Summary

Contact your Support Astronomer

  1. If you do not know who your assigned SA is, consult the observing schedule posted in Remote Ops 2 (also available online). Contact numbers for all SAs are posted on the partition wall. You can also access phone numbers for your SA via the internal SIAS page, which you can access via a browser (e.g. firefox) running within any instrument VNC window: here).
  2. You should make sure to discuss the following points with your SA:

Check Account

  1. Consult the online Keck II observing schedule. Find the listing for today's date (note that the dates are HST, not UT dates).
  2. The third column of the table will indicate the ACCOUNT you have been assigned. For example, if it reads nspec5, your account is "nspec5". Use this account name (in lowercase) when logging in to Keck computers.

Start VNC Viewers for NIRSPEC

Whether observing from Waimea or from a mainland observing site, NIRSPEC observers 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 on the primary and secondary workstations.

Waimea Startup Procedure

  1. Log in to the observing seat.
    Log into the thin client in Remote Ops II under your assigned numbered NIRSPEC account (e.g., nspec5; if needed, please contact your Support Astronomer to get the password).
  2. Launch primary and secondary VNC desktops. Open a terminal on the local computer, go to the bin directory, and use: 
    ./start_all_vnc.sh nspec5

Mainland Startup Procedure

The procedure for launching VNC desktops from remote sites varies from site to site, but generally follows this procedure:
  1. Log in.
    Log in to primary and (if applicable) secondary machines using account and password provided by the site manager.
  2. Get firewall access.
    If necessary, follow authentication procedure for access through Keck's firewall.
  3. Launch VNC.
    Execute the appropriate script to bring up VNC desktops. At sites with a single 4-headed machine execute the command 
    	kvncall nirspec nspecN
    where N is the number of your NIRSPEC observing account. At sites with separate primary and secondary machines, execute this command on the primary machine: 
    	kvncinst nirspec nspecN
    and this command on the secondary machine: 
    	kvnctel nirspec nspecN

At-Home (aka Pajama Observing) Startup Procedure

  1. Run the VNC startup script from your local computer at home
    cd RemoteObserver
	
    conda activate KRO
	 
    ./start_keck_viewers nspecN
    
	
  2.  Follow the prompts. You should've gotten the relevant passwords from when you uploaded your sshkey via the observers login page here.  If not, please contact your Support Astronomer to get the sshuser and VNC passwords.

Check Instrument Status

  1. Start a browser: From the desktop menu select Firefox
  2. Click on the link labeled Instrument Ready? available on the side menu on any page.
  3. In the upper right of SIAS check the instrument status. If it reads NIRSPEC READY on a green background the instrument is ready for use. If the message is NIRSPEC NOT READY on a red background, then NIRSPEC has not been released for your use. If it is after the nominal release time (2:00pm weekdays, 3:00pm weekends) contact your SA for assistance.
    Note that NIRSPEC's calibrations are all internal, and thus do not require dome flats. Therefore, you may proceed with taking NIRSPEC calibrations once the instrument has been released, even if the Telescope has not been released.

Prepare Logs

You now have the choice of maintaining paper or electronic logs for your observing run.

Electronic logsheets

The Keck Observing Log Archive (KEOLA) maintains an on-line log of your run which you can access through the browser window to view or edit. This log is generated whether or not you choose to use it, and is only accessible from within the Keck network, not from outside, so if you are observing remotely you must launch a browser within VNC to access the electronic logs. For full instructions, please refer to the KEOLA webpage.

Paper logsheets

If you prefer physical logsheets for note-taking, now would be a good time to prepare them. You can preview and print out copies of logsheets from the computer.
  1. NIRSPEC Standard (non-AO) logsheet
  2. NIRSPEC Standard AO logsheet
  3. NIRSPEC Classic logsheet

Start up NIRSPEC software

    Start up the NIRSPEC control software.

    1. Right click on the background to access the NIRSPEC menu.
    2. Select NIRSPEC Control Menu.
    3. Select NIRSPEC start up
    The script will launch a window and ask you if you want to continue. If the instrument has been released, then proceed (answer [y]).

    Verify windows.

    Check that the following windows appear: