LaNotte, the TNG metric system after two years of data

Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems, 2006

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) operates its Very Large Telescope (VLT) on Cerro Paranal (Chile) with to date 11 scientific instruments including two interferometric instruments and their numerous auxiliary systems at 4 Unit Telescopes (UTs) and 3 Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs). The rigorous application of preventive and corrective maintenance procedures and a close monitoring of the instruments' engineering data streams are the key ingredient towards the minimization of the technical downtime of the instruments. The extensive use of standardized hardware and software components and their strict configuration control is considered crucial to efficiently manage the large number of systems with the limited human and technical resources available. A close collaboration between the instrument engineers, the instrument scientists in instrument operation teams (IOTs) turns out to be vital to maintain and to the performance of the instrumentation suite. In this paper, the necessary tools, workflows, and organizational structures to achieve these objectives are presented.

Solar Physics, 1975

2017

NASA and other national agencies ask the National Research Council (NRC) once every decade to look out ten or more years into the future and prioritize research areas, observations, and notional missions to make those observations. The latest such scientific community consultation referred to as the Decadal Survey (DS), was completed in 2007 [1]. DS thematic panels developed 35 missions from more than 100 missions proposed, from which the DS Executive Committee synthesized 17 missions, with suggested order presented in three time-phased blocks. The first block with aim for near term launch (2010-2013) included four missions. The Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) mission is one of them. The CLARREO mission was classified as a Small Mission to be contained in a 300 M US$ budgetary envelope. CLARREO will provide a benchmark climate record that is global, accurate in perpetuity, tested against independent strategies that reveal systematic errors, and pinne...

2000

As major observatories are planning automatic and optimized scheduling of large astronomical facilities, reliable and accurate monitoring of observing conditions is a prerequisite. For this purpose, the concept of Astronomical Site Monitor (ASM) has been developed for the VLT as an integrated subsystem of the observatory. The ASM runs in automated mode and provides the control software of the VLT unit telescopes with measured environmental data, including outside seeing and meteorological parameters. The VLT common software and standardized hardware components have been adopted throughout the system. The ASM is therefore a good example for the portability of the VLT standard components, leading to increased reliability and easier maintenance. Two almost identical ASM systems are now in operation at the Paranal and La Silla observatories. The system attributes, results, and future extensions will be described.

Astronomische Nachrichten, 2006

The networking architecture of the EUDOXOS' robotic telescopes is presented. We have studied adopted and tested various software & hardware approaches for developing an observational facility equipped with the very high availability needed to achieve continuous operation, inherent capacity for effective multiuser support, fully robotic unattended operation, fast response to targets of opportunity and accommodation of tele-operating instruments. Critical practical aspects and considerations of our operating implementation as well as the main points of an ongoing upgrade initiative expected to be of general interest, are discussed.

2016

Abstract: In this work we analyze one year observation of an Aeronet (GSFC-NASA Aerosol Robotic Network) sun-photometer installed on January 11, 2011 in CASLEO and being operational up to date. The main goal of placing the instrument in this location is to characterize the aerosol loads of this astronomical complex which is close and has the same sky characteristics of El Leoncito (31 ◦ 43,33 ’ South- 69 ◦ 15,93 ’ West, 2552 m ASL) one of the southern candidate site for Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). The low aerosol optical depth (AOD) annual mean of 0.038 measured at 500 nm shows exceptional clear sky quality. Data is compared with the measurements being done at Mauna Loa (19 ◦ 32.34 ’ North, 55 ◦ 34.68 ’ West, 3397 m ASL), where Aeronet reference instruments are being re-calibrated two to four times per year. Long term MODIS observations are studied, showing that the

ESO Astrophysics Symposia European Southern Observatory, 2008

Many detectors, optical CCDs and IR arrays, are currently in operation onboard ESO instruments at the La Silla Paranal Observatory. A unified scheme for optical detector characterization has been adopted since several years in La Silla, and it is used by the Science Operation team to monitor the 18 CCDs belonging to the eight instruments operated by ESO at the Observatory. This scheme has been proven successful in ensuring a high quality performance of the detectors along the years. In Paranal the science operation team and QC Garching monitor the performance of the detectors using instrument-specific data reduction pipelines.

Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2004

ARGO-YBJ is a full coverage layer of Resistive Plate Counters (RPCs) covering an area of about to be installed at the YangBaJing Laboratory (Tibet, China) at . The DAQ system is based on a Central Station which receives the detector information from distributed readout electronics. Data from each RPC are acquired from a Receiver Card which reads out and digitizes the space and time information from 10 pick-up pads and gives out the pad multiplicity for trigger purposes. The Receiver Cards are hosted in Local Stations which Group 12 RPCs. On trigger occurrence, each Local Station sends the collected data to the Central Station. Both the detector and the electronics allow 1 ns accuracy in time measurements. In this work a detailed description of the Local Station and the Trigger System are presented.