Nightlog UT 07032014

Observers:Olga Kuhn, Michelle Edwards, John Hill
TO: Geno Bechetti

Summary: Started the night with LBC in moderately clear sky and 0.8" seeing. Successfully observed 2 sets of V and r-sloan flats in LBCB and LBCR respectively. Started observations for Pal-5, but unfortunately thick clouds moved soon after twilight. Persevered through clouds and variable seeing without much success and then switched to MODS, however threatening conditions closed the dome. We remained closed for remainder of 1/2 night. We consider the night lost to weather.

Programs: Palomar 5 (failed), OSURC monitor (NGC5194a) (failed)

Log:
02:50 Clearing straight above us. Opening.

03:09 Sky flats: V-Bessel on LBCB and r'-sloan on LBCR

          All between ~20,000-10,000 counts. May have been light cirrus; should be checked carefully

03:21 Slewing to Pal-5

03:29 DOFPIA for Pal-5
         Seeing estimate 0.86"on DIMM

03:36 Co-pointing for Pal-5

03:39 Starting Pal-5 (3) science OB ; unhappy with blue images (focus, elongation, etc) so we'll redo DOFPIA

03:50 DOFPIA again - now we have clouds and no pupils! 

         ....waiting to see if clouds move off

04:00 Hole in the clouds. DOFPIA again. Successful

04:12 Started Pal-5 (3) again through clouds; Variable seeing between 1.0"-1.6". 

          Unfortunately everything after (B42209), (R42153) are strongly affected by clouds. Continuing in the hopes of a hole, but the clouds are 
          getting very thick now across the whole sky. A few images at the end may be good.

04:41 Running DOFPIA again; no pupils again. Too cloudy

04:56  Still heavy clouds...weather downtime.

05:05 Slew to co-pointing field for NGC5194a  (OSU Monitor)

05:10 DOFPIA -- some pupils; then none. Clouds again. trying to wait it out.

05:15 Tried a different field (Pal 3 again) with LBC, but aborted when we saw the All-Sky image. Images R52037 and B52035 are BAD.

05:20 Too many clouds for LBC collimation. Switching to MODS...

05:41 Checking pointing and trying collimation...very cloudy. Realizing now that it is safter to close up!

06:00 Technical testing with MODS

06:45 Continued weather downtime

07:15 Turning over to some PATHFINDER closed dome.