Pre-Observing Checklist
  1. Submit your VSQ Reservations
  2. Create starlists
  3. Prepare finding charts
  4. Contact SA if you will be using remote observing

Pre-Run Checklist

  1. Submit your VSQ reservation form. Please see the Lodging Reservation Request form for your run. This should be completed two weeks before your run. If you will be using a mainland osberving site for remote observations, please read see the policies for remote observing.
  2. Create a starlist. Please see the starlists documentation for the format of the star lists.
    • Don't forget about the Nasmyth deck limits which prohibit observing at certain airmasses. The Nasmyth deck limits are different on Keck I and Keck II. Please review the Telescope info web page to determine the limits.
    • A planning tool is available at: TBD that can tell you when targets are available during the night.
  3. Prepare finding charts. We recommend that you create finding charts for all of your intended target fields. Finding charts should cover an area of the sky slightly larger than the instrument or guider field-of-view.
  4. Remote Observing You will need to contact the remote observing coordinators at Keck four weeks in advance if you intend to remotely observe or eavesdrop. To view the policies on mainland observing or to find out who to contact to make a request, please see the Mainland Observing web documentation.
Last modified: 02/14/2023 02:18
Send questions or comments to:KPF Support

The information on this page is the property of the W. M. Keck Observatory. The contents of this page or any part thereof shall not be copied or otherwise reproduced or transferred to other documents or used or disclosed to others for any purpose other than observing support at the W. M. Keck Observatory and the subsequent analysis and publication of scientific data obtained from observations conducted at the W. M. Keck Observatory. All rights reserved. © W. M. Keck Observatory.