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Move the iTelescope network reference and campaign under itelescope/

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Preparing to merge this repository into a combined astrophotography
repo. The network review, the southern-target guide, the drain campaign
and the observing plans all belong together under one directory; the
Default Workflow files (CLAUDE.md, docs/, state/) stay at the top level
because they will govern the combined repository rather than just this
part of it.
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CAMPAIGN.md
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# Drain campaign: spend 2,638 points, then close the account
Decision (2026-07-18): use the full points balance on southern imaging, then cancel
the membership. Constraints and policy facts that shape the plan:
- Balance 2,638 points; Plan-40 renews 12 Aug 2026 (GBP 32). Cancel BEFORE renewal.
- Points cannot be refunded, and cannot be used without an active subscription
(support article 142963). So: drain first, cancel last, in that order.
- **Cancellation target: 10 Aug 2026**, two days before renewal. Cancellation is
submitted via MyAccount/Cancel.aspx and requires explicit user confirmation on the
day; Claude must not submit it unprompted.
- Rates: see the rate card in state/NOTES.md. Billing is per minute of imaging time.
- Moon: bright nights roughly 24 Jul - 2 Aug (full ~29 Jul); dark again 5-12 Aug.
Full-moon week includes free access promotions; paid draining focuses on dark and
grey nights, narrowband carries the bright week.
- Scope availability is volatile (much of Chile offline as of 18 Jul); re-check the
status line on go.itelescope.net before every session and substitute freely.
## Session ledger
Update after every run: date, scope, target, imaging minutes, points charged
(from account/history.aspx), cumulative spend.
| Date | Scope | Target | Plan file | Imaging | Est. pts | Actual pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-19 | T33 | 47 Tuc | ngc104-test.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | DID NOT RUN | reservation 749228 expired unused: no images, no logs on T33 (checked 20 Jul); grid shows reschedule=No despite the flag being set at booking |
| 2026-07-19 | T59 | NGC 6744 | ngc6744-t59.txt | 180 min | ~240 (0% moon disc. until 21 Jul) | **381** | SUCCESS (txn 851148): ran 00:05:22-03:29:56 SSO, Time Used 3h24m32s, 0% moon disc. Full dataset on scope server: L 15x300s BIN1, RGB 7x300s each BIN2; previews checked, round stars, galaxy clean: no refund case. Effective rate ~112 pts/hr of WALL time (not the 80/hr imaging-time estimate: see NOTES rate correction) |
| 2026-07-20 | T33 | NGC 6752 | ngc6752.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | DID NOT RUN | reservation 749229 expired unused: no images, no logs (checked 20 Jul 20:30 UTC, after window) |
| 2026-07-21 | T32 | Centaurus A | cena-t32.txt | 120 min | ~350 (x1.6 model) | **160** | SUCCESS (txn 851344): ran 18:50:24-21:16:19 SSO local (08:50-11:16 UTC), Time Used 2h25m55s, 25% moon discount. Images present: /images/qisback/T32/NGC5128 on t32.itelescope.net:8032. Came in at 0.46x the x1.6 model, i.e. LESS than the original estimate: see the rate correction below |
Cumulative spend: 541. Balance after (verified GetAccountStatus 2026-07-21
11:40 UTC): **2,097**.
**Rate correction (2026-07-21, supersedes the 2026-07-20 x1.6 warning).** Two
paid runs now bracket the question, and both bill EXACTLY the plan's imaging
minutes, not wall-clock:
| Scope | Plan imaging | Wall (Time Used) | Billed | Points per imaging hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T59 | 180 min (36x300s) | 3h24m32s | 381 | **127** (0% moon) |
| T32 | 120 min (24x300s) | 2h25m55s | 160 | **80** (25% moon) |
381 = 3.00 h x 127 and 160 = 2.00 h x 80, both to the point. So billing is on
imaging time as originally documented, and the wall-clock theory is dead. What
is wrong is the rate card in NOTES.md: it lists T59 at 80/hr (actual 127) and
T32 at 146/hr (actual 80 even after the 25% moon discount, so a base near
107/hr). The two look transposed, but two samples cannot prove that. **Do not
apply a blanket multiplier.** Derive each scope's effective rate from its first
actual bill, and treat any not-yet-observed scope's card rate as +/-60%.
## Planned allocation (~2,600 points, adapt as scopes/weather allow)
**Phase 1, dark nights now - 23 Jul (~1,030 pts):**
- T59 NGC 6744 LRGB, 3 h, ~240 (scheduled 19 Jul)
- T32 Centaurus A LRGB, 2 h, ~292: early UK-afternoon window while it is high
- T8 Corona Australis dust complex LRGB, 2 h, ~260
- T70 (Chile) Scorpius tail / Prawn super-wide LRGB, 2 h, ~238
**Phase 2, bright nights 24 Jul - 2 Aug (~440 pts, narrowband only):**
- T59 NGC 6188 in Ha/OIII/SII 5nm, 3 h total, ~240
- T8 Ha on the Cat's Paw / War and Peace field, 1.5 h, ~195
- Plus any full-moon free promotions for clusters (cost 0, not part of the drain)
**Phase 3, dark nights 3 - 10 Aug (~1,130 pts):**
- T8 SMC + 47 Tucanae in one frame, 3 h LRGB, ~390: the signature shot, SMC well
placed in the second half of the SSO night by August
- T8 or T59 Large Magellanic Cloud attempt if it clears the elevation limits late
in the window; otherwise Tarantula on T32, 2 h, ~292
- Remainder (~450): best-of list: repeat the strongest target for more depth, or
Chile scopes (T71 106/hr, T73 224/hr) if they return from maintenance: Tarantula
and NGC 1313 preferred. Aim to land the balance under ~50 points.
## Booked reservations (all with plan attached + reschedule flag)
| ID | Scope | Night of (SSO/obs local) | Slot | Plan | Est. pts | Status (2026-07-20) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 749227 | T59 | 19 Jul | 00:05-03:45 | ngc6744-t59.txt | ~240 | COMPLETED, billed 381 |
| 749228 | T33 | 19 Jul | 00:05-00:50 | ngc104-test.txt | 0 | EXPIRED unused (no run, no auto-reschedule) |
| 749229 | T33 | 20 Jul | 00:05-00:50 | ngc6752.txt | 0 | EXPIRED unused (no run, no auto-reschedule) |
| 749230 | T8 | 26 Jul | 21:35-23:55 | catspaw-t8.txt | ~146 (25% moon disc.) | still booked |
| 749302 | T32 | 21 Jul | 18:50-21:50 | cena-t32.txt | ~350 (x1.6 rate, 25% moon disc.) | COMPLETED, billed 160. EVENING slot: T32 has a 35 deg elevation floor and Cen A culminates ~17:10 before dark, sinking to 11 deg by the old 00:35 slot (which could never have run). Ran 18:50-21:16, finishing 34 min early (plan complete, not a fault); images landed under /images/qisback/T32/NGC5128 |
| (id not captured) | T8 | 22 Jul | 21:45-00:45 | cra-t8.txt | ~250 | booked + MySummary-verified 2026-07-21 11:45 UTC. This is queue #2 finally placed: see the resolution note below. Runs 11:45-14:45 UTC 22 Jul |
| (id not captured) | T32 | 22 Jul | 18:50-19:50 | hdrcore-t32.txt | ~25 | **CANCELLED 2026-07-21 ~15:00 UTC, never ran, 0 points spent.** Booked to fix a saturated Cen A nucleus; the nucleus is not saturated (see the correction below). Deleted from MySummary with the other three reservations verified intact afterwards; quota back to 6:05/8:00 |
| 749314 | T33 | 21 Jul | 00:05-00:50 | ngc104-test.txt | 0 (free) | booked + grid-verified 2026-07-21 08:55 UTC. 47 Tuc first-light retry, third attempt. Runs 14:05-14:50 UTC 21 Jul. Reschedule flag again No (free scopes never rebook) |
The T33 first-light test is now on its THIRD booking (749314); the two prior free
reservations expired unused. If this one also fails to run, the problem is not the
booking but the auto-start on free scopes: escalate to walk-in (POST plan.asp per
plans/README.md) or drop the free-imaging objective.
## Booking queue (blocked by the rolling 8-hour reservation allowance)
Book in order as quota frees (a session completing releases its hours). Exact
New.aspx parameters; all plans already uploaded and verified on their scopes.
Verify every booking via Edit.aspx?id= probing (sequential ids), NOT the grid.
| # | Scope id | start | end | start sel | end sel | Plan | Est. pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOOKED as 749302 (see table above); the original 00:35 slot was an error, Cen A is an EVENING target (35 deg floor on T32) | | | | | cena-t32.txt | ~350 |
| 2 | BOOKED 2026-07-21 for the night of 22 Jul, 21:45-00:45 (see table above); the 01:35 slot was blocked by hajo and low anyway | | | | | cra-t8.txt | ~250 |
| 3 | GRAS059 | 2026-07-25T20:35:00 | 2026-07-25T23:55:00 | 8:35 PM | 11:55 PM | ngc6188-haoiii-t59.txt | ~120 (disc.) |
| 4 | GRAS059 | 2026-07-27T20:35:00 | 2026-07-27T23:05:00 | 8:35 PM | 11:05 PM | ngc6188-sii-t59.txt | ~90 (disc.) |
| 5 | GRAS008 | 2026-08-08T02:35:00 | 2026-08-08T06:05:00 | 2:35 AM | 6:05 AM | smc47tuc-t8.txt | ~390 |
| 6 | GRAS032 | 2026-08-09T03:05:00 | 2026-08-09T06:05:00 | 3:05 AM | 6:05 AM | tarantula-t32.txt | ~365 |
| 7 | (T70, blocked: server unreachable) | night TBD before 5 Aug | ~2.5h | | | scorpius-t70.txt (in scratch, re-upload needed) | ~238 |
| 8 | WITHDRAWN: booked then cancelled 2026-07-21, premise was wrong (see below) | | | | | hdrcore-t32.txt | 0 |
### CORRECTION (2026-07-21): the Cen A nucleus was never saturated
An earlier entry here claimed the 21 Jul Cen A data came back with a saturated
nucleus, and booked a short-exposure core set on that basis. **The claim was
wrong and the booking has been cancelled without running, at a cost of zero
points.**
The 65313 ADU figure came from taking the maximum pixel inside a 300 x 300 px
box centred on the frame. That measures the brightest thing near the middle of
the image, which is not the same as measuring the galaxy: it was a foreground
star 128 px (69 arcsec) from the nucleus, sitting inside the box. Median
filtering the inner 800 x 800 px to remove stars leaves the galaxy peaking at
**1944 ADU**, about a thirtieth of the clip level, with **not one star-free
pixel above 30000 ADU**. The core looked blown in the first processed image
because of the display stretch, whose white point was set by field stars, and
re-rendering the same data with a second tone curve scaled to the galaxy
recovered it fully.
**The habit that IS worth keeping, in corrected form:** before booking extra
time to fix a saturated core, *measure whether it is saturated* - median-filter
the inner region to remove stars first, and check where the frame's bright
pixels actually are. The check costs a minute. 47 Tuc and the SMC (queue #5)
may still genuinely saturate, a dense cluster core being the fastest thing there
is to clip, so run the same measurement on their data before assuming either
way. plans/hdrcore-t32.txt stays in the repo (and on T32) as a ready-made
ladder if one of them turns out to need it.
### Session 2026-07-21 ~08:55 UTC (booking round run early, before Cen A ran)
Done this session: free T33 47 Tuc retry booked as 749314 (grid-verified). NOT
done, both correctly deferred:
- **Cen A verify**: 749302 had not run yet (starts 08:50 UTC, this session ran at
08:48). Verify after 11:50 UTC.
- **cra-t8 (#2)**: blocked twice over. (1) Quota: Cen A holds 3h until it
completes ~11:50 UTC; with Cat's Paw (2h20m) + Cen A (3h) + T33 (45m) held,
under ~1h55m is free, not enough for a 3h slot. (2) Conflict: user hajo holds
T8 00:25-02:25 SSO local (res 749207), overlapping our planned 01:35-04:35.
**cra-t8 resolution options** (pick with a live grid re-check when quota frees):
- (a) Shift to 02:25-05:25 after hajo. Downside: Corona Australis culminates
~22:30 SSO local, so by 02:25-05:25 it is 4-6.5h past meridian and low; poor.
- (b) PREFERRED: move cra-t8 to the NEXT night, 2026-07-23T01:35-04:35 (night of
22 Jul SSO), same clock time, avoids hajo, keeps decent altitude. Re-check that
night's T8 grid first. One night's slip is fine inside the drain window.
- (c) Earlier slot 21:25-00:25 (before hajo) is astronomically best but starts
11:25 UTC, before Cen A releases quota at 11:50; not bookable in time.
The scheduled 12:13 UTC job (ae3af497) fires after Cen A completes: it should
verify Cen A + bill, then book cra-t8 by option (b) unless the grid has changed
(hajo may cancel, opening option (a)/original). At corrected (x1.6) rates the
full remaining queue runs ~2,530 vs 2,257 balance (~270 over): once actual bills
for Cen A and CrA land, trim Phase 3 (shorten Tarantula #6 or the SMC slot)
to land the balance near zero.
### Session 2026-07-21 ~11:40 UTC (Cen A verify + cra-t8 booked)
Ran ahead of the 12:13 UTC scheduled job, after Cen A had finished at 11:16 UTC.
- **Cen A verified**: completed, billed 160, NGC5128 images on the scope server.
Ledger and rate model updated (the x1.6 model is withdrawn: see the rate
correction above).
- **cra-t8 booked**, but on a better slot than the deferred option (b). Probing
New.aspx for the original 01:35-04:35 returned "Conflicting reservation. Start
time must be later than 2:25 AM" (hajo, as predicted), confirming that option
(a) was all that remained on the night of 21 Jul, and it puts Corona Australis
3.5-6.5 h past the meridian. Instead the run went to the EVENING of the next
night: **2026-07-22T21:45 - 2026-07-23T00:45 SSO local**, which brackets the
~22:30 culmination, so the whole 115 min of imaging happens near the zenith.
This is option (c)'s geometry on option (b)'s night; the reason (c) was
unbookable earlier (quota held by Cen A) had expired by the time Cen A
completed. Grid probing showed no conflict on either side of the slot.
Verified in Reservation/MySummary.aspx; quota now 6:50 / 8:00.
- Moon on the night of 22 Jul is ~57% illuminated, the last usable night before
the bright-week narrowband phase. LRGB on a dust complex under a half moon is
a compromise, but the alternative is slipping a Phase 1 broadband target into
the bright week, which is worse.
- Reservation id NOT captured: the confirm response carries only
`ModalStatic.result("OK")` and MySummary does not print ids. Nothing depends
on the id unless the booking must be edited or deleted, in which case find it
by probing Edit.aspx?id= around the current sequence (749314 was issued
~08:55 UTC on 21 Jul).
- Budget: 2,097 left, 19 nights to 10 Aug. Remaining queue at card rates is
roughly 1,300, which UNDER-spends by ~800. With the x1.6 model withdrawn, the
next planning session should add work rather than trim it: candidates are a
second narrowband night on T59 (observed 127/hr, the only scope with a
trustworthy rate), or extending the Phase 3 SMC and Tarantula runs, both of
which have the sky time to absorb longer plans.
Substitution rules: if T71 returns to service, move #2 and #7 to T71 (faster
f/2.8 optics, cheaper 106 pts/hr; re-cut the plans for 1.55"/px). If T70's
server returns, book #7 as-is. Check the go.itelescope.net status line before
each booking round. After #6, allocate the remaining balance (~450 pts) to a
final deep session on the best-performing scope, sized to land under 50 pts.
**10 Aug: verify balance is near zero, download ALL data from data.itelescope.net,
then (with explicit user confirmation) cancel via MyAccount/Cancel.aspx.**
## Operational notes
- Sessions are now RESERVED, not walk-in: upload the plan to the scope, then book
it at reservations.itelescope.net with the plan attached (procedure in
plans/README.md); iTelescope auto-starts the plan at reservation start and the
reschedule flag retries weather losses. Claude sessions monitor rather than
drive. T59 moon discount correction: 0% until 21 Jul, 25% from 22 Jul.
- Cron jobs live only in an open Claude session; if a day's session has no live
session to fire it, the user prompts "run today's drain session" and any session
picks it up from this file plus state/TODO.md.
- Bad-data protection: iTelescope refunds points for weather-ruined runs on
request; check each session's images before marking the ledger final.
- Final data sweep before cancellation: everything on data.itelescope.net AND the
per-scope /images/qisback/ folders.