Night Log 2026-10-30

SA: Lee SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We managed to complete 4 blocks before thick cloud closed us for the night. Science data taken for: 2026-2-SCI-012 P0 RSS (Deriving Redshifts of Low Surface Brightness Galaxies) 2026-2-SCI-022 P1 RSS (Confirming dwarf galaxy membership in nearby cosmic void) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 HRS (Followup of Transients) 2025-2-LSP-001 P4 HRS (Defining a new chemically peculiar star catalogue) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-29

SA: Lee SO: Veronica Others: Lisa, Malcolm, E10, Eben ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another night of great weather allowed us to complete a handful of high priority blocks, despite a few technical issues early on. The seeing was excellent until midnight and became poorer and variable in the final few hours of the night. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-004 P0 RSS (Observations of supernovae, near and far.) 2026-1-MLT-005 P1 RSS (Extreme variability in the BLR of the Seyfert AGN J0259-2422) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (x2) (Followup of Transients) 2024-2-LSP-002 P2 RSS (x2) (Pan-African AGN survey using SALT/IFS: tracing the properties of AGN and their host galaxies) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-28

SA: Lee SO: Veronica Others: Michael, E10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A smooth night with a bright moon, clear skies and good seeing. We completed a dozen blocks of mixed priority. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-004 P0 RSS (x2) (Observations of supernovae, near and far.) 2026-1-COM-001 P1 HRS (HRS HS Commissioning ) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 HRS (Followup of Transients) 2025-2-MLT-012 P2 HRS (Search for binary stars which may form planetary nebulae.) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2026-2-SCI-003 P3 HRS (Spectroscopy of evolved close binary stars) 2024-2-MLT-001 P3 HRS (Spectroscopy of compact heirarchial triples) 2026-1-MLT-002 P3 HRS (HRS-MR spectra of Classical Cepheids ) 2026-1-MLT-001 P3 HRS (Ovservations of ssrAp stars) 2023-2-MLT-005 P3 HRS (x2) (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-27

SA: Rudi SO: JC Others: Lee, Ian, Lisa ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Clouds prevented us from observing at the start of the night. Alternating thick and thin clouds made things a little difficult in the middle, but the clouds finally moved away and allowed us to observe some higher priority targets towards the end of the night. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-004 P0 RSS (Observations of supernovae, near and far.) 2026-1-SCI-001 P2 HRS (Tracing evolution of recent stellar merger remnants) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2024-2-MLT-001 P3 HRS (Spectroscopy of compact heirarchial triples) 2025-2-MLT-004 P3 HRS (Radial Velocity Monitoring and Atmospheric Parameters Study of Yellow Symbiotic Giants) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (x2) (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) 2024-1-MLT-010 P4 HRS (Stellar Characterisation of Ariel mission targets: derivation of N and O abundances) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-26

SA: Rudi SO: JC Others: Lisa, Malcolm, Eben, Wimpie, Ian ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some technical problems at the start of the night and then high humidity. A sudden drop in humidity towards the end of the night allowed us to observe a few high priority targets. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-002 P1 HRS (HRS-MR spectra of Classical Cepheids ) 2025-2-MLT-012 P2 HRS (Search for binary stars which may form planetary nebulae.) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2025-2-LSP-001 P4 HRS (Defining a new chemically peculiar star catalogue) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-25

SA: Rudi SO: JC Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The clouds kept us closed for most of the night. We eventually managed a few low priority blocks towards the end of the night. Science data taken for: 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) 2025-2-LSP-001 P4 HRS (Defining a new chemically peculiar star catalogue) 2026-1-MLT-006 P4 RSS (x2) (Search for new Galactic symbiotic stars) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-24

SA: Rudi SO: JC Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A relatively quite night. We were interrupted by clouds in the middle and had some technical problems towards the end. Mostly lower priority blocks observed due to the clouds and bright moon. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-004 P0 RSS (Observations of supernovae, near and far.) 2026-2-SCI-035 P2 RSS (Tracing the history of helium-rich hot subdwarfs) 2026-1-MLT-002 P3 HRS (HRS-MR spectra of Classical Cepheids ) 2025-2-LSP-001 P4 HRS (x2) (Defining a new chemically peculiar star catalogue) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (x3) (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) 2026-1-MLT-001 P4 HRS (Ovservations of ssrAp stars) 2024-1-MLT-010 P4 HRS (Stellar Characterisation of Ariel mission targets: derivation of N and O abundances) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-23

SA: Rudi SO: JC Others: Eben, Michael, Devakshan ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A full night of observing. Some technical downtime at the start of the night, but pretty smooth going thereafter. Mostly lower priority blocks observed due to the bright moon and thin clouds. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-004 P0 RSS (x2) (Observations of supernovae, near and far.) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 HRS (Followup of Transients) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2026-1-MLT-002 P3 HRS (x2) (HRS-MR spectra of Classical Cepheids ) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (x2) (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-22

SA: Rudi SO: JC Others: Devakshan, Lisa, Eben, Wimpie ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Managed to get some low priority blocks observed. High humidity forced us to close about half way through the night. Some technical downtime too. Science data taken for: 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (x5) (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-21

SA: Rudi SO: JC Others: Joyful and others, Lisa ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The weather prevented us from opening up tonight. No science data taken. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-20

SA: Zwidofhela SO: Veronica Others: JC and Rudi (for Handover), Lisa working on HRS things ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The whole night was lost due to bad weather: strong wind withs gusts exceeding 50 km/h. No science data taken. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-19

SA: Zwidofhela SO: Veronica Others: Lisa, Eben, E10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A long observing night with favourable weather conditions and stable seeing throughout. We managed to observe a total of eight blocks, including three P0 blocks. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-004 P0 RSS (x3) (Observations of supernovae, near and far.) 2024-2-COM-002 P1 RSS (This is a commissioning proposal) 2026-1-SCI-010 P1 RSS (High cadence spectroscopy of white dwarf pulsar J191213-44) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2025-2-MLT-005 P3 RSS (IFU observations of nearby MHONGOOSE galaxies) 2026-1-MLT-003 P4 RSS (RSS longslit observations of Hickson Compact Groups) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-18

SA: Zwidofhela SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The whole night was lost due to bad weather. No science data taken. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-17

SA: Zwidofhela SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We lost the second half of the night due to clouds and high humidity. Science data taken for: 2024-2-COM-002 P1 RSS (This is a commissioning proposal) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (x2) (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) 2026-1-MLT-003 P4 RSS (x2) (RSS longslit observations of Hickson Compact Groups) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-16

SA: Zwidofhela SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The night was stable with thin clouds and good seeing although there were periods where the wind speed exceeded 50 km/h and the humidity started rising after midnight. We observed several blocks of varying priority. Science data taken for: 2024-2-COM-002 P1 RSS (This is a commissioning proposal) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (x5) (Followup of Transients) 2025-2-MLT-005 P3 RSS (x2) (IFU observations of nearby MHONGOOSE galaxies) 2026-1-MLT-003 P4 RSS (x2) (RSS longslit observations of Hickson Compact Groups) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (x2) (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-15

SA: Zwidofhela SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was a very slow night with thin clouds and good seeing. We managed to observe several high priority blocks including a P0. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-008 P0 RSS (x2) (Studying nearby starburst galaxies and LIRGs with the SALT IFU) 2026-1-SCI-023 P1 RSS (Exploring accretion modes of GRGs to gain insights into their feedback mechanisms.) 2024-2-LSP-002 P2 RSS (x2) (Pan-African AGN survey using SALT/IFS: tracing the properties of AGN and their host galaxies) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2026-1-SCI-007 P3 RSS (Observations of Rare and Fast Transients and their Hosts) 2026-1-MLT-003 P4 RSS (RSS longslit observations of Hickson Compact Groups) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-14

SA: Zwidofhela SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Strong wind bothered us during the first half of the night with wind speeds reaching 55 km/h but despite this we stayed open and managed to observe ten science blocks with different priorities. Science data taken for: 2026-1-SCI-019 P0 RSS (Understanding the nature of changing look AGNs) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2024-2-LSP-002 P3 RSS (x2) (Pan-African AGN survey using SALT/IFS: tracing the properties of AGN and their host galaxies) 2026-1-SCI-014 P3 RSS (What galaxies cause odd radio circles (ORCs)?) 2026-1-SCI-018 P3 RSS (Measuring distances to the largest known radio galaxies to understand how black hole jets grow.) 2026-1-SCI-007 P3 RSS (Observations of Rare and Fast Transients and their Hosts) 2026-1-MLT-003 P4 RSS (x2) (RSS longslit observations of Hickson Compact Groups) 2026-1-MLT-007 P4 RSS (Spectroscopic study of BLAP candidates) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-13

SA: Alexei SO: Austun Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ => Stable dark time night with moderate and good seeing. Even with some technical problems we were able to observe seven blocks with five of them high priorities. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-008 P1 RSS (Studying nearby starburst galaxies and LIRGs with the SALT IFU) 2026-1-SCI-015 P2 RSS (x2) (Investigation of activity among main-belt objects) 2024-2-LSP-002 P2 RSS (x2) (Pan-African AGN survey using SALT/IFS: tracing the properties of AGN and their host galaxies) 2026-1-SCI-008 P3 RSS (x2) (Determining mass of 2 Brown Dwarfs orbiting WD stars using Radial Velocities) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-12

SA: Alexei SO: Austun Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ => The night was lost with bad weather No science data taken. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-11

SA: Alexei SO: Austun Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ => Good dark night at the beginning finished with heavy clouds. We were closed by clouds after midnight, but observed many high priority blocks during first half. Science data taken for: 2026-1-SCI-010 P1 RSS (High cadence spectroscopy of white dwarf pulsar J191213-44) 2024-2-LSP-001 P1 RSS (x2) (Followup of Transients) 2024-2-LSP-001 P1 HRS (Followup of Transients) 2025-2-MLT-011 P3 RSS (Obtaining dynamical information and constraining galaxy cluster merger geometries and timescales) 2025-2-MLT-004 P3 HRS (Radial Velocity Monitoring and Atmospheric Parameters Study of Yellow Symbiotic Giants) 2025-2-MLT-001 P4 RSS (Toward a complete census of void galaxy properties in the Local Volume) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-10

SA: Alexei SO: Austun Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ => Nice stable dark time night with very good seeing. Many high priority blocks were observed. Science data taken for: 2025-2-MLT-011 P0 RSS (x2) (Obtaining dynamical information and constraining galaxy cluster merger geometries and timescales) 2024-2-LSP-001 P0 HRS (Followup of Transients) 2026-1-SCI-021 P1 HRS (Charcaterizing eclisping binaries that have experienced unstable mass transfer) 2026-1-MLT-008 P1 RSS (Studying nearby starburst galaxies and LIRGs with the SALT IFU) 2026-1-SCI-015 P2 RSS (x2) (Investigation of activity among main-belt objects) 2024-2-LSP-002 P2 RSS (Pan-African AGN survey using SALT/IFS: tracing the properties of AGN and their host galaxies) 2025-2-MLT-002 P3 RSS (Study of ionized gas in star-forming dwarf ring galaxies) 2025-2-MLT-004 P3 HRS (Radial Velocity Monitoring and Atmospheric Parameters Study of Yellow Symbiotic Giants) 2025-2-LSP-001 P3 HRS (Defining a new chemically peculiar star catalogue) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-09

SA: Alexei SO: Austun Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ => Very stable dark night with very good seeing. Many high priority blocks were observed. Science data taken for: 2024-2-LSP-001 P0 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2025-2-MLT-011 P0 RSS (x3) (Obtaining dynamical information and constraining galaxy cluster merger geometries and timescales) 2026-1-SCI-010 P1 RSS (High cadence spectroscopy of white dwarf pulsar J191213-44) 2026-1-SCI-023 P1 RSS (Exploring accretion modes of GRGs to gain insights into their feedback mechanisms.) 2026-1-MLT-008 P1 RSS (Studying nearby starburst galaxies and LIRGs with the SALT IFU) 2024-2-LSP-002 P2 RSS (Pan-African AGN survey using SALT/IFS: tracing the properties of AGN and their host galaxies) 2025-2-MLT-002 P3 RSS (x2) (Study of ionized gas in star-forming dwarf ring galaxies) 2026-1-MLT-006 P4 RSS (Search for new Galactic symbiotic stars) 2026-1-SCI-011 P4 RSS (Optical spectroscopy of three stellar merger candidates) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-08

SA: Alexei SO: Austun Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ => Good dark night with mostly stable weather and moderate and good seeing. Many high priority blocks were observed. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-008 P0 RSS (x2) (Studying nearby starburst galaxies and LIRGs with the SALT IFU) 2024-2-LSP-001 P1 RSS (x2) (Followup of Transients) 2024-2-LSP-002 P2 RSS (Pan-African AGN survey using SALT/IFS: tracing the properties of AGN and their host galaxies) 2025-2-MLT-006 P2 RSS (Study of galaxy properties of galaxy group HIPASS 1059-09) 2025-2-MLT-002 P3 RSS (Study of ionized gas in star-forming dwarf ring galaxies) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) 2025-2-MLT-007 P4 RSS (Spectroscopic monitoring of a unique red (?) supergiant in the LMC) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-07

SA: Alexei SO: Austun Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ => Dark night with improving seeing from moderate at the beginning to the good at the end. Despite some technical problems many high priority blocks were observed. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-008 P1 RSS (Studying nearby starburst galaxies and LIRGs with the SALT IFU) 2026-1-SCI-010 P1 RSS (High cadence spectroscopy of white dwarf pulsar J191213-44) 2025-2-MLT-007 P1 RSS (Spectroscopic monitoring of a unique red (?) supergiant in the LMC) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (x4) (Followup of Transients) 2025-2-MLT-005 P3 RSS (IFU observations of nearby MHONGOOSE galaxies) 2026-1-MLT-006 P4 RSS (Search for new Galactic symbiotic stars) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-06

SA: Moses SO: Veronica Others: Austun, Alexei ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We lost most of the night due to bad weather - bad seeing and high humidity, and only managed to observe a few blocks. Science data taken for: 2026-1-MLT-003 P4 RSS (x2) (RSS longslit observations of Hickson Compact Groups) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-05

SA: Moses SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thick clouds prevented us from observing for most of the night, we only managed to observe a few blocks. Science data taken for: 2026-1-SCI-008 P1 RSS (Determining mass of 2 Brown Dwarfs orbiting WD stars using Radial Velocities) 2026-1-SCI-027 P3 HRS (Determining the metallicity of bulge Type II Cepheids) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-04

SA: Moses SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Despite some cloud cover we used the good seeing to observe some high priority blocks until the humidity caused us to close early. Science data taken for: 2025-2-MLT-011 P1 RSS (Obtaining dynamical information and constraining galaxy cluster merger geometries and timescales) 2026-1-MLT-008 P1 RSS (Studying nearby starburst galaxies and LIRGs with the SALT IFU) 2026-1-SCI-008 P1 RSS (Determining mass of 2 Brown Dwarfs orbiting WD stars using Radial Velocities) 2026-1-DDT-002 P1 HRS (Monitoring of stellar activity of solar analog star) 2026-1-SCI-016 P2 RSS ("Understanding the peculiar collision geometry of the Cartwheel system") 2024-2-LSP-002 P2 RSS (Pan-African AGN survey using SALT/IFS: tracing the properties of AGN and their host galaxies) 2026-1-SCI-027 P3 HRS (Determining the metallicity of bulge Type II Cepheids) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-03

SA: Moses SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lost the whole night due to bad weather No science data taken. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-02

SA: Moses SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lost the whole night due to bad weather. No science data taken. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-10-01

SA: Moses SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We had a smooth night with a bit of cloud around, and managed to observe many blocks of mixed priority. Science data taken for: 2026-1-SCI-008 P1 RSS (Determining mass of 2 Brown Dwarfs orbiting WD stars using Radial Velocities) 2026-1-SCI-002 P1 HRS (detached eclipsing binaries for PLATO mission) 2024-2-LSP-002 P2 RSS (Pan-African AGN survey using SALT/IFS: tracing the properties of AGN and their host galaxies) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 HRS (x2) (Followup of Transients) 2026-1-SCI-005 P2 HRS (na) 2024-2-LSP-001 P2 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2025-2-MLT-012 P3 HRS (Search for binary stars which may form planetary nebulae.) 2026-1-SCI-027 P3 HRS (Determining the metallicity of bulge Type II Cepheids) 2025-2-MLT-008 P3 HRS (Monitoring beta Pic for exocomets.) 2026-1-MLT-003 P4 RSS (RSS longslit observations of Hickson Compact Groups) 2025-2-LSP-001 P4 HRS (Defining a new chemically peculiar star catalogue) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Log 2026-09-30

SA: Moses SO: Veronica Others: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We had mostly clear skies with good seeing in the first half of the night, the second half had poor seeing. But we managed to observe many blocks of mixed priority. Science data taken for: 2024-2-LSP-001 P0 RSS (Followup of Transients) 2026-1-SCI-001 P1 HRS (Tracing evolution of recent stellar merger remnants) 2026-1-SCI-008 P1 RSS (Determining mass of 2 Brown Dwarfs orbiting WD stars using Radial Velocities) 2026-1-SCI-012 P2 RSS (Probing circular polarisation from mCVs) 2026-1-SCI-005 P2 HRS (x4) (na) 2026-1-SCI-021 P3 HRS (Charcaterizing eclisping binaries that have experienced unstable mass transfer) 2026-1-MLT-006 P3 RSS (Search for new Galactic symbiotic stars) 2026-1-SCI-009 P3 RSS (Extreme variability in the BLR of the AGN HE2129-3356) 2025-2-MLT-008 P3 HRS (Monitoring beta Pic for exocomets.) 2023-2-MLT-005 P4 RSS (Monitoring the activity of Be/X-ray binaries in the southern hemisphere) 2025-2-LSP-001 P4 HRS (x3) (Defining a new chemically peculiar star catalogue) 2026-1-MLT-003 P4 RSS (x2) (RSS longslit observations of Hickson Compact Groups) ------------------------------------------------------------------------