Nightlog Summary | Gemini North

The observing team at Gemini keeps a detailed log of each night's science observing, also noting weather issues, technical faults and any time spent in planned engineering. It is read by Gemini staff early each morning. A summary of the night is written at the end of observing and included at the top of each night log. That summary is posted here, unedited, to give interested users a feel for what we're doing.

UT DATE	NIGHT PLAN	NIGHT SUMMARY
Dec 10, 2018	Forecast from Friday is for continued good seeing and clear skies. If so, we will be using GMOS almost exclusively and mostly in Band 2 to start, then Band 1, then Band 3 or ENT at the end. One early night target has timing windows.	The entire night was photometric and for the most part with good, stable seeing during which multiple Band 1 and 2 programs were observed with GMOS. At the end of the night seeing worsened, pushing us into Band 3 with NIFS. A rapid ToO trigger that was not observable cost some time during good seeing.
Dec 09, 2018	Regular queue with GMOS, NIRI, NIFS. Forecast from Friday is for poor seeing but mostly clear skies, in which case we will be in mostly Band 3, some Band 2.	Very stable night with photometric conditions and IQ70 almost exclusively. Followed a single plan with lots of Band 1 and 2, a photometric standard in evening twilight, and flats in morning twilight. No time lost.
Dec 08, 2018	Normal queue with GMOS, NIRI, and NIFS. The forecast is for good seeing and clear or partly cloudy skies.	Observed Band 1 programs until the end of the night. Conditions were photometric all night, and baseline standards were observed. Seeing was IQ70 or better all night, except for a few small blips at the beginning. A few programs were not observable due to lack of guide stars or too faint.
Dec 07, 2018	Many Band 1 and 2 programs in all plan variants using GMOS, NIRI, and NIFS. If conditions permit, will be doing NIFS+LGS at the end of the night. Forecast is for clear skies and good seeing.	Conditions were photometric for almost the entire night, and seeing was highly variable up until the last part of the night; mostly IQ85, but ranging from IQ20 to IQany. At the end we were in solid IQ70 allowing us to go to the LGS plan. Overall, started and finished a Band 1 FT program and made progress on Band 2 programs. A few faults cost some significant time.
Dec 06, 2018	Multi-instrument queue observing with NIRI checkouts. Forecast is for clear skies and decent seeing.	A productive nigh with good seeing and clear skies. Did NIRI checkouts and a rTOO.
Dec 05, 2018	Multi-instrument queue observing with NIRI checkouts at the start of the night. Forecast is for really bad seeing but clear skies.	Mostly band 4 science tonight due to poor seeing. Did some band 3 at the end of the night and NIRI checkouts at the start.
Dec 04, 2018	Multi-instrument queue observing with GMOS, GNIRS, and NIFS. NIFS + P2 checkouts at the start of the night. Forecast is for high winds and fog with poor seeing.	Finished NIFS + P2 checkouts and got a little science before fog and high winds kept us closed the rest of the night.


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UT DATE

NIGHT PLAN

NIGHT SUMMARY

Dec 10, 2018

Forecast from Friday is for continued good seeing and clear skies. If so, we will be using GMOS almost exclusively and mostly in Band 2 to start, then Band 1, then Band 3 or ENT at the end. One early night target has timing windows.

The entire night was photometric and for the most part with good, stable seeing during which multiple Band 1 and 2 programs were observed with GMOS. At the end of the night seeing worsened, pushing us into Band 3 with NIFS. A rapid ToO trigger that was not observable cost some time during good seeing.

Dec 09, 2018

Regular queue with GMOS, NIRI, NIFS. Forecast from Friday is for poor seeing but mostly clear skies, in which case we will be in mostly Band 3, some Band 2.

Very stable night with photometric conditions and IQ70 almost exclusively. Followed a single plan with lots of Band 1 and 2, a photometric standard in evening twilight, and flats in morning twilight. No time lost.

Dec 08, 2018

Normal queue with GMOS, NIRI, and NIFS. The forecast is for good seeing and clear or partly cloudy skies.

Observed Band 1 programs until the end of the night. Conditions were photometric all night, and baseline standards were observed. Seeing was IQ70 or better all night, except for a few small blips at the beginning. A few programs were not observable due to lack of guide stars or too faint.

Dec 07, 2018

Many Band 1 and 2 programs in all plan variants using GMOS, NIRI, and NIFS. If conditions permit, will be doing NIFS+LGS at the end of the night. Forecast is for clear skies and good seeing.

Conditions were photometric for almost the entire night, and seeing was highly variable up until the last part of the night; mostly IQ85, but ranging from IQ20 to IQany. At the end we were in solid IQ70 allowing us to go to the LGS plan. Overall, started and finished a Band 1 FT program and made progress on Band 2 programs. A few faults cost some significant time.

Dec 06, 2018

Multi-instrument queue observing with NIRI checkouts. Forecast is for clear skies and decent seeing.

A productive nigh with good seeing and clear skies. Did NIRI checkouts and a rTOO.

Dec 05, 2018

Multi-instrument queue observing with NIRI checkouts at the start of the night. Forecast is for really bad seeing but clear skies.

Mostly band 4 science tonight due to poor seeing. Did some band 3 at the end of the night and NIRI checkouts at the start.

Dec 04, 2018

Multi-instrument queue observing with GMOS, GNIRS, and NIFS. NIFS + P2 checkouts at the start of the night. Forecast is for high winds and fog with poor seeing.

Finished NIFS + P2 checkouts and got a little science before fog and high winds kept us closed the rest of the night.

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