NIKA October 17th, 2015 / S8

Back to list of day to day logbook of observations

2015-10-17


Following not updated

The sky is populated with thick dark clouds, but there is a forecast of a clear patch from 9:30 to noon.

Set Focus : we start at 0.0 mm We updated ini.pako. Remember 1mm difference between the focus of NIKA and the focus of the other IRAM instruments due to the design of the optics (SL).


Data Repository: /home/nika2/NIKA/Data/run13_X/scan24_X

Scan

UT

Source

Command

Az

El

Pointing X, Y, Focus

Tau225

Comment

92

07h14

Mars

Track point

124

47

0,0,0.

0.72

Another day of NIKA2 awesomeness begins.

93

07h19

Mars

Pointcross

125

47

0,0,0.

0.72

Problems with the pointing. MC investigates.

94

07h31

Mars

Pointcross

126

48

0,0,0.

0.71

Clouds receding. Scan successful. Taumeter pointing South, not very informative at the moment.

95

07h35

Mars

Pointcross

129

50

1.4,-1.5,0.

0.71

96

07h46

Mars

Focustrack

129

50

1.4,-1.5,0.

0.65

Axis=Z.

97

07h48

Mars

Focustrack

134

52

1.4,-1.5,0.2

0.68

Axis=X. Corrections around 0. with large error bars. Cannot trust corrections given the sky conditions.

98

07h52

Mars

Focustrack

136

53

1.4,-1.5,0.2

0.67

Axis=Y. Xfocus=0.0 Yfocus=0.0. For completeness.

99

07h55

Mars

Beammap (1/3)

141

55

1.4,-1.5,0.2

0.64

100

08h11

Mars

Beammap (2/3)

147

56

1.4,-1.5,0.2

0.63

Glitch in the timelines. We should repeat.

101

08h26

Mars

Beammap (3/3)

151

57

1.4,-1.5,0.2

0.72

102

08h42

HLS091828

Track point

143

46

1.4,-1.5,0.2

0.65

Tracking source for sensitivity characterization. Loaded from NIK2R1 catalogue.

103

08h45

HLS091828

Pointcross

144

46

1.4,-1.5,0.2

0.63

First pointing.

104

08h47

3C273

Track point

131

43

1.4,-1.5,0.2

0.65

Checking pointing on nearby brighter source.

105

08h50

3C273

Pointcross

131

43

1.4,-1.5,0.2

0.63

First pointing.

106

08h54

HLS091828

Track point

148

48

0.5,-0.2,0.2

0.65

Tracking source. Sky is mostly clear. A few scattered clouds.

107

08h56

HLS091828

OTFgeom

148

48

0.5,-0.2,0.2

0.67

Sensitivity characterization.

108

09h09

Mars

Track point

168

60

0.5,-0.2,0.2

0.72

Back to Mars.

109

09h11

Mars

Pointcross

168

60

0.5,-0.2,0.2

0.68

First pointing.

110

09h19

Mars

Beammap (1/3)

169

60

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.61

Retrying beam maps on Mars.

111

09h31

Mars

Beammap (2/3)

169

60

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.59

112

09h47

Mars

Beammap (3/3)

169

60

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.65

113

10h03

Jupiter

Beammap (1/3)

195

59

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.77

Jupiter is just 30' from Mars, with a nice distribution of its satellites: it's too tempting, just for the fun of the picture! CANCELLED: Map too small.

114

10h13

Jupiter

OTFgeom_20am

195

59

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.67

Setting scan to map Jupiter with its satellites (1200" x 240"). 14h (see scan 136): we realized we got the wrong direction of offset: Azimuth increase right to left in Xephem, not left to right !!!!

115

10h41

Skidip

206

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.70

116

10h50

Skidip

206

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.69

weather not so good, do some skydip stat, while looking for the right test scripts on Jupiter's satellites

117

10h59

Skidip

206

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.63

118

11h08

Skidip

206

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.69

119

11h14

Ganymede

nkotf

206

45

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.69

Testing nkotf script, first in AZ-EL. Trying to get Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa in one map. CANCELED! Many telescope alarms switched on. Stop. Juan Luis restarted the system. Then wind too high.

120

12h21

Mars

Track

242

41

0.0,0.0,0.

0.71

Relaunch PaKo, Back on track

121

12h23

Mars

Pointcross

242

41

0.0,0.0,0.

0.71

Same problem as each time we start PaKo while NIKA Control is already running: desynchronized scan. Restart all NIKA control instruments.

122

12h34

Mars

Pointcross

242

41

0.0,0.0,0.

0.8

High opacity, High wind...

123

12h41

Mars

Focus

242

41

-2.6,-2.6,0.

0.8

quite noisy, redo to check

124

12h47

Mars

Focus

242

41

-2.6,-2.6,0.3

0.8

even worse, untrusty

125

12h50

Mars

Pointcross

242

41

-2.6,-2.6,0.3

0.8

126

12h55

Mars

Focus

247

37

-0.5,-3.4,0.3

0.8

OK, a bit less noisy, big error bars but confirm previous scan

127

13h00

Ganymede

track

250

35

-0.5,-3.4,0.3

0.8

Trying to get Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa in one map. Testing script + map with objects showing an orientation. NCS crashed

128

13h18

Ganymede

track

250

35

-0.5,-3.4,0.3

0.8

NCS crashed

129-131

13h25

Ganymede

track

250

35

-0.5,-3.4,0.3

0.9

NCS crashed, Juan Luis and Israel working on it.

133

13h25

Ganymede

track

250

35

-0.5,-3.4,0.3

0.9

NCS crashed. Apparently the problem is Ganymede: NCS doesn't know how to track a planet's satellite !!!

134

14h00

Jupiter

track

250

35

-0.5,-3.4,0.3

0.9

Now it works. Looks like Ganymede was indeed the problem !

135

14h10

Jupiter

OTFgeom_20am

195

59

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.9

Jupiter too low to make the nkotf test. the time to find another triple source redo OTF (1200" x 240"). Cancelled: wrong direction of offset, Azimuth increase right to left in Xephem, not left to right !!!!

136

14h20

Jupiter

OTFgeom_20am

195

59

2.1,0.7,0.2

0.8

Now OTF (1200" x 240") with the right offset. Very cloudy now...

137

14h45

MWC349

track

65

42

-0.5,-3.4,0.3

1

MWC349, Cyg A, and DR21OH are all close to each other and should allow us to test scripts multi source and Jy level calibrator, even though the weather start to degrade severely

138

14h53

MWC349

Pointcross

65

42

-0.5,-3.4,0.3

1

sky too noisy source too faint on the map, apply offset still

139

14h53

MWC349

Pointcross

65

42

-10.7,15.2,0.3

1

sky too noisy source too faint on the map...

140

15h05

MWC349

Pointliss

66

45

-10.7,15.2,0.3

1

Pointliss to have a better S/N. OK: now it's better and more consistent with the offsets we have since we updated the pointing model.

141

15h05

MWC349

Pointliss

66

45

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Redo after the significant change of pointing offset.

142

15h15

DR21_OH

Track

64

46

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Given the weather, rather than the map on MWC349 we prefer focus on the script test on a source with a structure oriented.

143

15h15

DR21_OH

Pointliss

64

46

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Quick check to see which of DR21_OH and Cyg A appears best on the map.

144

15h26

Cyg A

Track

69

55

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

145

15h26

Cyg A

Pointliss

69

55

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Result of the quick check: DR21_OH appears correctly at 1 and 2 mm, while Cyg A is extremely bright at 2 mm but can' t be seen at first glance on the 1mm quick map.

146

15h35

DR21_OH

Track

66

52

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Given the result of the quick check, we choos DR21OH for the scan / orientation test.

147

15h39

DR21_OH

nkotf

66

52

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Test nkotf 10 10 0 0 azel (= 10x10 arcmin, subscan along azimuth, steps in elevation)

148

15h55

DR21_OH

nkotf

66

52

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Test nkotf 10 10 90 0 azel (= 10x10 arcmin, subscan along elevation, steps in azimuth). starts raining...

149

16h07

DR21_OH

nkotf

66

52

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Test nkotf 10 10 90 0 radec (= 10x10 arcmin, subscan along declination, steps in right ascension). CANCELED: RAIN.

150

18h00

MWC349

Track

67

78

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Resume after 2h of rain and wind.

151

18h05

MWC349

Pointcross

67

78

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Acqui crashed.

152

18h12

MWC349

Pointcross

67

79

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

No source. Vertex was closed.

153

18h15

MWC349

Pointliss

67

80

-2.22,-5.62,0.3

1

Canceled: too much wind again ! Damned !

NK2015_Oct17 (last edited 2015-10-17 21:21:47 by NikaBolometer)