Summary

Check account

  1. Consult the on-line Keck observing schedule. Note that the dates are HST, not UT dates.
  2. The third column of the table indicates the account you have been assigned. For example, if it reads nirc5, use this account name (all lowercase) when launching VNCs.
    Available NIRC2 user accounts are nirc1, and nirc3 to nirc9. There is NO user account named nirc2 to prevent confusion with the instrument name.

Start up VNCs

Whether observing from Waimea, from an official remote observing site, or from home, NIRC2 observers should run all instrument software within VNC desktops. Generally, VNC servers for your run should be up and running when you arrive to observe. Please follow the appropriate set of steps below to launch your VNC viewers.

Remote startup procedure from home

The procedure to launch VNC viewers from home requires previous installation of the Keck remote observing software. Once the software has been installed:

  1. Open a terminal on your local computer.
  2. Navigate to the directory where the remote observing software was installed.
  3. Launch VNCs with the following command: 
    ./start_keck_viewers nircN

Remote startup procedure from official remote observing sites

The procedure to launch VNC viewers from official remote observing sites varies from site to site. Most remote observing sites have the Keck remote observing software installed in their computers and the startup procedure should be similar to what you would do if you were observing from home.

In any case, please, check the VNC startup instructions at your remote observing site and contact the Site Manager if you have any questions.

Waimea startup procedure

Computers in the Waimea remote observing rooms have the Keck remote observing software installed. There are two computers with 4 monitors each available for visiting observing teams. There is an additional computer for Observing Assistants when they operate the telescope from Waimea instead of on the summit.

Please, contact your SA if it is not clear to you which computer to use for observing. Your SA will also help you with the login information to the observing computers.

The procedure to launch the VNCs is:

  1. Login to one of the observing computers.
    1. User: observer
    2. Password: See your Staff Astronomer (SA)
  2. Launch primary VNC desktops.
    1. Open a terminal
    2. Type: start_keck_viewers nirc5 (assuming that your assigned account for the night is nirc5.)

Check instrument status

  1. Start Firefox. (This can be started on any of the VNCs, but due to the final arrangement of the NIRC2 GUIs, it is convenient to start Firefox on the telstatus VNC.
  2. Read the NIRC2 News.
  3. Check instrument availability.

Prepare observing log

Electronic logsheets

Paper logsheets

  1. Select your preferred logsheet format on the NIRC2 logsheets webpage
  2. Print logsheets to the nearest available printer

Start up NIRC2

  1. Start up the NIRC2 software
  2. Verify windows.
    Check that the following windows are present:

    Window Function
    Control0 desktop
    waikoko-new terminal Control interface with the instrument
    Control1 desktop
    waikoko-new terminal Control interface with the instrument
    NIRC2 Status GUI Non-interactive GUI that shows the status of the NIRC2 detector, mechanisms, output data directory and other useful information.
    Quicklook GUI: NIRC2 Displays NIRC2 images in real time
    Compas Rose (i) Shows the NIRC2 detector orientation with respect to the (RA,DEC) and (Alt,Az) reference systems
    watch_alad iconified terminal Pops up a warning message if one of the alad processes dies
    watch_pmr iconified terminal Automatically restarts the pupil mask rotator software on waikoko (old Solaris host) if the process dies or hungs
    watch_quicklook iconified terminal Automatically restarts the NIRC2 quicklook GUI if it dies
    LUI status GUI Shows status of the different AO loops
    Control2 desktop
    waikoko-new terminal Control interface with the instrument
    Facility Summary (FACSUM) GUI Show overall telescope status
    MET GUI Show information from the Keck weather station
    MAGIQ Observer UI Visualize and manage target list during observations
    Nirc2 eventsounds GUI Control of instrument sounds
    Program Identification GUI (PIG) Handles program ID, observer list and output data directory
    telstatus desktop
    waikoko-new terminal Control interface with the instrument

In addition to bringing up the GUIs and control terminals, the NIRC2 startup script also creates the directory structure adequate for the night.

Select your program on the PIG

Click on the radio button next to your program code on the Program Identification GUI (PIG). This will automatically set the following fields:

If you would like to update the observers list, simply edit the corresponding field on the PIG and press the Set button.

IMPORTANT NOTE for ToO triggers and NIRC2/NIRC2 split nights: If this is a NIRC2/NIRC2 split night or there is a ToO trigger, make sure to select the correct program on the PIG before taking data. This will ensure that the images are saved in the correct data directory, and that the correct ownership is assigned to the data in the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA).

Select sounds

Select sounds

The NIRC2 eventsounds utility will make user-selectable noises when:

Click on the available menus to select the sounds of your choice for your late-night entertainment.

Play samples

You can play a sample of the currently-selected sound by clicking the right mouse button on the label for the sound. If you do not hear the sound immediately, verify that your computer sounds are not muted. If you are using a computer with external speakers, make sure the speakers are powered on and that volume is turned up.

Take a test dark exposure

  1. Close NIRC2 shutter:
    If the NIRC2 status GUI indicates that the shutter open, then close it by typing shutter close on a waikoko-new terminal. The shutter value in the Motor status of the NIRC2 status GUI should change to closed once the stage has finished moving.
  2. Set exposure parameters:
    Type the following commands on a waikoko-new terminal: 
    object dark  [Set object name]
subc 1024    [Set detector array size to maximum 1024x1024 pix]
sampmode 2   [Set readout mode to CDS - Correlated Double Sampling]
coadd 1      [Set number of coadditions to 1]
itime 1      [Set exposure time to 1 second]
    You should shee the exposure parameters updated in the Detector status section of the NIRC2 status GUI as you type the commands on the waikoko-new terminal.
  3. Start dark exposure:
    Type goi to start the dark exposure.
  4. Wait for image to be saved on disk:
    The dark image should be displayed in the NIRC2 quicklook GUI once the exposure is completed.

Inspect dark frame

Use the NIRC2 quicklook GUI to make a vector cut across your image, graphing pixel values as a function of position.

  1. Select the Raw channel and click the Operations button (below the main display area) and select Analysis → Cuts.
  2. Right-click at the point on the displayed image where you would like to start the projection cut.
  3. Release the mouse button once you are happy with the selected region.
  4. Inspect the Cuts plot on the Dialogs tab (upper right area of the GUI.)

The nominal 1-second dark frame should have about 4 counts on average, and a peak-to-peak variation of less than 10 counts. Ask your SA in case of doubt when assessing the quality of the dark frame.

Acquire arcs and flats

Automated method

To acquire arcs and flats automatically (preferred method) use the Slitmask Calibration Tool (Widget):

  1. DEIMOS Utilities -→ Slitmask Calibration Tool from the background menu to launch the gui.
  2. Click the checkbox next to the desired masks
  3. Confirm number of exposures and exposure times. Note that exposure times are set for 1 arcsec slits.
  4. Click GO to initiate the sequence of exposures.
For more information please see the Slitmask Calibration Tool (Widget)

Manual method

To acquire arcs and flats manually:

  1. Close the DEIMOS hatch to block dome light.
  2. Set the grating, central wavelength, filter, and dewar focus appropriately.
  3. Start FCS tracking (if desired) and wait for it to lock.
  4. If needed, take a test 1 second Qz internal flat (use the goibuf command) and determine the appropriate exposure time for your flats (goal is about 30,000 DN maximum).
  5. Launch the widget from the DEIMOS background menu via DEIMOS Utilities → Slitmask Calibration Tool.
  6. Select the masks to be calibrated using the current grating/wavelength/filter combination, the number of arcs and flats to acquire, the exposure times to use, and the arcs lamps to use.
  7. Click GO to begin data acquisition.
The normal set of 1 NeArKrXe arc and 3 internal flats will take about 8 minutes per mask to complete. Selecting the Cd or Zn lamps will require additional time.

Create and verify target list

You will need to create a “starlist” file listing your target names and coordinates. You can do this in either of two ways:

Automated starlist (strongly recommended)

Create a starlist based on the output files from DSIMULATOR:

  1. Download the file deimos_startlist.tar
  2. Extract the Python script: 
    tar -xvf deimos_starlist.tar
  3. Run the script using Python 3: 
    python deimos_starlist.py *.out
    where "*.out" are the DSIMULATOR output files
  4. The resultant file is called starlist_YYYMMDD.dat
  5. Upload your resultant list to Keck using the Keck observer page as follows: Once uploaded through the web interface, your starfile can be found in the directory /kroot/starlists/web/username, where username generally includes your first initial and last name.

Hand-crafted starlist

We strongly discourage using this method because it is prone to human error when typing the mask coordinates and position angle. A typo in the starlist can lead to confusion during mask alignment at night and incur lost observing time.

Use a text editor to create and format your starlist as described here. If you have done this on your laptop, you can then upload the starlist file via our web interface:

Once uploaded through the web interface, your starfile can be found in the directory /kroot/starlists/web/username, where username generally includes your first initial and last name.

Coordinate with the OA

Observing Assistants customarily arrive at the summit (or HQ, if remote controlling) around 5:30pm. Once they arrive, you can do the following:

  1. Greet the OA. Introduce yourself to the OA and alert them to any immediate needs that you will have, such as wanting to take dome flats if your program requires direct imaging data.
  2. Wait for the OA to get settled. Setting up computers and bringing up all of the telescope control systems requires some time, and things go wrong much more often than we would prefer. Be patient while the OA prepares the telescope for operation.
  3. Take dome flats if needed. When the OA gives you permission to proceed, begin taking dome flats.
  4. Inform the OA about your starlist. Now would be a good time to let the OA know where your starlist is, so they can verify that they have access to it.

Get dinner

You're tired and hungry and there's a long night ahead. If you happen to be observing from Waimea, better get out the folder labeled Restaurant Dining Guide and select one of our fine local eateries to provide you with sustenance.

Proceed with evening setup

Sunset is getting close; continue with the procedures listed on the Evening Startup Checklist.