********************************************************************** ALL OBSERVERS WHO HAVE BEEN AWARDED TIME MUST HAVE THE FIRST VERSIONS OF THEIR OBSERVING TEMPLATES SENT TO DR. JOHN SUBASAVAGE (GSU SMARTS FELLOW) 7 DAYS BEFORE THEIR RUN STARTS (subasavage @ chara . gsu . edu) EXCEPTIONS WILL ONLY BE GRANTED IN EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES (AND WE MEAN EXTRAORDINARY...) ********************************************************************** IF YOU ARE PROPOSING FOR NOAO TIME, YOU MUST INDICATE IN YOUR PROPOSAL WHETHER YOU ARE REQUESTING USER OR SERVICE TIME. ONCE THE TIME IS ASSIGNED AS EITHER USER OR SERVICE TIME, IT CANNOT BE CHANGED. ********************************************************************** This document outlines the duties of proposers who have time on the CTIO 0.9m. This includes both NOAO and SMARTS users who are going to CTIO to take their own observations, and those who are having observations done in service mode at the 0.9m. Most of the website information below can be found on the Georgia State University (GSU) SMARTS website at http://www.chara.gsu.edu/~thenry/SMARTS ---------------------------------- 1. BASIC INFORMATION ---------------------------------- Initial contact will be made by GSU SMARTS members. You will need to answer the following questions: (a) Have you been awarded your observing time via the SMARTS, NOAO, or Chilean Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC)? (b) Will you be traveling to CTIO for XXX nights from XXX to XXX to make the observations? If yes, who will be at the telescope? (c) Will you be using the FULL chip (13.6 arcmin) or QUARTER chip (6.8 arcmin) mode? (d) What filters will you need for your observations? ---------------------------------- 2. TRAVEL INFORMATION ---------------------------------- General travel information can be found at the fundamental site http://www.ctio.noao.edu/diroff/obser_trav.htm (a) If someone from your team will be traveling to CTIO, fill out the travel form for CTIO at http://www.ctio.noao.edu/travel/itinerary.php (or, http://www.ctio.noao.edu/forms/ and click on Travel Plans) In the "Proposal Number" please write SMARTS. If your travel is arranged and your flights are on schedule, you will be met by a cab at the airport, probably by Tito. Otherwise, you may need to catch your own taxi from the airport to AURA/CTIO in "Colino el Pino". You will need to pay in pesos, so make sure you have some. To return to the airport after your run, ask the folks in Reception to arrange for a taxi from the La Serena motel (or just go directly to the airport from the mountain). Pay your bill at the ROB (Round Office Building) on the mountain. Credit cards are preferred (but note that many credit cards charge an extra 3% handling fee for foreign charges.) *** If in dire need of travel assistance only, as a last resort contact Ximena Herreros (xherreros@ctio.noao.edu). (b) If no one from your team will be traveling to CTIO, you must prepare a detailed observing template. A blank template will be sent to you, but you can see many examples in the 2003A schedule posted at http://www.chara.gsu.edu/~thenry/SMARTS/schedule2003A.htm You will be working with John Subasavage at GSU to setup your observing template for your run in service mode. More details are given below. ---------------------------------- 3. INSTRUMENT SETUP FORM ---------------------------------- Regardless of whether or not you are traveling to CTIO, YOU MUST FILL OUT AN INSTRUMENT SETUP FORM AT http://www.ctio.noao.edu/forms/supportforms/visitor_support.html It is ideal that you send this in TWO WEEKS before the first night of your observing run. ---------------------------------- 4. OBSERVING TEMPLATE ---------------------------------- WARNING! THIS TAKES FAR MORE WORK THAN YOU PROBABLY ANTICIPATE, SO START EARLY! You will be sent a blank observing template from the GSU scheduling team. You must fill this out and return it *** 7 DAYS *** before your observing run. Some rules for filling out the form: (a) The form returned MUST BE IN ASCII FORMAT. (b) YOU MUST PLAN YOUR NIGHT TO HAVE 1 HOUR LESS THAN THE FULL NIGHT. There are interpolated programs being done on the 0.9m during SMARTS, and these may be inserted into your observing template. (c) Every field you want observed must have a finder chart, with a website where that finder chart can be found. The finder chart must have the following information on it: coordinates N/E directions scale (i.e. 10 arcmin on a side) target marked (d) There exists an exposure calculator for this telescope/CCD combination in IRAF. There is a more convenient (and probably more current) version accessible via a web interface at: http://www.noao.edu/gateway/ccdtime/ Set the CTIO instrument: to "0.9m: Cass Direct CCD", set the Integration time in seconds: to "INDEF", and set everything else the way you need it (CCD summing factor should stay at 1x1), and click Execute. Once your observing template is ready, you can check it after it is posted on the nightly schedule website at http://www.chara.gsu.edu/~thenry/SMARTS/schedule2003B.htm ---------------------------------- 5. LEARNING ABOUT THE 0.9M ---------------------------------- Whether or not you are traveling to CTIO, you should familiarize yourself with the 0.9m operation. For some details (some of which will be useful for you, some not --- this is mainly to give you the flavor), see http://www.chara.gsu.edu/~thenry/SMARTS/smarts.observing ---------------------------------- 6. GETTING YOUR DATA ---------------------------------- For data acquired via service mode, the GSU 0.9m SMARTS Fellow (as of NOV 2007, John Subasavage) will ftp the data back to a staging area at GSU. You will be given instructions on how to retrieve your data shortly after the observations are taken. ********************************************************************* ************ YOU WILL HAVE 30 DAYS TO RETRIEVE YOUR DATA ************ ***** IF YOU WAIT LONGER THAN THAT, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN PERIL ***** *********************************************************************