Night Log 2012-07-30

SA: Alexei
SO: Patrick
Others:

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Summary
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=> Stable night with moderate seeing. Clouds came in the morning
and closed us in half-hour before twilight.

=> Data were taken for the following programs:
2012-1-RU-010
2012-1-DC_RSA_OTH-001
2012-1-GU-003
2012-1-POL-008
2012-1-UW-006
2012-1-IUCAA-002
2012-1-UKSC-004
2012-1-RSA_UKSC-006 (x2)
2012-1-POL-007

Night Log 2012-07-29

SA: Alexei
SO: Patrick
Others:

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Summary
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=> Clear and photometric night with average seeing.

=> Data were taken for the following programs:
2012-1-POL-007
2012-1-GU-001
2012-1-RSA-005
2012-1-POL-003
2012-1-RSA-011
2012-1-IUCAA-002
2012-1-DC-001 (MOS)
2012-1-UNC_RSA_RU-001

Night Log 2012-07-28

SA: Alexei
SO: Patrick
Others:

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Summary
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=> Clear night with very bad seeing.

=> Data were taken for the folloing programs:
2012-1-RU-010
2012-1-RSA-011
2012-1-DC-003
2012-1-RSA_OTH_UKSC-002
2012-1-RSA-021
2012-1-UW_OTH-003
2012-1-POL-001
2012-1-RSA-001
2012-1-UNC_RSA_RU-001

Night Log 2012-07-27

SA: Alexei
SO: Patrick
Others:

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Summary
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=> Clear sky. Unstable seeing.
We were closed by humidity after 3 hours of observations.

=> Data were taken for the folllowing programs:
2012-1-UW_OTH-005
2012-1-DC_RSA_OTH-001
2012-1-RSA_OTH-006
2012-1-RSA-021

Night Log 2012-07-26

SA: Alexei
SO: Patrick
Others:

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Summary
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=> Bad weather. Were closed by strong wind and high humidity.

=> Data were taken onlly for 2012-1-UW_OTH-005

Night Log 2012-07-25

SA: Alexei
SO: Patrick
Others:

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Summary
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=> Grey to dark night with thin clouds and bad seeing.

=> Data were taken for the following programs:
2012-1-DC-003
2012-1-POL-007
2012-UKSC-005
2012-1-RSA_OTH-003
2012-1-GU-003
2012-1-UKSC-003
2012-1-RSA-001 (x2)
2012-1-RSA_OTH-022 (x2)
2012-1-HET_GU-001

Night Log 2012-07-24

SA: Amanda
SO: Thea
Others: Fred, Alexei, Jonathan, Bruno, Patrick, Keith

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Summary
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. Beautiful, photometric, grey to dark night. Data taken for the following programs:
2012-1-RSA_OTH-004
2012-1-RU-010
2012-1-POL-007 (x2)
2012-1-HET-003
2012-1-HET_OTH-001
2012-1-RSA_OTH-008
2012-1-RSA_UKSC-RU-001
2012-1-POL-009
2012-1-IUCAA-001
2012-1-IUCAA-003
2012-1-RSA-001 (x2)

Night Log 2012-07-23

SA: Amanda
SO: Thea
Others: Fred, Bruno, Rocco

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Summary
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. Grey to dark night with thin to thicker to thin clouds. Data taken for the following programs:
2012-1-RSA_OTH-018
2012-1-RSA-011
2012-1-DC_RSA_OTH-001
2012-1-POL-007 (x3)
2012-1-POL-003
2011-3-UC-001
2012-1-GU-001
2012-1-UKSC_OTH-001

Time lapse, evening of 2012 July 22

Bruno Letarte (SAAO) is visiting SALT for a few days. He captured an excellent time lapse of the sky last night, over the new LCOGT domes on the other end of the plateau from SALT. You can watch it at the link below. His camera is inside of the dome tonight, so keep your eyes open for more!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lw8HhvxwRk&hd=1

Night Log 2012-07-22

SA: Amanda
SO: Thea
Others: Fred, Bruno, Rocco

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Summary
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. A dark night with clouds and high humidity. Fortunately, we were never outside of operating constraints (even though it eventually became impossible to shoot through the clouds!). Data taken for the following programs:
2012-1-RSA-011 (one accepted, one aborted because of clouds)
2012-1-DC_RSA_OTH-001
2012-1-GU-003
2012-1-POL-007 (x2)
2012-1-RSA_OTH-003 (rejected; clouds)
2012-1-POL-003 (rejected; clouds+)

Night Log 2012-07-21

SA: Amanda
SO: Thea
Others: Fred, Rocco

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Summary
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a new storm front arrived in our sight
with high wind, clouds, and rain giving fright
we stayed up quite late
hoping the squall would abate
but alas, there's no data tonight


(a bad-weather-night limmerick)

Night Log 2012-07-20

SA: Amanda
SO: Thea
Others: Fred, Rocco, Nimrod, Leslie, Eric

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Summary
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ominous dark clouds
gently falling drops of rain
no data tonight

(a bad-weather-night haiku)

Night Log 2012-07-19

SA: Amanda
SO: Thea
Others: Fred, Chris, Jonathan, Rocco, Leslie Y. and Eric S. (visiting from SwRI, Boulder CO)

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Summary
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. Dark night with thin to thick cloud, variable seeing, and high wind. Data taken for the following programs:
2012-1-RSA_OTH-030
2012-1-DC_RSA_OTH-001
2012-1-RSA-021
2012-1-POL-001 x2
2012-1-UW_OTH-003

SALT views Uranus

While trying to make observations of a nearby galaxy, SALT managed to catch an even closer by object.  On July 16, SALT made observations of  Uranus! On its right there is the moon  Titania and to the left Oberon.  Miranda, Ariel and Umbriel happen to be  too close to the planet to see.  The white vertical line is not the ring system, but saturated pixels from the very bright planet. 

Night Log 2012-07-18

SA: Amanda
SO: Thea
Others: Fred, Dave C., Keith, Chris

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Summary
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. Dark night with fair to moderate seeing (1.5-3.5"). Trouble with SALTICAM cooling meant no SALTICAM science tonight; however, we were able to use it for acquisition. Data taken for the following programs:
2012-1-DC-RSA-001 x2
2012-1-POL-003
2012-RSA_OTH-027
2012-1-RSA_OTH-023
2012-1-RU-002 (FP rejected)
2012-1-RSA-021
2012-1-GU-003
2012-1-POL-009
2012-1-RSA_OTH-003
2012-1-RSA-001 x2

Night Log 2012-07-17

SA: Petri
SO: Patrick
Others: Janus, Dave C., James, Keith, Eben, Amanda, Rocco, Chris

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Summary
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Long day of Salticam repairs extended through the night. Did not get on sky (it was very nice), but all should be ready for tomorrow.

Night Log 2012-07-16

SA: Petri
SO: Patrick
Others:

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Summary
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Clear but humid start of the night, then finally got on sky at 1am when the wind changed.
Science for:
2012-1-RSA_UKSC_RU-001
2012-1-GU-003
2012-1-POL-007
2012-1-RU-005 (ToO)
2012-1-DC-001
2012-1-RSA-001 (not good)

Night Log 2012-07-15

SA: Petri
SO: Patrick
Others:

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Summary
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Another night lost to winter weather. And beware of smelly people: a full day and night now witout running water at the whole site :)

Night Log 2012-07-14

SA: Petri
SO: Patrick
Others: not even us, really..

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Summary
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Did not open - another icy day and night.

The tree is dead. Long live the tree.
The most photographed tree in the Karoo, by the hostel, went
down last night with the wind and thick ice accumulation. How sad.

Night Log 2012-07-12

SA: Petri
SO: Patrick
Others: Thea, Charl, Keith

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Summary
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Lost the first hour to tech.issues and then humidity shot up. Light snow outside. No data.

Night Log 2012-07-11

SA: Petri
SO: Patrick
Others: Thea

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Summary
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Most of the night frustrating with see-saw humidity and opening/closing
until 3am, then finally stabilised, RH crashed from 90 to 9%. Data data for:

2012-1-UW-003
2012-1-GU-003
2012-1-UNC_RSA_RU-001
2012-1-UKSC_OTH-001 (x2)

Night Log 2012-07-10

SA: Brent
SO: Siphelo
Others: Petri, Thea, Patrick

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Summary
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Windy clear productive night with mostly large seeing (2.5-3").
A few supernovae and quite a mix of things.

Data taken for the following programs:
2012-1-UW_OTH-002
2012-1-UW_OTH-005
2012-1-DC_RSA-001
2012-1-DC_RSA_OTH-001
2012-1-HET_OTH-001
2012-1-RSA-021
2012-1-POL-011
2012-1-POL-001
2012-1-RSA-010
2012-1-RSA_OTH-002
2012-1-RSA_OTH-006
2012-1-RSA-001

Night Log 2012-07-09

SA: Brent
SO: Siphelo
Others: Jonathan, Charl

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Summary
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Started out with high humidity but dropped after 22:30.

Data taken for the following programs:

2012-1-HET_OTH-001
2012-1-GU-003
2012-1-POL-007
2012-1-UKSC-003
2012-1-RSA_UKSC-006

Night Log 2012-07-08

SA: Brent
SO: Siphelo
Others:

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Summary
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There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.

--The Return of the King, VI, 2.

[Clouds and high humidity, did not open]

Night Log 2012-07-07

SA: Brent
SO: Siphelo
Others: Frosty the Snowman, Jack Frost

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Summary
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We sleep, and at length awake to the still reality of a winter [evening]. The snow lies warm as cotton or down upon the window-sill; the broadened sash and frosted panes admit a dim and private light, which enhances the snug cheer within.
The stillness of the morning is impressive.
...
Silently we unlatch the door, letting the drift fall in, and step abroad to face the cutting air. Already the stars have lost some of their sparkle, and a dull, leaden mist skirts the horizon.

--A Winter Walk, H.D. Thoreau.





[snow and high humidity, did not open]

Night Log 2012-07-06

SA: Brent
SO: Siphelo
Others:

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Summary
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Thick-Heavy cloud and high humidity, did not open.

Night Log 2012-07-05

SA: Brent
SO: Siphelo
Others: Thea, Amanda, Jonathan

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Summary
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Another windy bright night with consistently poor seeing (>2.5-3") and technical problems.
Closed due to heavy clouds at 04:25.

Accepted blocks for
2012-1-POL-001
2012-1-RSA-021
2012-1-POL-007
2012-1-UKSC-003

Night Log 2012-07-04

SA: Brent
SO: Siphelo
Others: Thea, Francois,Amanda

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Summary
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Bright night, clear but with poor seeing (> ~3").
Closed at 02:30 due to humidity.
Got data for the following programs:

2012-1-RSA-010
2012-1-GU-003
2012-1-DC_RSA_OTH-001
2012-1-RSA-021
2012-1-POL-001

Night Log 2012-07-03

SA: Paul
SO: Fred
Others: Thea, Rudi

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Summary
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- entire nights lost to strong winds and cloud. a major cold front moved in.

Night Log 2012-07-02

SA: Paul
SO: Fred
Others: Thea, her first night with us. Rudi

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Summary
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o- clear and stable photometric night, with good seeing.
o- a very big warm welcome to our new operator Thea, nice to have you on board!

o- attempted the following programs
-2012-1-AMNH-006 (P2)
- 2012-1-RSA_OTH-011 (P2)

o- accepted the follwing program visits:
- 2012-1-POL-001 (P4)
-2012-1-DC_RSA-001 (P0)
-2012-1-RSA-004 (P2)
-2012-1-IUCAA_RSA_OTH-001 (P3)
-2012-1-POL-001 (P4)
-2012-1-UKSC-006 (11688, 11868) (P3)
-2012-1-RSA_OTH_UKSC-001 (P4)
-2012-1-IUCAA-002 (P3)
-2012-1-POL-007 (P2)

Night Log 2012-07-01

SA: Paul
SO: Fred
Others:

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Summary
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o- productive night with good seeing, bright time targets only.

o- rejected the following program visits:
- 2012-1-AMNH-006 (P2)
- 2012-1-RSA-021 (P4)
- 2012-1-IUCAA-002 (P3)
- 2012-1-RSA-005 (P2)

o- accepted the following program visits:
- 2012-1-POL-007
block id: 11246 (P3)
11251 (P3)
11216 (P3)
11254 (P3)
- 2012-1-RSA-010 (P3)
- 2012-1-RSA_OTH-027 (P2)
- 2012-1-DC_RSA_OTH-001 (P3)
- 2012-1-POL-001 (P3)
- 2012-1-GU-003 (P3)
- 2012-1-UKSC-007 (P2)

Night Log 2012-06-30

SA: Paul
SO: Fred
Others: Rudi

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Summary
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- a frustrating night with variable seeing and technical issues.

- attempted the following programs:
- 2012-1-AMNH-006
- 2012-1-UKSC-006
- 2012-1-RSA_OTH-011
- 2012-1-UKSC-004
- 2012-1-RSA-001

- obtained data for the following programs:
- 2012-1-DC_RSA-001 (P0)
- 2012-1-RSA-008
- 2012-1-UW-006
- 2012-1-POL-007
- 2012-1-GU-003