GROND cookbook

FEROS cookbook

Notes for the preparation of FEROS OBs

Visiting astronomers (VAs) from MPIA travelling to the 2.2m telescope to LaSilla to carry out service observations during an MPIA block should be familiar with the ESO Instructions for Visiting Astronomers on Mission to Chile.  A Travel Form will have to be submitted at least two months before the start of the observing mission.

The VAs should be familiar with all  run-related information for the various programmes  to be executed during their stay (eg. ESO program ID, p2pp login and password of the PI). and have access to all OBs (preferentially in form of exported text files). MPIA-programmes are classified as A (high priority) and B. In case of weather losses, A-programmes should be completed at the expense of B-programmes. In general, placeholders labeled ToO are included in the schedule which may be used to compensate for observing time losses of the regularly scheduled programmes which result from  GROND/ToO interrupts. In cases where the ToO placeholders are insufficient to complete the A-progrmames, the required time to finish the A-programmes should be taken from B-programmes, given this is possible from other constraints such as LST, Moon, and atmopsheric conditions (seeing, transparency, etc.)

The first VA during a given MPIA block needs to fill in a data backup request (cf. LaSilla Science Operations) for each observing programme during that block. The postal address of the PI is needed if the data is to be shipped. Programmes for which a large amount of data is expected (especially WFI) should be flagged accordingly. In such cases, data will be made available via USB disks.

Guidelines to the implementation of GROND/ToO observations can be found here