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Daily Reports (2025/12/9-16, NIKA2 run 77, Cryo run 89)

Observers on-site: Simon, Yiqing, Monica, Philippe (in remote first 2 days)

Astronomer-of-Duty, Pool Manager: Angel Bongiovanni

Operators: Joaquin, Pedro

Please fill the Table with the Ar1,2,3 focus values as follows. At best, make one table per day.

Similarly, if any beam maps (total power) are taken:

Pool-Account usage: Accounting of observing times

December 9th, 2025, Tuesday

16:00 - 22.00 Monica: We started the observations , tau ~ 0.25 a bit unstable, no wind, very high clouds. DAQ started in total power. Bad kids (Ar1, Ar2, Ar3 / 8, 7, 29). After pointing and Focus calib_1scan in MWC349 (Scan 20251209s128) and NGC7027 (s130). Then skydip (s131). Then we move to project 152-25 (Science source WB89-152 ~ 70 min -DONE). Pointing & Focus & calib_1scan (s163) in Neptune. At 19:50 we move to polarimetry projects. New DAQ, bad kids (Ar1, Ar2, Ar3 / 17, 7, 39). Then move to project 170-25. Calib_1scan (s165). Continue with the science source (Tycho - 1 rep). See PIIC-QL sample (s170, 2 mm band) below. Calib_1scan in Neptune. move to nikaw-25 Pointing & focus & calib_1scan in Uranus.

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22:00-04:00 Philippe (Remotely from Granada office): Observed a polarized focus sequence on Neptune (s199-s204) and a polarized calib_1scan on Neptune (s205), but opacity and stability were degrading, therefore switched to TP. New DAQ, bad kids (Ar1, Ar2, Ar3 / 28, 7, 73). Did 1 calib_1scan on Uranus (s209) and 1 skydip (s210) in TP. Then switched to EMIR, project 147-25. Checked reference position: neither N2H+, nor SO emission in reference position; no significant C18O emission emission either, but probably weak C18O in the off position; there is definitely 13CO, HCO+, and HNC emission in the off position used to observe the reference position in position switching --> Consider observing the reference position in frequency switching? Observed the two positions p1oh (s222) and p2oh (s2) used for internal calibration purposes, then took one pair of OTF maps (@147-25_W3OH_OTF_scX + 147-25_W3OH_OTF_scY) and started another pair (@147-25_W3OH_OTF_scX).

04:00-10:00: Simon: Important spikes on tau-meter with tau~0.38 and a wind of ~9-11 m/s, high clouds. Completed the second repetition of latest map (@147-25_W3OH_OTF_scY) after pointing and focus. Observed negative features around 88 GHz (scans 24 and 32). The VESPA data appears to have important oscillations on vertical polarization (VESPA-2). The operators know. At 05:00 considered the project as closed for tonight. We change to project 193-25 of the EMIR Backup programmes at 05:20. tau~0.35 and decreasing, wind speed of ~9 m/s and decreasing, high clouds. Pointing and focus to 1226+023 were successful but we detected an anomaly possibly affecting a subscan of the correlator on WILMA-4 that could affect science target for 12CO(2-1) line. FTS spectra are okay. Scans 60 and 61 show artifacts above 89.6 GHz (already reported by the operator to GP); they do not appear in following scans after re-calibration. After repetition 12 (scan 84), we evaluated a possible switch to NIKA2. Although the tau is low (~0.35), the atmospheric conditions are looking bad (thick clouds coming from the North covering ~60% of the sky) and the opacity is increasing based on the predictions. So we decided to continue with project 193-25, using EMIR.

10:00 - 16:00 Yiqing: Tau~0.35 with unstable condition and overcast sky. Continue with observing with EMIR. We switch project to 149-25 using E150, tuning results on 1253-055 look ok. Move to project test to check the pointing and focus on 1253-055, results look reasonable. Attempts to point on 2037+511 near the science target failed due to worsening weather conditions. As no other backup projects are suitable, we attempt to point on a brighter source K3-50A, results look ok, proceed to point back on 2037+511, results ok, moving back to project 149-25. Pointing on 2037+511 yields bad results, meanwhile high wind with gust > 10km/s is destabilizing the telescope tracking. Telescope sent to stop at ~ UT12:20.

16:00 - 22:00 Monica: Snowfall, high wind speed. Telescope stopped until ~19h (LT). Opacity ~0.5, wind speed between 7 and 10 m/s. Resuming observations with EMIR backup programs (project 149-25). Switching to project test. Unstable atmosphere. Tried several pointing corrections after focusing (EMIR E1: 140.1 GHz). Constant evidence of anomalous refraction. Instabilities increase. Parking the telescope at 21:10 (LT). 22:00-04:00 Philippe (remotely from Granada): Telescope parked in stow position. Unstable atmosphere with high opacity ~ 0.4-0.5. Very light snow. Starting again around 1:30 LT with EMIR project 147-25. Opacity tau225 ~ 0.35, but significant fluctuations preventing NIKA2 observations.