blog:20260323

20260323

1700 -

Nick, saisri

401, 433C

Astropol Session

Scope Camera Focus
MainPICSI2 w/ 178
FinderASI 4822465
Time Observed Source Name Filter Int Time [s] Gain Airmass Mag (filter) RA [h] DEC [deg] Source Type Scope Purpose Notes
YYYYmmddTHHMM Object Filter time gain airmass mag(V) HH DD type Scope Purpose tracking? Others?
20260323T1733 Darks u 600ms 150 1.000 mag(V) HH DD type Scope Purpose tracking? Others?
20260323T1733 Darks u 70ms 150 1.000 mag(V) HH DD type Scope Purpose tracking? Others?
20260323T1737 Darks u 10s 150 1.000 mag(V) HH DD type Scope Purpose tracking? Others?
20260323T1743 Darks u 15s 150 1.000 mag(V) HH DD type Scope Purpose tracking? Others?
20260323T1831 Flats r 500ms 150 1.000 mag(V) HH DD type Scope Purpose tracking? Others?
20260323T1948 9 Gem r 600ms 150 1.042 6.2(V) 06 +23 High-Pol Main Astropol F: 2620.1
20260323T2004 Gamma Gem r 70ms 150 1.089 1.90(V) 06 +16 Low-Pol Main Astropol F: 2620.1
20260323T2025 9 Gem r 600ms 150 1.066 6.2(V) 06 +23 High-Pol Main Astropol F: 2620.1
20260313T2055 Beta Leo r 70ms 150 1.868 2.1(V) 01 +58 High-Pol Main Astropol F: 2621.7
20260314T0155 Beta Leo r 70ms 150 1.134 2.1(V) 01 +58 High-Pol Main Astropol F: 2621.7

1700 - Began startup procedures

1733 - Started capturing dark frames

1831 - Started capturing flat frames

1946 - Slewed to 9 Gem

1947 - Started Captures of 9 Gem

2002 - Slewed to Gamma Gem

2004 - Started Capture of Gamma Gem

2024 - Slewed to 9 Gem

2025 - Started Capture of 9 Gem

2052 - Slewed to Beta Leo

2055 - Started Capture of Beta Leo

2108 - Clouds partially obscuring capture of Beta Leo

2133 - Stopping new captures due to current cloud coverage while waiting for improvement

0145 - Resuming observing, cloud cover is back to acceptable levels

0146 - Skipping OI 280, as it is now at 20deg altitude, and the capture is expected to take 90 mins, taking it below the horizon limit 20 minutes into the capture

0147 - 9 Gem is at 9deg altitude, skipping

0149 - WD1542+182 is below the horizon, skipping

0150 - Beta Leo is viable; slewing to Beta Leo

0158 - Clouds fully obscuring captures of Beta Leo for 30s at a time

0224 - Beta Leo complete. Beginning shutdown procedures

  • Is there a bad cloud cover protocol? Is it worth it to still take data? How badly does cloud cover coming in and out affect the data?
  • While bringing the ladder in it looks like the airspace around campus is being covered by super thick cumulus clouds while Baltimore looks pretty clear in the horizon. This is why the data wasn't working for us. When asking NOAA for weather data around arbutus/halethorpe, it tells automatically tells us data for Baltimore, since that's the closest forecast office to us - we don't have our own. Going forward. we learned skybot can be very wrong on whether we will be able to observe. It should be protocol for operators to go out and check the sky regularly if waiting for clouds to clear - we waited too long because we relied on the NOAA data.
Time Temp Humidity
1800 46 49
1900 44 51
2000 44 53
2100 42 57