GAO Operating Procedures

Note: the following is a first draft only. Please review it and send corrections or additions to Chris Brown

Check your e-mail to see if someone has already reserved the time that you would like. If you are not on the reservation notification list and feel you should be, contact Richard Bochonko.
Email a message:

Your name
How you can be reached (telephone, etc) in case there is a problem with the reservation or in case someone wants to discuss sharing time or using the observatory immediately before or after you.
Date that you want to book the observatory
Time that you will go out to the observatory
Time that you will finish at the observatory
The observing program that you are going to do

Mail the message.
Wait for astro to send you your copy of the reservation (if you are on the reservation mailing list). This will confirm that your reservation has been recorded.
(If you are using the communal key from the resource room, you are required to return it as soon as possible after you have completed your observing run and in any event not later than noon the following day.)

Notes:

The mail system sometimes fails to compose or send the message properly. It is very important that you receive your confirming copy of the reservation to know that you indeed have the booking.
The e-mail reservation system will be taken as the only method of making reservations for the observatory.
If 2 or more people try to make a reservation at the same time, the reservation will go to the person whose reservation is processed first by astro. There will be no ambiguity since the message from astro will have a time associated with it.
The observatory is reserved for the 16.207 class from sunset to 11 pm (local time) on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

If you are arriving after dark, turn off your headlights (but leave your parking lights on) as you drive down the road to the observatory.
Open and secure all doors except to the warm room.
Read the outside and inside temperatures.
Open the upper shutter followed by the lower shutter.
Unplug the power cord to the upper shutter motor and hang it high out of the way.
Place the fan in the SE doorway, point it toward the 40 cm mirror and turn it on.
Plug in the Apogee and SBIG cameras.
Record the opening conditions in the log book.

In an emergency: Dial "0" and explain the emergency to the operator. Provide the following directions to the GAO:

Directions to the GAO:

Drive south on Highway 75 about 15 km from the perimeter highway.
Turn left (east) at the large highway sign that reads "Research Station Road".
Immediately east of the highway, turn right (south) on the gravel service road that parallels the highway.
After about 300-400 meters, turn left (east) at the first opening in the fence. A small sign well beyond the fence reads "Glenlea Astronomical Observatory".
Drive several hundred meters to the end of this road. The observatories are on your left.

Problems with the equipment:

Plug in the power cord to the dome azimuth motor and move the dome.
Make sure the shutter power cord is unplugged and hung high out of the way.
Open the worm gear dust cover.
Turn on the power to the telescope.
Engage the RA clutch then wait one minute before moving the scope in RA.
Make sure all ladders and other obstructions are out of the way.
Close the access port below the primary mirror, if it is open.
Before slewing the scope make sure both slew paddle dials are turned counter-clockwise as far as possible.
Switch on the desired direction then slowly turn the related dial clockwise.
When finished, slowly turn the dial fully counter-clockwise then turn the switch off.
If extra counterweights have been added to the mirror cell, assist the telescope when slewing in declination.

Turn on the imaging and guide camera computer monitors. The processors should always be on.
Check the date and time. It should be set to UT. If it is incorrect note the amount of the error. You do not have permission to change it.
Create a folder for that night's work. The folder name should be based on the year, month and evening and morning dates of that night in the following format: yymmdddd
Start the CCD software and setting circle readouts if they are not already running.
Note: the following software instructions are for CCDOPS (the guiding camera software). You will receive instructions for MaximDL in class.
- Under the Camera menu choose Establish COM link.
- Under Camera/Setup set the temperature, usually to -50 C except when the ambient temperature is above zero.
- Under Camera/Setup, Reuse dark frames is usually set to "yes", Anti blooming rate to "low" and Resolution to "high".

Turn on the focus power supply just inside the control room door.
Take 3-4 exposures of an 9th mag star in focus mode and inspect the FWHM. Adjust the focus and repeat.
Choose the focus position with the best combination of smallest FWHM, highest max pixel value and most circular star shape.
After focusing, be sure to turn off the focus power supply.

In MaximDL, turn off the cooler and disconnect the Apogee AP47p camera.
For the SBIG ST6 guiding camera select Camera/Shutdown.
Copy all images to transportable media.
Turn off the monitor(s). Do not turn off the processors.
Turn down the control room thermostat. It should be set to 5 C when night-time temperatures are below freezing otherwise set it off.
Unplug the power cables to the Apogee and SBIG ST6 cameras.
Park the telescope.
Disengage the RA clutch.
Turn off the telescope power.
Close the worm-gear dust cover.
Close the lower shutter first then the upper shutter.
Double-check that the shutter is fully closed and the telescope power switch is off (in vertical position).
Record the closing information in the logbook.
Turn off all lights.
Lock all doors using the dead bolts only.

Send corrections or additions to Chris Brown
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