Plan for October 2014 Technical Observing

Adaptive Optics Tests

Uses LBTI

• (Completed 20140930 UT) Closing LBTI Adaptive Loop on SX and DX (priority=high, seeing < 1.5 arcsec, time=2-4 hours)

Uses LUCI1

• (Completed 20141001 UT) Observations with Tip-Tilt Mode for LUCI1 observations and to checkout AGW1 (priority=medium, seeing<1.5 arcsec, time=3hrs) J. C. Guerra. Target field is NGC7026 at 21:06:18 +47:51:07.

Software Tests

Uses MODS1

• On-sky tests of NonSidereal Guiding for MODS1 using update GCS Ver-2.17.5 (priority = high, time=2hr, seeing<1.5, thin clouds OK) Code is in Build 2014D or patches for 2014C. Instructions are in Com20140903.

Uses LUCI1

• On-sky tests of NonSidereal Guiding for LUCI1 using GCS Ver-2.17.4 (priority = medium, time=2hr, seeing<1.5, thin clouds OK)

Parallel Activities

• DIMM spiral search (priority=low, time=2 hours - can be in parallel with other tasks tracking stars)

Uses AGW1 only

• (Completed 20141001 UT) Repeat Test M1 Cross-talk new coefficients on-sky using zernike_collect with AGW1 (priority=medium, time=1.2hr, seeing<1.2, thin clouds OK)

Uses PEPSI PFUs

• Acquire and Guide and Offset with SX PFU to confirm that timing delays reported in early 2014 are gone - J.Hill, I.Ilyin
  (priority=low, time=2 hrs, seeing and clouds are flexible)
  This is to confirm whether TCS changes in spring 2014 solved the timing problems that PEPSI had in Jan/Feb 2014.

Pointing and Collimation

Uses MODS1

• MODS1 active optics with the rotation of the pupil position (in IDL or patched GCS)(priority=medium, time=1 hr, seeing<1.5 arcsec,

• Active Optics synthetic reconstructor tests with MODS1 (and MODS2) (priority=medium, time=4hr, seeing<1.8 arcsec, thin clouds OK) D. Miller

After LBCs are reinstalled approx 3 October

• TCS Build 2014D (time=4 hours, priority=high)

Uses LBC

• Collect new binocular pointing data with LBC (priority=medium-low, time=2hrs, seeing<2 arcsec, thin clouds OK)
  Try to get half a dozen extra stars at the highest elevations.

• Pseudomonocular MODS1 and LBC-Red observations to test PCS_Version-6.30b (priority=medium, time=30 min) Included in Build 2014D

• (Completed 20141013 UT) LBC-Red narrowband Filter Focus Offsets for the 2 new filters (priority=high, time=1 hr, seeing < 1 arcsec)

• LBC-Red narrowband Photometric Zeropoints for the 2 new filters (priority=low, time=1 hr, photometric) from Matthias Frank

NGC6838 (M71)   19:53:46.49 +18:46:45.1
NGC7078 (M15)   21:29:58.33 +12:10:01.2

Both are close to us (so ~10sec of exposure time should reach the lower red
giant branch) and moderatly extended on the sky.
More importantly, there are many sources listed in the corresponding catalogs
of Stetson's photometric standards. Thus, assuming that transparency is not
really bad, we could use the test exposures to get a first `real-life'
estimate of the zero point of the filters.

Both clusters are observable through >~the first half of the night. For very
late in the night there is no obvious good choice of globular cluster; Pal 1
is close to us and circumpolar, but it's very sparse, NGC2419 is well
populated, but much further away.

• Additional WRS tests with LBC (priority = low, time= 2 hr, seeing < 1.5, thin clouds OK) (Marco Stangalini could be available typically at 8UT with some advance notification by email: marco.stangalini @ oa-roma.inaf.it) Directions on Instrument wiki WRS page.

• LBC tests with Track_First and Track_Next running on CMU including Sidereal and Non-Sidereal targets (priority=medium, time=2hr, seeing<1.5, thin clouds OK) This is ready for on-sky tests using lbc software V2.1. See Kellee's email of 08-Sep-2014.

• More testing of LBC parallel observations in pseudomono mode (including the automatic collimation script that John hasn't written yet) (priority=low, time=2hr)

• Superfoc sequences to test LBC-Blue shim (priority=high, time=0.7 hr, seeing < 1, thin clouds OK, temperature stable)

• Test DOFPIACENT on a region centered about the rotator center (priority=medium, time=1 hr)

• Refine Filter Focus Offsets

Uses LBTI

• Further testing of threshold performance of left vs. right system (priority=medium, seeing<1.5, any transparency)
• noncommon path error refinements. (priority=medium, seeing<1.5, any transparency)
• test of differential flexure between NIC and WFS stage (priority=medium, seeing<1.5, any transparency)
• Interferometry setup (priority=medium, seeing<1.5, any transparency)

Postponed until later, pehaps much later

New LBC CCD Controllers

• On-sky tests of new LBC Controllers
  • Sky flats
  • Collimation
  • Guiding
  • Deep imaging fields

• Update timing in DOFPIA / LBCFPIA for new controllers with different latency of readout.

LUCI1 software

• LUCI1 using LUCI2 software

DX AdSec

• Adjust pointing and coma for the remounted DX Adsec.

• Test the new right side Gregorian pointing model that Dave T made in the spring. /home/LBTO/dthompson/PtModel_20140121

• Check out of repaired DX AdSec and AGW2
  • AGw2 wake-up
  • AGW2 wake-up
  • Closing FLAO Adaptive Loop on DX
  • IRTC tests with the corrected dichroic angle (to verify the angle that W2 is to be aligned to)

• AGw2 positioning performance with transform_collect

• Measure RFBG pupil wobble with AGW2 and possibly adjust M3 position (priority=high, time=2 hrs, seeing<1.0 arcsec)

• DX binodal if AdSec is to remain mounted (priority=high, seeing<0.8 arcsec, mostly clear)

• Collect new binocular pointing data with MODS or LUCI (priority=medium, time=2hrs, seeing<2 arcsec, thin clouds OK)

MODS2

• MODS2 active optics with the rotation of the pupil position (in IDL or patched GCS)

TCS

• 64-bit TCS testing (much of this is off-sky, but includes some on-sky verification, time=2 hours, seeing<1.5, clouds OK )