Your Observing Graphic Interface Tutorial

Your Observing Graphic Interface is a set of front-end graphic tools developed to make observer's life easier.

In this tutorial user can find the following information:

Booting the system and initial tests
Initial tests
Prepearing exposure
Taking images
Saving images
Inspecting images
Moving the telescope
Selecting objects
Creating Catalogues
Writing macros
Focusing the telescope

Booting the system and initial tests
To boot the system observer should:
1. Look around for the night assistant and follow his instructions OR
2. Look around for the paper manual describing instrument usage and follow its instructions OR
3. Try this:
  - Login as the default observer.
  - Type GPSTART in any window to invoke the startup procedure.
  - If it works - go to 4; if not - goto 1.
4. Wait until configuration window appears on the screen.
5. Carefully selct your configuration and enter your name.
6. Click on Initialize button.
7. Wait until all windows open and sounds stop emerging from the system.
8. Check the foloowing things:
  - Any strange messages have appered during startup? If any strange messages are present try File->Quit-->Quit_System from the Camera menu bari, wait a minute and try again from scratch.
  - Is the instrument name in the upper left corner of the Camera the same as the name of the instrument you are going to use? If not you have to select File->Initialize from the Camera menu bar and enter correct configuration.
  - Are the number of filter wheels and their names in the Filter tool correct? If not, the system configuration is wrong. Call system administrator.
  - Are there stars on the Map tool display? If not, the system configuration is wrong. Call system administrator.
Once the system is ready you may make some
Initial tests
1. Click on Read button of the Camera tool. The following things should than happen:
  - Many buttons get grayed - their functions are disabled during exposure.
  - "Flying through the stars movie" appears - camera is busy.
  - Red bar in the movie shows Read progress.
  - Read-out schematics shows each exposure progress.
  - When exposure is ready you should see new image in the dATAview image display tool.
  - All animation stop and greyed buttons are enabled again.
2. Click on one of the arrow buttons in the Telescope tool. The following things should happen:
  - Some fields and buttons get grayed - their functions are disabled.
  - Telescope icon starts to move.
  - Stars on the Map tool jump to reflect new telescope position.
  - Moving icon stops (showing OK) and buttons are enabled again.
If anything strange had happened during this tests (animations do not start or worse - do not stop) that there are probably communication and/or setup problems. Please contact system administrator.
Prepearing exposure
There are few things that observer should set/select before first/next exposure:
1. Preseting image storage system:
  - Check lower right button on the Camera tool reading "disk". Green area shows you how much space is left on your current disk. If you are not satisfied - click on the button and choose empty file system.
  - Select storage directory and initial file name:
    - click on Options->Save/Path - "Save Options" window will appear.
    - Enter new Storage Path.
    - Enter Next File Name (initial filename to be incremented by system after each exposure).
  - Select storage method - use Auto Save button to switch ON/OFF automatic file saving after each exposure.
2. Select filter - use Filter tool.
3. Select integration time - use Expose field of the Camera window or scroll bar below. Integration time should be such, that interesting parts of the are not be saturated.
4. Select nuber of exposures to be done in one Read command. maximum number depends on the image size and available memory. Use Repeat field or scroll bar below.
5. Select read-out mode using Mode selector. Read instrument's manual about using available read-out modes.
6. Before end of the exposure enter Name of the object and/or necessary comments. All other information will be stored in the FITS header automatically.
Taking images
The available methods of taking images are:
- press Read button to get one set od exposures.
- press Endless button to put camera into infinite loop. Abort directs camera to stop taking images.
- press Mosaic button. Mosaic Creator window will appear allowing one to select size, type and orientation of the image mosaic to be taken. Clicking on the Start button will create macro-file named "Mosaic.mac", and immediately will execute it.
- Enter macro-file name in the window to the right of the Macro: button; than click on Macro: button or just click on Macro: and select macro-file using File selection Box - to execute macro-file script. See Writing macros for more information.
Saving images

If Auto Save is ON than no additional action is required.

If Auto Save is OFF than Save will start to blink after exposure is completed. User must click on Save button to save exposure. The file name, the image will be given is displayed (could be changed) in the window to the right.

Default file name can be changed using the Options->Save/Path window.

Inspecting images

dATAview pages describe in detail all functions of the dATAview image display tool. The basic functions of the fully-opened tool are:

Control window:
- Select Last (N for Omega) to always see the last exposure.
- Use arrows to move between frames in the current frame-buffer.
- Reposition the telescope (use one of two Tele buttons):
  - Center selected star or
  - Move selected star to the desired position
- Toggle bad pixel masking ON/OFF (red dots).
- Toggle sky subtraction ON/OFF (red dots). To use this option Sky File field in the Camera window must be filled (either by typing or clicking on the Last button).
- Measure angles and distances using Protractor tool.
- Show Wind Rose when cassegrain rotator is in use.
Image window:
- Use to upper-right arrows to zoom IN/OUT.
- Use RIGHT mouse button (or scroll-bars on the left) to change image contrast/brightness. Click on the color-scale bar to fully fill selected min/max range with colors.
- Use MIDDLE mouse button to calculate FWHM/magnitude of the selected star.
- Use Colors to change colors, Auto/Med/Cuts to toggle the method of selecting data range for display.
Graph window:
- Usse it to see various graphic displays: surfaces, contours, cuts, histograms, redial profiles, magnitudes and focusing telescope.
Zoom window:
- Inspect cursor position and pixel value; min/max/median and average of the zoom window.
- Use RIGHT and MIDDLE buttons to change size of the zoom box.
- Use LEFT button to reposition the zoom box.
View window:
- Always shows the full image and the size of the main Image window, if smaller than the full image.
- Use LEFT button to reposition the main Image window.

Moving the telescope

Info pages of the Telescope tool give detailed information of its functionality. Shortly speaking:

To move the telescope select Equinox and enter desired coordinates (in the format: hh:mm:ss dd:'':"") into the two large windows; than click on Move button (red telescope icon).
To make an offset first select offset coordinates (x,y - in arcsec; alpha,delta - in min,'; u,v - rotated (enter CassPos) system in arcsec); than enter step size (lower windows) than use arrow buttons.
Click on small clock icons to open coordinate input tool gadgets.
One can recalculate enetred coordinates for other equinoxes just selecting new Equibox;

Selecting objects

There are many ways of selecting observing targets:

Directly enter target coordinates using Telescope tool.
Use Sky Map tool to select any SAO star, IRAS source or object from the user catalogue first clicking on the object, than clicking on Select (only preloading coordinates) or on Move (sending telescope to the object position).
Enter SAO star number in the Sky Map object name window.
Use User Catalogue to select object from the text list. See how to create catalogue .
Use dATAview tool to center object in the image.
Use macro-file with hard-coded coordinates.

Creating user catalogues

User catalogue is a simple text file. Each line describes one object in a simple format:

Name|RA|Dec|Equinox|Prop. Mot. RA|Prop. Mot. Dec|Mag|Comment
eg.
6 Cet|0:10:59.1|-15:29:53.0|1994.5|*|*|4.89|F6V (+14.7+-0.2)

One can create new catalogue either using text editor or using provided catalogue editior - click on the Edit button in the User Catalogue window.

Writing macros

The simplest way to write first macro is to click on Mosaic button in the Camera window. One can than use the text editor to inspect "Mosic.mac" and see how to write macros.
The other method is to use Macro->Start Recording option of the Command tool. This wiil record all actions performed by user using YOGI interface. After Stop recording is pressed one can edit, save, select and execut desired macro.
Traditional way to write macro is to use text editor. One must consult documentation for the command languade layer to learn about existing commands and its format. Very shortly; use:
- tele abs hh mm ss dd '' "" 1995. to position the telescope.
- tele rel ss "" to offset the telescope.
- sync tele wait for telescope to complete movement.
- itime x set integration time x seconds.
- read n read n frames.
- sync read wait for camera to complete.

Focusing the telescope

Below a series of steps necessary to do correct telescope focusing is given. As far only 3.5 CA telescope has direct control over the focus position.

Set short Exposure time (e.g. 0.2 s).
Select many Repeat cycles (e.g. 64).
Using Sky Map point the telescope at any bright star high above horizon.
Start Endless exposures.
Click on Last button in the dATAview tool.
Find bright star on the display and click on it (LEFT or MIDDLE button).
Go to Graph window.
Select Type->Focus.
Make the window larger, if necessary.
Check if Auto Get is ON
- On 3.5 CA telescope:
  1. Enter new focus position, press Enter
  2. Wait for the next image to be taken.
- Other telescopes:
  1. Set new focus, using external telescope controls.
  2. Enter new focus position, press Enter.
  3. Wait for the next image to be taken.

Reapeat step (11) untill clear minimum is visible on the graph.

Use mouse to read best focus.

Enter best focus.

Press Abort.

Ready.

You may now return to System Overview or select Frequently Ask Questions, Feedback, Technical Refernce Manual.

Grzegorz Pojmanski / gp@sirius.astrouw.edu.pl