Category Archives: Observing Tool

2021A OT Released

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The 2021A OT was released on December 9, 2020. The changes are relatively minor and are described here. Explore, the core application of the Gemini Program Platform, is under construction and we will present a demonstration and collect feedback during … Continue reading →

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2020B OT Released

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The 2020B OT was released on June 2, 2020. The changes are fairly small and are described here. We are also making progress with the Gemini Program Platform project. The Inception Review, akin a final design review, will be held … Continue reading →

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New software releases and GPP progress

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There have been two software releases in the past week. First, the 2020B Phase I Tool (PIT) was released along with the 2020B call for proposals. The main change in this version is an update to the GeMS/GSAOI guide star … Continue reading →

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Gemini Program Platform CoDR Documents Available

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Gemini has started a series of new projects designed to replace the current Observatory Control System (OCS) tools such at the Phase I Tool (PIT) and the Observing Tool (OT). A goal is to create new tools that are easier … Continue reading →

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2020A OT Released

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The 2020A.1.1.1 OT was released on December 3, 2019. The main changes are to support the new Natural Guide Star module (NGS2) in Canopus that significantly improves sensitivity and sky coverage. The GAIA DR2 catalog is now the default guide … Continue reading →

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Revert Changes

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The old OT has a way to “undo” mistakes by deleting the local copy of your program and re-downloading the previous version from the Gemini database. However, this is not obvious and the process is not intuitive. The new 2018B … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 June Release, Observing Tool | Comments Off on Revert Changes

2018B Observing Tool

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The 2018B Observing Tool (OT) to be released at the end of May features a 5 micron “lucky” image mosaic of Jupiter taken with NIRI on the Gemini North telescope.  See the press release for more details.

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2018A OT Elevation Plot

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The 2018 OT Elevation Plot has been updated so that the light-gray area indicates the time between sunrise/sunset and 12° twilight.  This is a change from previous versions where light-gray indicated the time between 12° and 18° twilights.  This new … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017 December Release, Observing Tool | Comments Off on 2018A OT Elevation Plot

Disabling Automatic Guide Star Search

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The 2018A OT makes it easier to disable the Automatic Guide Star (AGS) selection, useful for example, for unguided non-sidereal observations.  Either set the Auto Guide Search to “Off” (as shown above), or just delete the automatically selected guide star in the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017 December Release, Observing Tool | Comments Off on Disabling Automatic Guide Star Search

New Target Types

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The 2018A OT includes several new target types to facilitate planning your Gemini observations.  Previously the only target types available were the “Base” (the pointing center), the guide star (OIWFS, PWFSn, or AOWFS), and a single “User” target for all other … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017 December Release, Observing Tool | Comments Off on New Target Types