LBT OSU/RC Partner Observing Notes
Date: 2014 November 23 UTC (Night 4 of 8)
Observers: Ben Shappee, Rick Pogge (OSU)
Support Astronomer: D. Thompson (remote)
Telescope Operator: Steve Allenson

SUMMARY:

MODS1 with plan to switch to LUCI1 late.  High clouds in afternoon,
clearing by sunset.  Poor seeing and high winds were the problems.
Started out OK, but seeing was variable with good and bad episodes
eventually giving way to all bad then epically bad (5-6" on the DIMM),
accompanied by increasing winds that shut us down at around 0830UT.
We got some programs between bad seeing, but had to abort others
because conditions deteriorated between the time we acquiried the
target and when the science script got underway.  Also had two GCS
crashes and shell RIPs but recovered quickly.

Programs Observed with good data:
   UM_V339Del - completed spectra
   OSU_MClusters - completed MOS fields N7B and N7C   


Observing Notes:

All times are UTC unless otherwise noted

00:00 - Open, but running on the summer chiller (winter chiller died)
        Not forecast to be cold, mostly hovering about freezing, so we
        should be able to keep up.  2 people on their way to work on
        the winter chiller tonight.


01:06 - Feige110 Standard Star - seeing 1.2-1.5" and puffy. WFS image
        has a pin-cushion appearance, and we're getting some odd
        (benign) GCS error messages.  Steve will reset the GCS after
        the last exposure.  Seeing trending better through sequence.
        Guide star counts steady.  Wind has been slowly trending up
        since sunset.  Mirror still a 1C too cold.


01:35 - UM_V339DEL.  Acq will be done after end of twilight.  Seeing
        ~1".  Thru-slit confirmatory adding dX=-0.25 to better center.
        
01:44 - Executing science script, seeing 0.9-1.1" during exposures.
        Seeing still variable.  Wind gusts to 14m/s so vent doors are
        closed.  First exposure has peak ~10kADU in [OIII]5007,
        ~9500ADU in Ha.  Seeing 1.0-1.1" during exposures 2-5.  guide
        star counts steady.


01:59 - OSU_Z6, DES2148+0043.  Flipped PA to 180 and chose a brighter
        guide star.  Also increased field and confirmatory image
        exptime to 90s because of seeing at 1-1.1" and these targets
        have all been fainter than suggested by the DES finders on the
        60s z images.  Minor oops, forgot to insert slit after bumping
        up confirmatory exptime.  Slight delay, but centering looks good.

02:15 - Executing science script.  Seeing 1.1 at start.
02:27 - aborted, seeing deteriorated rapidly thru first image, now
        1.5+ arcsec.


02:30 - UM_CSbackup, sdss_461a.  Acquisition.  Poor seeing target.
        Bad guidestar choice in these conditions, using NOMAD1
        0899-0012567, R=13.6 (brighter, more on-axis).
        Seeing 1.5+"  

        ACQ image is blank (not much in the finder anyway - all faint
        stuff even in the SDSS image), and in this seeing there isn't
        squat).  We have to abort.


02:42 - OSU_AGN, Mrk335 (bad seeing program).  Seeing 1.3-1.6"
        Temperature outside going up (now +1C from -0.2C).  
        Mirrors still 0.75C behind.

02:49 - Executing science script.  
02:56 - GCS fault and crash during readout of first image of sequence
02:58 - Resending preset, stopped, then executed the offsetxy in
        mods_lastOffset.
03:00 - Re-executing science script, will stop after 3 if GCS is
        behaving.  Wisp of cirrus gave us a counts dip, and wind
        gusted to 17m/s (warning).  Seeing is better, though...

03:23 - OSU_ASASSN, ASASSN14il acquisition.  Seeing ~1.2"
        Added dX=-0.3" to center better

03:34 - Executing science script.  1.2" seeing at start of sequence, 
        but variable.  This program can handle these conditions.
        Seeing around 1.3 during exposure 1.  
03:45 - Shell RIP...recovery quick (~1min).  


04:10 - OSU_MClusters, NGC752 Field N7B.  MOS Acquisition Seeing
        around 1" here...  During modsAlign we had a problem with WFS
        causing Z9 and Z11 runaway.  Picking R=11.8 guide star NOMAD1
        1278-0039057 less off axis. R=15.6 @ edge of the patrol field
        Y limit is just too hard to do.

04:25 - Re-running preset after new GS selection.  WFS doing better now.
        Good alignment. 

04:37 - Executing science script.  Seeing 1-1.1 arcsec.  Better at 
        times, but we've been there before tonight.  


05:00 - OSU_MClusters, NGC752 Field N7C acquisition. Seeing about ~1.2
        Will tweak exptimes in obs script if this continues.

05:11 - Running n7c.obs, tweaked unit exptime to 450s from 300s to
        account for slit losses from 1.1-1.3" seeing.  Improved to 1"
        during exposure 2 of the sequence.


05:40 - OSU_lens - imaging field.  Seeing is good enough to do this,
        we hope.  We'll find out at the field. One of those nights...
        Long azimuth unwrap required.  Seeing started at 1", then blew
        up to past 1.8".  Aborted script after 1st exposure of 3 done.


05:53 - OSU_AGN, PG0026 - poor seeing target.  Seeing ~2'
06:03 - Executing science script.  Seeing deteriorating, now >3" on DIMM
06:12 - Losing guide star occasionally.  
06:19 - aborted- seeing on DIMM hit 4.5"  Going to get our backs to the wind.


06:19 - OSU_AGN, 3c120 - poor seeing, but back to the wind
        Gusts poking at 20m/s, DIMM seeing here is 2.8"
        Losing guide star and collimation.  DIMM>3"
        Not much to do but sit and wait for improvement.  We're
        in a good orientation to monitor the wind, too.

07:20 - Seeing still 3", but wind staying under 18m/s so far.

07:30 - OSU_AGN, Akn120, bad seeing target, which is OK since right
        now seeing >2.5" We're desperate for things to do...

07:38 - Executing observing script, seeing still >2".  
07:49 - GCS crash and shell RIP near end of exposure 2... recovering
07:56 - Resuming, starting with image 3 of 4,  DIMM ~2.9"

    What use is this?  One question is how much seeing like this
    compromises the quality of bright AGN spectra taken in a 5" slit.
    If nothing else comparison of these data with data taken under
    better conditions at LBT and at other (smaller) telescopes lets us
    quantitatively determine the impact.  MODS offers a combination of
    total wavelength coverage and resolution we don't get on smaller
    telescopes, so whether or not we can use LBT in queue mode to get
    usable data for these long-term monitoring programs by acquiring
    data during "Band 3" bad-conditions time is part of what we want
    to learn.


08:13 - OSU_AGN, Mrk6, with brighter gstar picked.  Seeing horrible.

08:37 - Closing, wind gust over 22m/s recorded.  Stopped and readout
        image 2 of 4 in this sequence.  Seeing stank anyway.

09:30 - Gusts up to 30m/s keeping us closed.

12:15 - Called it a night just shy of astronomical twilight with
        howling winds outside.