ARRIVING AT PERKINS

Turn on main telescope power at the floor console room

Turn on PRISM at switch on left side of instrument

Fill Dewar

Turn on all monitors (6 in total) in the control room

Bring up MOVE

Hit G for guider  
      Hit ENTER ("<CR>") after the Guider initialization  
      Hit ENTER for Dome initialization (do first night or if there has been a significant change in temperature)  
      Hit ENTER to finalize setup (If the telescop.sav file is missing, see documentation)

Log into LUX 72" "Who's On" on the Lowell Website

Start LOIS
      telnet to hans (type: telnet hans) - userid = obs72 - password: on whiteboard in control room
      type lois &
      Hit Configure
      Choose instrument and put your name and institution - hit start
      Hit storage and put in the directory and file name/number (the program will make the directory for you) - hit apply
      type source prismstart.tcl in lois terminal
      click on Show User Buttons
      Click Home on all three filter wheels (one at a time--wait for each to finish before clicking the next)

Click on IRAF button and choose "LAUNCH DS9, IRAF" to start iraf

Put dewar back on scale when it has thawed

Shut off main overhead light before opening dome (next step)

At sunset (or when inside and outside are the same temp) - Open done by holding the green "open" button - once the dome is open, back it off just a little (using the red "close" button) to protect against freezing

Start Seeing monitor (on the PC) - see web page for instruction if it's not on the screen

Open the mirror covers (switch on the back of the telescope)

Open instrument covers - type OC on MOVE Computer

Turn on fans if you want (muffin - switch dangling from telescope; 2 cyclones on wall of dome - switches on sides)

Make sure the area around the telescope is clear.  Move ladders, LN2 out of the way

PRISM TROUBLESHOOTING

If PRISM is giving 512 counts for all pixels on the first images of the night, try the following:

When you startup look at the CCD temperature. If it reads -250.00 then that means the electronics did not initialize correctly.

     Try running the commands in the lois console:
           LOIS% cam_close

           LOIS% cam_init

     and see if the temperature does not change to a more normal value.

If that doesn't work, rebooting hans seems to solve the problem.

TAKING SKY FLATS

Type UI (uniform illumination) on MOVE

After move, type TR (tracking toggle), DM (dome tracking toggle) on MOVE

Type flat_dither on at the LOIS prompt

Take flats in order of increasing wavelength

Type flat_dither off at LOIS prompt when finished

For Dome Flats

(which you have to use for GRISM)

Type FS (flat screen) on MOVE

Turn off tracking and dome tracking

Turn on Flat Lamps with LOIS User Buttons

GUIDING

Type GGS (get guide star) on MOVE

Choose a star with mag between 10.5 and 12 that is 800-1200 (units) from the star (so the pickoff doesn't overlap the field)

After typing the number of the star, MOVE will acquire it

When you see the star on the monitor, hit ENTER if you wish to use it

Hit F5 to get the star to move to the box

Hit F2 to start (and stop) guiding

FOCUSING

TURN OFF GUIDING BEFORE FOCUSING

Use focustool in LOIS User Buttons

Choose a bright star in your field, and find the pixel position (xpix, ypix) slightly below and to the left of the star

Enter this value in the xctr, yctr boxes in User Buttons

Choose a start focus (about 200 below the current focus is usually a good value), use steps of 25, and 16 steps for a range of 200

Run focustool at the IDL prompt (first compile focustool >.r focustool)

Click Load Data and navigate to the current night's directorry -> focus -> focus.list.# -- program will find "best focus" value

Type FG on MOVE to enter the new focus value

TAKING SPECTRA WITH GRISM

Move to field - type CO on MOVE and enter RA and DEC when prompted

Guide on a star (see GUIDING above)

Focus the instrument with all of the filter wheels "open"
     (Use the focustool in the User Buttons, with steps of 25)

Find the program star (target) and record its pixel location (xpix, ypix)

type in LOIS (assuming you are in 1x1 binning): recenter xpix, ypix 1069 1018 0.39
- OR -
Use recenter in LOIS User Buttons - enter xpix & ypix values in xnow, ynow and 1069, 1018 in xto, yto, and 0.39 in platescale. Click recenter.
      (this moves the star to the center column and puts it at the x-coordinate where the slit is located)
      I found that if this move is too big, LOIS freaks out (because it loses the guide star).  You can always make smaller adjustments if you want.

Repeat the last two steps until the star is at x-pixel 1018

Move the slit into the frame by typing mask mask=1 (FYI mask=1 - narrow slit; mask=2 - wide slit; mask=3 - occultation mask; mask=4 - subframe mask)

Take another test image to make sure star is centered in slit (for a bright star you might see a little light bleeding over the sides--that should be symmetric)

Move the GRISM in the PRISM control panel

Take exposure

LEAVING

Stop guiding (hit F2 on MOVE)

Send the telescope to Home (type HO on MOVE)

Turn off all fans (muffin + two cyclone)

Close instrument cover (type CC on MOVE)

Close mirror covers

Refill CCD dewar

Close dome by holding the red "close" button

Make sure you turn off the lights on the paddle (or gold paddle in the control room) before turning off MOVE

Exit out of MOVE by typing QU

Home filter wheels (one at a time, wait for each to finish)

Move slit out by typing mask mask=0 at LOIS prompt

Exit out of LOIS - click on EXIT

Logout of hans

Sign out of Lowell website

Send any problems to Brian at 72status@lowell.edu

Stop the seeing monitor

Turn off all the monitors in the control room

Make sure all heaters (and cooling) are off - switch in the control room should be off

Turn off the main telescope power on the floor console **IMPORTANT**

Make sure the LN2 is back on the scale before you leave

Turn off PRISM

Make sure all the lights are off

Please lock 2 doors (the one to the stairs and the door to outside)