Background

All Keck science instruments have been used routinely for "remote observing" from Keck Headquarters in Waimea for several years, and the observatory is working to enable observing from the U.S. mainland as well.

This process of developing a system for mainland operations is ongoing and incomplete, and observers planning to use the mainland operations centers must therefore notify us well in advance of their Keck runs as described below.

Procedure for Requesting Use of Mainland Facilities

You may request use of the mainland observing facilities two ways:

1. Specify a mainland observing location on your proposal coversheet form. This is the preferred method, as it gives us enough advance notice for us to arrange appropriate testing and support for your run.
2. Contact CARA prior to your run. If you decide to observe from a mainland facility after submitting your proposal, you must contact CARA's in advance of your run (4 weeks for mainland-only observing, 2 weeks for mainland eavesdropping mode). Please tell us the following in your email:
   • The date(s) for which you want to observe remotely.
   • The telescope and instrument you intend to use.
   • The mainland site from which you want to observe.
   • The mode in which you wish to observe:
     • eavesdropping with polycom video only
     • eavesdropping with polycom plus guider windows only
     • eavesdropping with full instrument software suite
     • mainland-only mode with no observer present in Waimea
   • Which personnel (if any) are expected to be present in Waimea and which will be at the remote site.
   • The number of times the remote observers have used the requested instrument; only experienced observers are permitted to observe in mainland-only mode.
   As stated above, all requests are contingent on:
   • availability of the mainland site
   • approval from the mainland site
   • approval of your CARA Support Astronomer
3. CARA will notify you within 2 business days regarding the status of your request.

Modes of Operation

Please note that two modes of operation are available:

1. Eavesdrop mode: At least one member of the observing team (who is experienced in using the scheduled instrument) observes from Waimea, while other members of the team observe from the mainland. Control of the instrument is shared between the two sites, with Waimea having primary responsibility for operating the instrument. Requests to eavesdrop must be made at least two weeks prior to the run.
2. Mainland-only mode: The entire observing team observes from the mainland, with remote support from the instrument scientist in Waimea. While this mode of operation may eventually be available for use by most observers, during the startup phase, CARA requires that at least one member of the mainland team must be a "black belt" observer, i.e., one having extensive and relatively recent experience with operating the scheduled instrument. Requests for mainland-only observing should be made on your Keck observing proposal. If you later change your mind, you need to advise us four weeks before your run.

Caveats

• Instrument are limited. Mainland observing is currently possible with the following instruments:
  • DEIMOS
  • ESI
  • HIRES
  • LRIS
  • NIRC
  • NIRC2
  • NIRSPEC
  • OSIRIS
• Sites are limited. Mainland observing is currently supported at the following mainland sites:
  • Berkeley (LBNL)
  • Los Angeles (UCLA)
  • Pasadena (Caltech)
  • San Diego (UCSD)
  • Santa Cruz (UCSC)
• Support is limited. CARA Support Astronomers will be available as usual at Waimea HQ for consultation during the hours they would normally be available if the observer were here. Instrument and session setup can occur only during the normal setup time (2:00pm to 5:00pm HST).
• Experience is required. Because interaction between the observers and their Support Astronomer will be limited to the videoconference connection, at least one observer highly experienced with that instrument must be present and supervising the operations at the mainland site when operating in the mainland-only observing mode.
• Consent is required. Requests for use of the mainland observing facilities will be granted only upon unanimous consent of the observers, support personnel at the local site, and CARA. Each request for mainland operations will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
• Observer assumes risk! If you use the mainland-only option, you risk losing observing time if the Internet fails (although fallback communication systems are provided at Caltech, UCLA, UCSC, and UCSD, they are considerably slower than the Internet).

Further information

To schedule observing from the mainland or get additional information on this option, please contact the .

See Also

• Mainland Observing Schedule

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Last modified: Thu Apr 3 17:06:06 HST 2008