README web version of /home/usg/OPS/MTS/readme_xml/readme_77035900

Principal Investigator Email Address

• prichter@astro.uni-bonn.de

Estimated Total Execution Time (hours, including overheads)

• 37.0

General Description

• The Galactic high-velocity clouds (HVCs) are massive clouds of neutral
   hydrogen gas
  outside the Milky Way disk. They are a mixture of (a) low-metallicity material
  left over after the formation of the Milky Way, (b) clouds associated with the
  Magellanic Stream, a tidal tail pulled out of the SMC by the Milky Way, and (c)
  part of a Galactic Fountain - the cycling of gas between the Disk and the
  Halo. Since their discovery 40 years ago, their distances have been the main
  unknown quantity. With distances we can determine masses and estimate the rate
  of circulation of gas between the Disk and the Halo, as well as the rate of
  infall of low-metallicity material. In the past two years we have created a
  sample of distant blue stars (currently 200 stars and growing). We propose to
  use UVES to bracket the distances to three HVCs through detections and non-detections
  of interstellar CaII in the spectra of several (24) of these stars and one QSO.
  
  A programme change request was submitted and approved:
  
  Entry-Id                  : USD-15357
  Short-Description         : programme change request for 077.B-0359(A)/SM/UVES
  Task                      : Phase II
  inst/sub task             : Target Change Request
  Resolution                : 
  01/31/06 13:06:46     fcomeron
  Dear Dr. Richter,
                           
  I am pleased to let you know that the proposed changes can be accepted, 
  including the observation of the three additional sources not in your 
  original target list. 
                                     
  Best regards,
                                                   
  Fernando Comeron
  ESO User Support Department
  
  
  Programme change request for 077.B-0359(A)/SM/UVES
  
  For our approved project 077.B-0359(A)/SM/UVES
  ("Distances to High-Velocity Clouds") we would
  like to slightly modify our target list in the
  Phase II. From our original list of 29 targets
  (halo stars) we would like to remove 7 targets
  and add instead 3 new ones.
  
  Targets to be removed:
  
  2MASSJ014448.53+145535.6
  2MASSJ014248.77+143016.4
  2MASSJ014705.97+132643.7
  2MASSJ213713.22+130504.0
  2MASSJ195844.84-005253.8
  2MASSJ200123.06+004437.0
  PKS2012-017
  
  Targets to be added:
  
  2MASSJ021651.34+080150.2
  SDSSJ015735.65+135254.2
  2MASSJ213327.04+133026.7
  
  The total amount of time requested (approved) from this project
  remains the same (37h). Note that also goals and outcome
  of our project remain unchanged, as explained below.
  
  Scientific justification:
  
  After submission and approval of PhaseI we obtained new
  low-resolution spectra for our objects that indicate
  the global shape of the stellar spectrum of the target
  stars (while we are interested in the interstellar spectrum
  using UVES high-resolution observations).
  In detailed preparation for PhaseII we have realized that
  the stellar continua for 7 objects (the ones listed above
  under stars to be removed) are very complicated, thus
  making it very difficult to identify the interstellar
  absorption from high-velocity gas that we are aiming for.
  It therefore will be very difficult to constrain
  the distances of foreground Galactic gas using these
  objects. However, with the low-resolution data we have
  indentified much better suited targets (with more smooth
  stellar continua) that we would like to use in Phase II to
  succesfully complete our project.
  We thus ask for permission to modify the
  target list in the way described above.
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waiver Requests

• No Waiver Request was submitted.

Critical Observing Condition Constraints

• None.

Time-Critical Aspects

• None.

Special Execution Requirements

• In some cases, there is more than one OB per target. 
  The OBs of a given a target should to be completed 
  before moving to the next one.

Special Calibration Information

• None.

ToO Information

• ---(Empty)---

ToO Activators List

• ---(Empty)---

Is this a Pre-imaging run ?

• false

Pre-imaging Requirements

• ---(Empty)---

Source(s) of Pre-imaging

• ---(Empty)---

Pre-imaging sources not listed above

• ---(Empty)---

Do all your OBs comply with the instrument-specific requirements listed
 on the instrument-specific Phase 2 web page ?

• YES

If this is a pre-imaging run, did you select PRE-IMAGING for the Observing
 Category for each Observing Template ?

• N/A

Do all your finding charts comply with both the general and instrument-specific
 Phase 2 Web Pages ?

• YES

If you submitted OBs for standard stars, did you specify the magnitude
 and spectral type of all standard stars in the OBs ?

• N/A

Have you included OBs for any calibrations that you need but which are
 not part of the Calibration Plan ?

• N/A

If you are observing Moving Targets, have you attached suitable ephemeris
 files to your OBs?

• N/A

If you have preferences which OBs should be executed first, did you make
 use of the User Priority field in the OBs ?

• N/A

If this is a run that requires coordinated observations with other facilities,
 did you give proper instructions in the Time-Critical Aspects Section ?

• N/A

If you need secondary guiding, are there suitable objects within 30 arcsec
 from your target ?

• N/A