README web version of /home/usg/OPS/MTS/readme_xml/readme_79035100
Principal Investigator Email Address
Estimated Total Execution Time (hours, including overheads)
General Description
!!! IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS A MOVING TARGET WITH VARIABLE SPEED, PLEASE
UPDATE THE DIFF RA AND DIFF DEC, AS PROVIDED IN THE EPHEMERIS, ACCORDING
TO THE DATE OF OBSERVATION !!!!
general goal:
detect and make JHK photometry of the newly discovered Pluto's satellites Nix and
Hydra
The satellites are **faint** in JHK ~ 22.4 to 22.7, and are at 3 arcsec away, **at
most**, from Pluto (whose magnitude is JHK ~ 13)
We have a total of SIX hours for this program, and we want to get TWO hours in each
filter: in J, H and K
We have prepared six OB's, one hour each.
There are three OB's (one for each band: J,H,K) of one hour each: pluto_sat_J_07,
pluto_sat_H_07, pluto_sat_K_07
and again three three isentical OB's: pluto_sat_J_07_bis,
pluto_sat_H_07_bis, pluto_sat_K_07_bis
Our priority is:
**first** to obtain one each of the J, H and K bands, and **then** to complete with
the second OB's for each of the three filters.
Problem caused by background stars:
Pluto is in the Milky Way right now. Thus, the fields are very rich in background
stars which can hamper the satellite detection.
If after one OB, there are more than five star trails within 3 arcsec from Pluton,
this means that the field is too rich with
background stars. In this case DO NOT MAKE ANOTHER OB, wait for another night in
the list provided below.
Problem of dates:
the satellites can be detected only when sufficiently far away from Pluto, and far
away from field stars.
This limits the possibility of observation to the "windows" given below, during
the semester 79A, see Time-Critical aspects below.
Field charts are provided for each window. Because one OB can receive 4 FC at most,
we have distributed the FC in various OB's
Names of FC is for instance: 11_12_apr07_n2.jpg for the night from 11 to 12 April
2007, etc...
The attached ephemeris gives the Pluto topocentric RA and DEC (J2000), and the motion
in RA and DEC on intervals
bracketting the windows below
The nights and times windows when Nix and Hydra couls be detected are:
12 April 2007 05:40 - 09:40 UT
25 April 2007 04:50 - 09:50 UT
26 April 2007 05:20 - 09:50 UT
01 June 2007 04:00 - 07:30 UT
02 June 2007 04:00 - 09:20 UT
11 June 2007 01:40 - 08:50 UT
12 June 2007 01:40 - 08:40 UT
25 June 2007 00:50 - 07:50 UT
27 June 2007 00:40 - 07:40 UT
20 July 2007 23:40 - 21 July 06/10 UT
31 July 2007 23:40 - 01 Aug 05:20 UT
01 Aug 2007 23:40 - 02 Aug 05:20 UT
14 Aug 2007 23:50 - 15 Aug 04:40 UT
15 Aug 2007 23:50 - 16 Aug 04:20 UT
24 Aug 2007 23:50 - 25 Aug 03:50 UT
25 Aug 2007 23:50 - 26 Aug 03:40 UT
26 Aug 2007 23:50 - 27 Aug 03:40 UT
27 Aug 2007 23:50 - 28 Aug 03:40 UT
09 Sept 2007 23:50 - 10 Sept 02:40 UT
Waiver Requests
Critical Observing Condition Constraints
No special observing conditions, except that the OB's should be done at
some time-critical nights
(1) to ensure that the satellites Nix and Hydra are far enough from Pluto to avoid
light contamination and
(2) to avoid nearby stars which could be on top of the satellites images (see also
"Waiver Request")
(3) to meet the z < 1.6 airmass and twilight constraints
see section Time-Critical aspects.
If after one OB, there are too many star trails at less than 3 arcsec away from
Pluton, this means that the field is too rich with
background stars. In this case DO NOT MAKE ANOTHER OB, wait for another night in
the list provided below.
We recall the possible times of observations:
12 April 2007 05:40 - 09:40 UT
25 April 2007 04:50 - 09:50 UT
26 April 2007 05:20 - 09:50 UT
01 June 2007 04:00 - 07:30 UT
02 June 2007 04:00 - 09:20 UT
11 June 2007 01:40 - 08:50 UT
12 June 2007 01:40 - 08:40 UT
25 June 2007 00:50 - 07:50 UT
27 June 2007 00:40 - 07:40 UT
20 July 2007 23:40 - 21 July 06/10 UT
31 July 2007 23:40 - 01 Aug 05:20 UT
01 Aug 2007 23:40 - 02 Aug 05:20 UT
14 Aug 2007 23:50 - 15 Aug 04:40 UT
15 Aug 2007 23:50 - 16 Aug 04:20 UT
24 Aug 2007 23:50 - 25 Aug 03:50 UT
25 Aug 2007 23:50 - 26 Aug 03:40 UT
26 Aug 2007 23:50 - 27 Aug 03:40 UT
27 Aug 2007 23:50 - 28 Aug 03:40 UT
09 Sept 2007 23:50 - 10 Sept 02:40 UT
Time-Critical Aspects
The OB's should be done at some time-critical nights
(1) to ensure that the satellites Nix and Hydra are far enough from Pluto to avoid
light contamination and
(2) to avoid nearby stars which could be on top of the satellites images (see also
"Waiver Request")
(3) to meet the z < 1.6 airmass and twilight constraints
This leaves us with some possible dates and times of observations.
These dates and times are contained in the ephemeris file attached to the OB'S,
in which Pluto's coordinates (and motion) are given for
THE DATES WHEN OBSERVTAIONS MEET THE THREE CONSTRAINTS ABOVE.
We recall the possible times of observations:
12 April 2007 05:40 - 09:40 UT
25 April 2007 04:50 - 09:50 UT
26 April 2007 05:20 - 09:50 UT
01 June 2007 04:00 - 07:30 UT
02 June 2007 04:00 - 09:20 UT
11 June 2007 01:40 - 08:50 UT
12 June 2007 01:40 - 08:40 UT
25 June 2007 00:50 - 07:50 UT
27 June 2007 00:40 - 07:40 UT
20 July 2007 23:40 - 21 July 06/10 UT
31 July 2007 23:40 - 01 Aug 05:20 UT
01 Aug 2007 23:40 - 02 Aug 05:20 UT
14 Aug 2007 23:50 - 15 Aug 04:40 UT
15 Aug 2007 23:50 - 16 Aug 04:20 UT
24 Aug 2007 23:50 - 25 Aug 03:50 UT
25 Aug 2007 23:50 - 26 Aug 03:40 UT
26 Aug 2007 23:50 - 27 Aug 03:40 UT
27 Aug 2007 23:50 - 28 Aug 03:40 UT
09 Sept 2007 23:50 - 10 Sept 02:40 UT
Special Execution Requirements
Special Calibration Information
ToO Information
ToO Activators List
Is this a Pre-imaging run ?
Pre-imaging Requirements
Source(s) of Pre-imaging
Pre-imaging sources not listed above
Do all your OBs comply with the instrument-specific requirements listed
on the instrument-specific Phase 2 web page ?
If this is a pre-imaging run, did you select PRE-IMAGING for the Observing
Category for each Observing Template ?
Do all your finding charts comply with both the general and instrument-specific
Phase 2 Web Pages ?
If you submitted OBs for standard stars, did you specify the magnitude
and spectral type of all standard stars in the OBs ?
Have you included OBs for any calibrations that you need but which are
not part of the Calibration Plan ?
If you are observing Moving Targets, have you attached suitable ephemeris
files to your OBs?
If you have preferences which OBs should be executed first, did you make
use of the User Priority field in the OBs ?
If this is a run that requires coordinated observations with other facilities,
did you give proper instructions in the Time-Critical Aspects Section ?
If you have PSF reference star OBs, do the names of those OBs begin with
PSF_ ?
If there are Finding Charts attached to your OBs, is the field-of-view
of at least one of these charts 2' x 2' (with clearly labelled field orientation)
?
Have you clearly marked and labelled your wavefront reference objects
R1, R2, R3, ... (as specified in the NAOS Preparation Software) on your Finding
Charts ?
Have you specified the magnitude of the brightest object in the field-of-view
for each OB ?
Are there objects in any of your fields (including standard stars) which
are brighter than the limits specified in the User Manual and on NACO web Pages
?
If the previous answer is yes, have you given a list of OBs and a justification
for the brightness limit violation in the general description field ?
Last creation of page: Tue Oct 6 15:40:19 2009
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