Gemini

From: Isobel Hook (imh@astro.ox.ac.uk)
Date: Fri Nov 01 2002 - 04:12:37 PST

  • Next message: Robert A. Knop Jr.: "Re: Gemini"

    Hi all,

    Eric and I are safely here at Gemini. Our schedule is to be at the
    summit as queue observers tomorrow and the next night (1st & 2nd) and
    to be at the Hilo Base Facility from 3rd until the end of the run on
    10th. (actually I'm leaving the night of 10th but Eric will still be
    here).

    Current predictions are that our program will make it to the top of the
    queue on around 5th/6th. We have 10.3 hrs to use.

    We should think again about what seeing we can tolerate, since that
    will increase the chance of us getting data. We had originally
    specified median seeing or better which is approx half arcsec. I
    suggest we relax that to 70%-ile which corresponds to about 0.8". I
    don't think there's much point allowing worse than that because Keck
    and Subaru will also be observing during much of the same period, so
    they will have to use those condistions anyway. However the exception
    to that is the 3rd Nov when no-one else is getting spectroscopy as far
    as I know. If the seeing is 'bad' that night, i.e. >0.8" we could get
    to the top of the queue earlier since the programs at the top require
    seeing < 0.8".

    So we could require <0.8 for all except 3rd (if we're allowed to do that).
    Any comments?

    Second question is whether we want to use Nod & Shuffle (for improved sky
    subtraction) for the GMOS observations. It certainly improves the sky
    subtraction, but the downside is a lower observing efficiency, by around
    25%. Personally I would like to use that mode just to see what it can do
    on these faint red objects, but please let me know if anyone objects. We
    will need to put in a request to use it because it was not in our original
    proposal (and in fact wasn't formally offered for 2002B).

    Does anyone have a strategy for which telescope should be observing which
    targets (bright vs faint?). I would quite like to try at least one really
    faint one with Nod & shuffle but am open to suggestions.

    Cheers,
    Isobel.

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