Subject: 3.5m Night Log 20000315
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 100 06:48:45 -0700 (MST)
From: bergeron@apo.nmsu.edu (Eddie Bergeron)
                         WEDNESDAY MARCH 15, 2000
                         APACHE POINT OBSERVATORY
                              OBSERVING  LOG
                                                          ACTUAL
ASTRONOMER      OBSERVER(S)        INSTRUMENT   DATE   START FINISH
Turn      Monosmith,Casey,Ninkov     InSb       3/15   18:16  20:05
               Tanaka,Yanada
 INST        SCHEDULED     WEATH     EQUIP      OBS    DAY   NOTUSED
I/RS/DN    START FINISH   D    B    D    B    D    B   USE   D    B
PU08/S     19:05  05:19  1.4  7.8  0.0  0.0  0.0  1.0  0.0  0.0  0.0
(note: times listed include instrument change time)
                              ACTIVITY LOG
Opened just after sunset under partly cloudy skies. The InSb guys were unsure
about the integrity of the previous night's instrument block, since they
moves some of thier optics around during the day, so as a check on the gross
pointing and throughput we pointed at the moon with the primary stopped down
by half its baffles plus some (moon at 60 deg EL). This test was sucessful,
so we slewed to Betelguese. The star landed in the upper left corner of the
array and required only small offsets (-16" RA, -13" DEC) to center it. Since
this accuracy was good enough for their purposes we did not attempt a new
instrument block. They slewed off to another star and it landed in the same
place and was easily centered with the same offsets. They were able to take
images through several filters for 30 mins or so until the clouds thickened.
Dome was closed at 20:05 and remained closed all night due to overcast skies,
high dust counts and some snow flurries. The InSb crew continued to take
grism cals in the dome for about an hour. At 02:15 I put the GRIM on in
anticipation of clearing for the rest of the night, but lamentably, it never
cleared.
Observing Specialist: Bergeron
                            OBSERVER COMMENTS
                                FOCUS LOG
                              MARCH 15 2000
                                                  Wind
Time   Inst        Focus     Az  El   #Temp    Dir  MPH  filt  FWHM "
19:25  InSb      -135(25)   152  73  6.5/7.1   268   16   K    0.8
#First temp is air, second temp is telescope.
                                 WEATHER
                              MARCH 15 2000
                               Wind
     Time   Temp F Dewp F  MPH   Direction    Dust      Sky      Precip.
     18:01    45     3     19   264  (W)      950   partly cldy   none
     19:01    43     4     19   262  (W)      848   mostly cldy   none
     20:01    44     6     14   266  (W)      818     overcast    none
     21:01    43    10     21   268  (W)     1024     overcast    none
     22:01    42    11     17   283  (WNW)   3603     overcast    dust
     23:01    42    12     20   290  (WNW)   5027     overcast    dust
     00:01    41    12     17   310  (NW)    4094     overcast    dust
     01:01    37    22     15    19  (NNE)   1322   mostly cldy   dust
     02:01    35    26     17     7  (N)      616     overcast   lt snow
     03:01    36    23     10   330  (NNW)    634     overcast    none
     04:01    36    23     25   302  (WNW)    664     overcast    none
     05:01    35    22     11   290  (WNW)    725     overcast  flurries
     06:01    35    22     14   295  (WNW)    844     overcast    none
note: the wind was coming from the azimuth listed.  The convention
used is north=0 degrees, east=90 degrees.  The dust count is particles
> 1 micron per 0.1 cu. ft.
                             TELESCOPE STATUS
Primary, secondary, and tertiary mirrors in place and collimated.
Primary support system operational.  Mirror ventilation system in
place.  Telescope drives operational.  Current Remark version: 2.55b5.
Current guide software version: GIm Ctrlv3.0b27.  Current TCC version
is 2.2.2.
- Eddie Bergeron