Then we execMODS PTF10heh_B.obs Only got 4 of the 5 exposures done because approaching twilight. 01:07: acqMODS feige34.acq moving to a standard, slightly in twilight 01:17: execMODS -b DualGrating feige34.obs 01:30: execMODS -b RedGrating feige34.obs going into twilight, had to stop after second exposure. Recommend using an earlier standard for the RedGrating.