Principal Investigator Email Address
ewine@strw.leidenuniv.nl
Estimated Total Execution Time (hours, including overheads)
23
General Description
This program consists of the last targets and settings to be observed as part of a large program on high resolution IR spectroscopy of molecules in young stellar objects (YSOs) and protoplanetary disks. Because this is the last remaining bits of a much larger data set, the observations is a mixed bag of AO targets (protoplanetary disks) and very red non-AO targets (embedded YSOs). The vast majority of the targets are bright, and we generally expect S/N ratios of 50 to several 100. Many of the AO targets are close binaries (1-2" separation), and we would in general like both components to be included in the slit. We have, where applicable, oriented the slit along the binary pair in the OB. However, it is possible that small adjustments will be necessary during the acquisition. Please feel free to adjust the PA if both components of targeted binaries are not fully in the slit. In cases of problems with binaries, the brightest K-band component has the highest priority. Some of our targets are surrounded by bright nebulosity at near-infrared wavelengths (JHK), specifically HL Tau, RNO91 and GSS 30. This can be a problem because the source that is being guided on may not be exactly the same as source at the target wavelength (e.g., 4.7 micron). We therefore request that the reddest available filter is used for guiding on these targets - generally Ks, I believe. Using one of the H band filters could cause the target to be out of the slit. Finally, thanks a lot to whoever ends up executing these final OBs from our large program. I am a bit sad that I can't be on the mountain this time. I've always enjoyed my visitor mode runs a lot, not least due to the good company of the night astronomers and TIOs. So many greetings to those I know, and many thanks again - also to anyone I have not yet had the chance to meet! best, -Klaus Pontoppidan
Waiver Requests
No Waiver Request was submitted
Critical Observing Condition Constraints
Especially the non-AO targets benefit from good seeing conditions. AO targets are less sensitive and so have less strict seeing constraints. As usual with IR spectroscopy, we request the observation of a telluric standard before or after the science observation at a similar airmass - the smaller the airmass difference the better. We usually aim for differences less than 0.1 airmass, but recognize that this can be difficult in some cases - such as for our northern, high airmass targets. We have supplied dedicated OBs for the telluric calibrations. They should generally be straight-forward, except perhaps for HLTau, which has a standard that requires a little bit of timing.
Time-Critical Aspects
The targets should be observed at a time when the Doppler shift due to reflex motion of the Earth is maximal. This usually occurs as the targets transit close to twilight, i.e. at the beginning and end of the night. Our target list consists of targets around RA=16 hours, and around 4 hours. The 16 hour targets are best observed during 1) August and September (most desirable) (these targets are included in the hope that they may fill some undersubscribed bright time at the end of P83) 2) March (somewhat less optimal) The 4 hour targets are best in late December/January
Special Execution Requirements
Special Calibration Information
We would like to request that extra flat fields are observed to match settings observed during a given night. Many of our targets are high S/N observations, and hence require a flat field with S/N > 500 in order not to be limited by the flat field correction. This may require the flat field calibration OB to be repeated 5-10 times during day time operations.
ToO Information
ToO Activators List
Do the README file and the instrument comments of the telluric stars OBs include the required S/N/pixel of the spectrum of the telluric star, its spectral type and allowed spectral range?
Do any OBs include wavelength or flatfield calibrations?
N/A
If you are observing Moving Targets, have you attached suitable ephemeris files to your OBs?
N/A
If the slit viewer guide star is different from the target, are the RA and DEC offsets accurate to within 0.05 arcsec and do they take into account the relative proper motion between the two objects?
N/A
If you have preferences which OBs should be executed first for objects at similar RA, did you make use of the User Priority field in the OBs?