Your should have received a "P2PP ID" and password giving you access to the webletter detailing your observing runs. If you did not receive that ID, concact VisAs immediately. Keep the P2PP ID and password, as well as your run number (076.A-0123(A)) - you will use them all the time.
If you have yet not done so, fill in the visitor travel information on the VisAs travel form.
Get acquointed with your instrument. The links on the left-side menu bar will take you to the various instruments web pages. Please be sure to read the documentation in there. In particular, some of the instruments have some specific instructions and recommendations for visiting astronomers, accessible through the "visitor" link on each of the instrument web page.
P2PP: In order to prepare the observations, you will need the Phase 2 Preparation Program. You should have a look at the Phase 2 page even for visitor runs. Note that your OBs do NOT have to be checked in the database in advance.
Targets and backup: Make sure you have enough targets for the whole night. In case you need more to fill the night, additional targets must be requested and approved in advance. Similarly, you should have a backup program in case the conditions do not permit your main program to be executed. In particular, keep in mind that strong wind often comes from the North, so backup targets to the South should be prepared. Additional targets, backup targets and change of set-up must be requested well in advance using this procedure.
You will have 2 nights in order to finalize your observation strategy and your observation blocks together with your support astronomer and your night astronomer.
You are kindly requested to stay in the observatory Residencia while you are preparing your observations and until the beginning of your run.
From the Residencia you have access to a Linux PC for the preparation of your observation blocks (see Computing). If you have any problem with the PC, please contact your day-time support astronomer. These PCs have all the preparation software installed, as well as the SciSoft suite of astronomical software. See the SciSoft Computer Page for details and instructions, and the Data Reduction Software page for information on what is available where and details about the configuration.
Please make sure to discuss the details of your strategy with your support astronomer. For very detailed questions, or specific details, you can request to discuss them with the night astronomer.
Some specific remarks:
On the days of your observations, you will be driven up by one of the support astronomers. He will also assist you to transfer the OBs from the machine on which you prepared them to the system at the telescope.
Once at the telescope, you will have many things to do -- refer to this separate page "At the Telescope", also linked from the left menu.
It is possible for you to download your data to your laptop from the offline workstation. You will need to install the DfsExport Tool to do this. Please see this page.
We have two printers, laser1 (B/W) and colorlaser (colour) in the control room that can be used from any computer in the control room. They are accessed directly via the internet. If you want to set them up on your laptop, use JetDirect and you will need the actual IP-address, which is found written on each printer. The setup tool depends on the system you are running (e.g. use printtool for fedora <=5; system-config-printer for fedora 6, preference menu - printer for mac).
You will get a copy of the raw data acquired during your run (including the related day-time calibrations) at the Reception just before your departure. During the first observing night, please let the night astronomer know what media you prefer (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DAT). You will also get a copy of the night reports filled in by the night support astronomer on paper and/or via email.
Please send us an End-of-Mission Report after you have completed your observing run.
The "Quality Control" group of the Data Flow Operation Department performs many tests and measurements on all the data coming form Paranal. Many results, such as noise, gain, zero points, color terms, etc, are avaible from their page
Finally, all the data are available in the ESO Archive. You will find there not only your data, but also every single frame obtained on the VLT (with proprietary access for 1 year).