UCB Astronomy Keck Remote Observing
Introduction
As at other UC sites, the remote observing facility in room 11 of Campbell Hall provides a comfortable environment to conduct your Keck observations with all of the convenience of staying in the Bay Area. The facility can operate in "mainland only" mode, or collaboratively with observers in Waimea by eavesdropping on their VNC session to the summit. While there are limitations and trade-offs -- experienced observers only; most, but not all, instruments supported; a small but finite chance of connectivity and data loss -- this new facility should prove useful for Berkeley astronomers.
How It Works
The remote observing facility (located in room 11 of Campbell Hall) duplicates the video and computer connection that a Waimea observer has with the summit. The remote observer is connected by Polycom two-way video with both the summit and Waimea (for eavesdropping observations and to talk to the support astronomer) on the same LCD. The Sun computer called ucb-keck.berkeley.edu connects by VNC to computers on the summit displaying instrument and telescope control programs, just as the computers in Waimea do.
The network connection to Mauna Kea is backed up by an ISDN system that seamlessly and automatically connects to the summit if any network hop goes down on the Internet-2 connection between the two sites. Power for the computer, Polycom equipment, and network equipment is backed up by three UPS's that will bridge a power outage for up to three hours.
The Keck remote observing facilities are explained in much greater detail in this paper and this paper
Policies
The Keck policies for remote observing are listed here. Please read these carefully before submitting an observing request. Note that not all instruments are supported. Mainland-only remote observing requests must be submitted 4 weeks in advance (2 weeks in advance for eavesdropping runs).
Procedure for Requesting Use of Remote Observing Facility
Follow the steps listed on the Keck's Mainland Observing Policies page. Note that you will have to email the mainland observing coordinator 2 or 4 weeks before your run (for eavesdropping or mainland-only runs, respectively) and submit a VSQ form. Keck maintains this calendar for mainland observing.
For access to Room 11, you must have a UCB ID that is no more than four years old. If the ID has a sequence of orange numbers in the lower right corner of the back side, it can be properly coded to open the door to Room 11 by "prox." Andrew Howard or Katie Peek will authorize Sandy Bowne to endcode your ID with the appropriate power. If your Cal ID lacks those magical orange numbers, you must go to the Cal One-Card office on Sproul Plaza to have a new one printed (which may also require authorization from UCPD).
Each remote observing run will also have a software and hardware check scheduled a couple days before the run. This insures that the equipment is functioning properly and that the remote observers know how to use it. You should contact Andrew Howard or Katie Peek prior to your run to get the passwords for the computers in room 11.
Procedures for Using the Remote Observing Facility
A printout of the remote VNC login procedure lives in a blue binder in Room 11, which provides a step-by-step set of instructions for logging into the Keck system for your observing run.
Resources
- Important phone numbers and computer names/IP addresses (link will be added shortly)
- Airmass chart for Mauna Kea
- Keck I Telescope Drive Limits (2nd diagram)
Useful Links
- Keck observing schedule
- Mauna Kea weather forecast
- Mauna Kea current conditions (temperature, dew point, etc.)
- Hawaii weather satellite image (IR time lapse)
- Mauna Kea web cameras
Questions?
This page is maintained by Andrew Howard (howard@astro) and Katie Peek (kpeek@astro). Please email either of us if you have questions about remote observing, and email Andrew regarding any errors or suggestions for improving this page.