Merge the itelescope repository, history intact

This commit is contained in:
Laurence 2026-07-21 17:14:06 +01:00
commit bd8842b3c0
30 changed files with 1709 additions and 0 deletions

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# local scratch and secrets
*.token
*.key
scratch/
Thumbs.db
.DS_Store

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# Default Workflow
This file is the entry point for any Claude Code session working under the Default
Workflow. Keep it small and read the detailed docs on demand so a session does not
load everything at once (see [Cost and tokens](docs/cost-and-tokens.md)).
## What this is
A standard operating procedure for building software with Claude Code. It defines how
a project is set up, how features are branched, committed, reviewed and merged, how
documentation is produced, and what the user expects. Copy this workflow into a new
project (see [Project setup](docs/project-setup.md)) and follow it.
## The five rules
1. **Minimise cost.** Staying within usage limits matters more than speed. Prefer
cheap actions over expensive ones. Read only what you need. Subagents and parallel
processing are allowed when they are the effective path (see
[User expectations](docs/user-expectations.md)). See
[Cost and tokens](docs/cost-and-tokens.md).
2. **State lives in the repo, not the chat.** Do not rely on chat history, context, or
cache to remember decisions, todos, notes, architecture, or objectives. Write them
to the committed markdown files under `state/` so a fresh session can pick up with
no prior context. See [Documentation policy](docs/documentation-policy.md).
3. **Every feature is a branch.** Create a branch, commit with full notes in each
message, open a PR describing the feature, the tools used and what was achieved,
then merge into the trunk. See [Workflow](docs/workflow.md).
4. **Code and its documentation are written in separate sessions.** The building
session comments the code well enough that a later, cold session can write the docs
from git history and comments alone. See [Documentation policy](docs/documentation-policy.md).
5. **Comment for a stranger.** Assume the next session has no memory of why you did
anything. The commit history and code comments are the only record.
## Start of every session
1. Read `state/PROJECT.md`, `state/TODO.md` and `state/DECISIONS.md` (cheap, small).
2. Check `git log --oneline -15` and `git status` to see where things stand.
3. Do the work under the rules above.
4. Before ending, update the `state/` files so the next session needs no chat history.
## Detailed docs
- [Project setup](docs/project-setup.md) - starting a new project on this workflow
- [Workflow](docs/workflow.md) - branch, commit, PR and merge process
- [Cost and tokens](docs/cost-and-tokens.md) - keeping usage within limits
- [Documentation policy](docs/documentation-policy.md) - comments, and docs in a separate session
- [User expectations](docs/user-expectations.md) - how the user wants Claude to behave

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# Documentation policy
Two separate ideas, both about making the repo the single source of truth so that no
session ever depends on another session's chat history.
## A. State lives in committed markdown, not in the chat
Do not use chat history, context, or cache as memory. They cost tokens to carry and
vanish between sessions. Instead, everything a future session needs is written to the
`state/` directory and committed:
| File | Holds |
|------|-------|
| `PROJECT.md` | Objectives, scope, description, audience. The anchor. |
| `ARCHITECTURE.md` | How the system is built and why it is built that way. |
| `DECISIONS.md` | A dated log of decisions and their rationale. Append, never rewrite history. |
| `TODO.md` | Done / in progress / pending. The current state of play. |
| `NOTES.md` | Working notes, gotchas, environment quirks, dead ends to avoid. |
Update these as part of the work, not as an afterthought. A change to how the system
works is not finished until `ARCHITECTURE.md` or `DECISIONS.md` reflects it.
Templates for all of these are in `templates/`.
## B. Documentation is written in a separate session from the code
The user facing documentation (README, guides, API docs, changelog) is **not** written
in the same session that writes the code. This is deliberate:
- It forces the building session to leave a complete trail. If the code cannot be
documented later from git history and comments alone, the trail was not good enough.
- It keeps each session cheap and focused. A building session spends its budget
building; a documentation session spends its budget writing docs.
- It gives the docs a cold, independent reader who documents what the code actually
says, not what the author remembers intending.
### What the building session must leave behind
So the later documentation session can work with no chat history:
1. **Commit messages with full notes** - what changed, why, and any trade-offs. See
[Workflow](workflow.md).
2. **A complete PR description** - feature, tools used, what was achieved, how it works.
3. **Code comments that explain intent** - not what a line does (the code shows that)
but why it exists, what it assumes, and what would break it. Comment for a stranger
who was not in the room.
4. **Current `state/` files** - especially `ARCHITECTURE.md` and `DECISIONS.md`.
### What the documentation session does
Starts cold. Reads `git log`, the PRs, the code and its comments, and the `state/`
files. Writes the documentation from those alone. If something cannot be understood
from the repo, that is a gap to flag, not a reason to guess or to reach for lost chat
context.

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# Project setup
How to start a new project on the Default Workflow. Do this once, at the beginning of
a project, before any feature work.
## 1. Create the repository
- Create an empty repo on the forge (git.discworld.casa or wherever the project lives).
- Clone it, or `git init` locally and add the remote.
- The trunk branch is `main` unless the forge defaults to `master`; either is fine, be
consistent and refer to it as "the trunk" in docs.
## 2. Copy the workflow files in
From this Default-Workflow repo, copy into the new project root:
- `CLAUDE.md` - so every session loads the workflow automatically.
- `docs/` - the detailed workflow docs (or link to them if you prefer one source of
truth; copying keeps the project self contained and offline readable).
- `templates/*` into `state/` (see next step).
## 3. Create the state directory
The `state/` directory is the project's memory. It replaces chat history. Copy the
templates and fill in the project specifics:
```
state/
PROJECT.md - objectives, scope, description, who it is for
ARCHITECTURE.md - how the system is built and why
DECISIONS.md - dated log of decisions and their rationale
TODO.md - what is done, in progress, and pending
NOTES.md - working notes, gotchas, environment quirks
```
Fill in `PROJECT.md` first. It anchors every later session. A session that reads only
`PROJECT.md`, `TODO.md` and `DECISIONS.md` should understand what the project is and
what to do next.
## 4. Add a .gitignore
Ignore build artefacts, dependencies, secrets and local scratch. Never commit tokens
or credentials.
## 5. First commit
Commit the scaffold to the trunk directly (this is bootstrap, not a feature):
```
git add .
git commit
```
Write a full commit message describing what the scaffold contains and why. From here
on, all work follows the [Workflow](workflow.md): a branch per feature.
## Checklist
- [ ] Repo created and remote set
- [ ] `CLAUDE.md` and `docs/` present in project root
- [ ] `state/` created from templates, `PROJECT.md` filled in
- [ ] `.gitignore` in place, no secrets tracked
- [ ] Scaffold committed to the trunk

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# User expectations
How the user expects a Claude Code session to behave under this workflow. Read this
once per session; it rarely changes.
## Work autonomously
Do not stop to ask which task to pick up next, or for confirmation before routine work.
Default sensibly and keep shipping. Read `state/TODO.md`, choose the next sensible
item, do it. Only ask when a decision is genuinely the user's to make and cannot be
resolved from the repo or sensible defaults.
## Cost before speed
Staying within usage limits is more important than finishing fast or gold plating.
When in doubt, take the cheaper path. See [Cost and tokens](cost-and-tokens.md).
## Subagents are allowed
Spawning subagents, parallel agents, background tasks and multi-agent workflows is a
normal, permitted part of the workflow. Using them is not a breach of the cost rule
when they are the effective path: fan-out searches that keep bulk file contents out of
the main context, independent pieces of work run in parallel, or verification passes
over completed work.
The cost rule still applies to each one. A subagent must earn its keep: do not spawn
one for work a single cheap tool call can do, and do not fan out speculatively. Record
subagent use in the PR under "Tools used" so the cost trail stays honest.
## Leave a clean trail
Every feature ends as: a merged branch, full commit notes, a complete PR, current
`state/` files, and code commented well enough to document later. The user should be
able to open the repo weeks later, with no memory of the session, and understand what
happened and why from the repo alone.
## Report honestly
If tests fail, say so with the output. If a step was skipped, say that. If something is
done and verified, say so plainly without hedging. Do not claim more than was done.
## Writing style
- No em dashes in prose. Use commas, full stops, or restructure.
- British spelling in prose and copy. Preserve code identifiers as written.
- Plain, direct language. Say what happened.
## Confirm before the hard to reverse
Routine coding is autonomous. But confirm first for actions that are hard to undo or
that reach outside the repo: force pushes, history rewrites, deleting things you did
not create, deploying, or sending data to external services. Approval for one such
action does not carry to the next.
## The building session stops at merge
Do not write the user facing documentation in the building session. That is a separate
session's job. See [Documentation policy](documentation-policy.md).

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# Workflow
The branch, commit, PR and merge process for every feature. A "feature" is any unit of
change: a new capability, a fix, a refactor.
## 1. Branch per feature
Never build directly on the trunk. Start each feature from an up to date trunk:
```
git checkout main
git pull
git checkout -b feature/<short-kebab-description>
```
Use a clear prefix: `feature/`, `fix/`, `refactor/`, `docs/`.
## 2. Commit with full notes
Commit in logical steps, not one giant dump at the end. Every commit message carries
the full record of what changed and why, because the commit history is the primary
source a later documentation session reads.
Message shape:
```
<type>: <concise summary in the imperative>
What changed:
- <file or area>: <what and why>
- ...
Why:
- <the reasoning, constraints, or decision behind the change>
Notes:
- <anything a cold session should know: trade-offs, follow-ups, gotchas>
```
Do not write "written by Claude" in code or messages. If the project convention
requires an authorship tag (for example `ai:claude`), follow that project's rule.
## 3. Keep state files current
As you work, update `state/TODO.md` and `state/DECISIONS.md`. Decisions go in the log
with a date and rationale. This is what lets the next session skip the chat history.
## 4. Open a PR when the feature is complete
When the feature is done and self consistent, push the branch and open a PR. The PR
description is the human and machine readable summary of the feature. Use the template
in `templates/PR_TEMPLATE.md`. It must state:
- **Feature** - what was built, in plain terms.
- **What was achieved** - the outcome, and how to verify it.
- **Tools used** - languages, libraries, commands, services involved.
- **How it works** - enough for a documentation session to start from the PR alone.
- **Follow ups** - anything deferred.
## 5. Merge into the trunk
Merge the PR into the trunk once it is complete. Prefer a merge that preserves the
commit history (the notes in each commit are valuable). Delete the feature branch after
merge.
## 6. Do not document in this session
Writing the user facing documentation is a separate job, done in a separate session,
against the merged history. See [Documentation policy](documentation-policy.md). Your
job in the building session ends at a merged, well commented, well described feature.
## Summary
```
branch -> commit (full notes) -> update state/ -> PR (feature, tools, outcome) -> merge -> stop
```

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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.

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# itelescope
Reference and review of the [iTelescope.net](https://www.itelescope.net/) remote
telescope network: every telescope, its specs, what it is good at, and which one to
book for a given target.
- **[TELESCOPES.md](TELESCOPES.md)**: the full review, grouped by observatory, with a
"choosing a telescope" guide at the end.
- **[TARGETS.md](TARGETS.md)**: southern-sky targets invisible from the UK, matched
to scopes and to the time of year to book them.
- **[data/itelescope-telescopes.csv](data/itelescope-telescopes.csv)**: snapshot of
the network's maintained specs sheet (source of truth for the numbers).
- **state/**: project state under the Default Workflow.
Sources: the iTelescope support article
([telescope summary](https://support.itelescope.net/support/solutions/articles/247371))
and the network's maintained Google Sheet. The launchpad at
[go.itelescope.net](https://go.itelescope.net/) is login-only.

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# Southern targets: what the UK can never show you
A target guide for imaging objects that are invisible (or hopeless) from the UK,
using the southern half of the iTelescope network: Siding Spring, Australia (Q62)
and Deep Sky Chile (X07). Companion to [TELESCOPES.md](TELESCOPES.md).
## The visibility rule from the UK
From latitude 51.5°N (southern England), an object's maximum altitude is
`90° - 51.5° + declination`:
- **Dec below about -38°: never rises.** These objects cannot be imaged from the UK
at all, ever.
- **Dec -25° to -38°: technically rises, practically hopeless.** Culminates under
~15° altitude, buried in atmosphere and murk.
- Dec -10° to -25°: imageable from the UK but always low and compromised; far better
from the southern sites.
Everything below is grouped by those tiers, then matched to scopes and to the time
of year when it is best placed from the southern sites.
## Tier 1: never visible from the UK (dec < -38°)
### The Magellanic Clouds (the headline act)
| Target | Dec | Best scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large Magellanic Cloud | -69° | T8 | The whole LMC just fits T8's 4 x 4 degree field |
| Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) | -69° | T73, T17 | Core detail; the finest emission nebula in either sky |
| Small Magellanic Cloud + 47 Tucanae | -72° | T8 | Both in a single T8 frame, a unique composition |
| 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) alone | -72° | T33 (free), T73 | Second-finest globular in the sky |
### Carina and Crux region
| Target | Dec | Best scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eta Carinae Nebula (NGC 3372) | -59° | T71 | Fills T71's 2.7 x 1.8 degree field perfectly; narrowband showpiece |
| Carina to Crux widefield | -60° | T70 | The richest stretch of the Milky Way in one 8-degree frame |
| Southern Pleiades (IC 2602) | -64° | T71, T75 | Bright open cluster |
| Running Chicken (IC 2944) | -63° | T71, T75 | Emission nebula with Bok globules |
| Wishing Well Cluster (NGC 3532) | -58° | T71 | Reportedly the best open cluster in the sky |
| Coalsack + Southern Cross | -60° | T70 | Dark nebula composition |
### Centaurus and the southern globulars
| Target | Dec | Best scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omega Centauri (NGC 5139) | -47° | T59, T17 | The largest globular cluster known; needs the ~40 arcmin fields |
| Centaurus A (NGC 5128) | -43° | T17, T32, T73 | Iconic dust-lane radio galaxy |
| NGC 4945 | -49° | T73 | Big edge-on spiral, underimaged |
| NGC 6752 (Pavo globular) | -60° | T33 (free) | Third-brightest globular |
### Ara, Norma and the Scorpius tail
| Target | Dec | Best scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fighting Dragons of Ara (NGC 6188) | -49° | T71 | Dramatic narrowband target |
| Prawn Nebula (IC 4628) | -40° | T71, T75 | Large, faint, great in Ha |
| NGC 6231 + Table of Scorpius | -42° | T71 | Rich cluster region |
### Far-southern galaxies
| Target | Dec | Best scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 6744 (Pavo) | -63° | T73, T17 | Milky Way lookalike spiral |
| NGC 1313 (Topsy-Turvy) | -66° | T73 | Distorted starburst spiral |
| NGC 1566 (Spanish Dancer) | -55° | T73 | Grand-design face-on spiral |
| NGC 2070 region galaxies | -69° | T17 | See Magellanic section |
### Southern nebulae, supernova remnants and planetaries
| Target | Dec | Best scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vela SNR | -45° | T70 | Huge filamentary shell, needs the 8-degree field |
| Gum Nebula | -43° | T70 | 36 degrees across; even T70 mosaics it |
| Southern Ring (NGC 3132) | -40° | T73 | Small bright planetary |
| Toby Jug Nebula (IC 2220) | -59° | T73 | Reflection nebula |
## Tier 2: hopeless from the UK (dec -25° to -38°), excellent from the south
| Target | Dec | Best scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat's Paw (NGC 6334) | -36° | T71 | Narrowband showpiece |
| War and Peace (NGC 6357) | -34° | T71 | Pairs with the Cat's Paw in one T75 framing |
| NGC 1365 (Great Barred Spiral) | -36° | T73, T17 | The archetypal barred spiral, Fornax |
| Fornax cluster core | -35° | T17, T32 | Galaxy cluster field |
| M83 (Southern Pinwheel) | -30° | T73, T17 | Face-on spiral, superb from Q62/X07 |
| NGC 300 and NGC 55 (Sculptor) | -37°/-39° | T17, T75 | Nearby resolved spirals |
| NGC 253 (Sculptor Galaxy) | -25° | T17, T32 | Huge dusty starburst, low and ruined from the UK |
| Corona Australis dust complex | -37° | T71, T75 | Reflection nebula and dust river |
## When to book what (from the southern sites)
Seasons refer to what is well placed in the evening-to-midnight sky at Siding Spring
and Deep Sky Chile. Siding Spring scopes have 30-35 degree minimum elevation limits,
so aim within a few hours of culmination; T70 in Chile can go to the horizon.
- **Jan-Mar:** Tarantula and the LMC, NGC 1313, Vela SNR and the Gum Nebula, Carina
rising late evening.
- **Apr-Jun:** Eta Carinae at its best, Crux and the Coalsack, Omega Centauri,
Centaurus A, NGC 4945, the Musca dark nebulae.
- **Jul-Sep (now):** the Scorpius tail and Ara at the zenith: Cat's Paw, War and
Peace, Prawn, NGC 6188, NGC 6231; NGC 6744; Corona Australis; 47 Tucanae and the
SMC in the second half of the night.
- **Oct-Dec:** Magellanic Cloud prime time, 47 Tucanae, Sculptor galaxies (NGC 253,
55, 300), Fornax cluster and NGC 1365, NGC 1566.
## A sensible first campaign (July-August)
1. **Free warm-up on T33** (30 min/day, Siding Spring): 47 Tucanae or NGC 6752 in
LRGB across a few nights. Costs nothing, learns the booking system.
2. **T71 narrowband run** (Chile, f/2.8): NGC 6188 or the Cat's Paw + War and Peace
region. Fast optics keep the bill down; use the standard 300 s calibrated subs.
3. **T73 galaxy shot**: NGC 6744, currently well placed, as an LRGB target.
4. **Book ahead for October-November:** T8 for the LMC (or SMC + 47 Tuc in one
frame): the single most "you cannot do this from the UK" image on the network.
## Budgeting a points balance
Published rate shape (from itelescope.net/standard-plans, 2026-07): affordable
scopes roughly $19-54 per imaging hour, premium scopes roughly $54-118 per hour,
where the range is the moon-phase discount (dark of moon at the top of the range,
bright moon at the bottom) and the plan discount (10% on Plan-40, 20% on Plan-90).
Exact per-scope, per-night rates are shown in the login portal's planner; treat the
numbers below as planning estimates, not quotes.
What a ~2,600 point balance buys, roughly:
- **A strong narrowband image on a fast scope (T71, T75):** 2-3 hours of exposure
is plenty at f/2.8-f/3.8; booked around gibbous moon the rate is at the low end,
so call it 150-350 points per finished target.
- **An LRGB galaxy on T73 or T17:** wants dark-of-moon time at premium-scope rates;
3-4 hours, roughly 300-500 points per target.
- **The T8 Magellanic Cloud shot:** 2-3 hours LRGB at a mid-range rate, roughly
200-350 points.
So ~2,600 points is comfortably 8-12 finished showpiece targets, or a full year of
the seasonal calendar above at one or two targets a month. Stretch it further with:
- **Full moon weeks are free** on the standard plans: use them for bright globulars
and clusters (47 Tuc, NGC 3532, IC 2602) where moonlight matters least, and keep
paid time for faint stuff.
- **The daily free 30 minutes** (T33 south, T68 north) for framing tests and short
targets, never spend points discovering a framing mistake.
- **Moon-phase arbitrage:** book narrowband (Carina, Ara, Cat's Paw) at bright moon
when rates bottom out; the 3 nm filters do not care about moonlight.
## Cost-shape notes
- Fast scopes (T71 f/2.8, T75 f/3.8, T70 f/3.5) reach depth in the least imaging
time, which is what you pay for: prefer them for nebulae.
- The two free scopes cover both hemispheres of this list poorly (T68 is northern)
but T33 covers southern globulars and compact targets well.
- Moonlight: narrowband targets (Carina, Ara, Scorpius nebulae) tolerate moon;
save galaxy and globular time (T73, T17, T8 LRGB) for dark-of-moon bookings.

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# iTelescope.net telescope review
A review of every telescope on the iTelescope.net network, grouped by observatory.
Compiled 2026-07-17 from the network's own sources:
- Support article (observatory summaries, minimum elevations):
https://support.itelescope.net/support/solutions/articles/247371
- Maintained specs Google Sheet (snapshotted in [data/itelescope-telescopes.csv](data/itelescope-telescopes.csv)):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jZWkkjewOuyNC9YzQ8y2d0pO1e4T7EBeysmQMPBVSOk/
- The launchpad (https://go.itelescope.net/) is login-only and holds no public specs.
Note on coverage: the Google Sheet is the maintained source and is what this review
follows. The older support article additionally lists T9, T19, T31 and T69, which no
longer appear in the sheet (retired or rebuilt); T74 appears in the sheet with no
specs, presumably in commissioning.
## The network at a glance
| Observatory | MPC code | Hemisphere | Telescopes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Desert Remote Observatory, USA | U94 | North | T2, T5, T11, T14, T20, T21, T25, T26, T68 |
| Sierra Remote Observatory, California, USA | U69 | North | T24 |
| Siding Spring Observatory, Australia | Q62 | South | T8, T17, T30, T32, T33, T59 |
| Deep Sky Chile | X07 | South | T70, T71, T72, T73, T74, T75 |
| AstroCamp Observatory, Spain | I89 | North | T18 |
| Entre Encinas y Estrellas (e-EyE), Spain | (none listed) | North | T80 |
Two systems are free to use (30 minutes per day): **T68** (Utah, fast colour
widefield) and **T33** (Siding Spring, narrow deep field).
---
## Utah Desert Remote Observatory (MPC U94)
Dark Great Basin desert site; the largest cluster on the network and the main
northern-hemisphere hub.
### T2: Takahashi TOA-150 + QHY268C (one-shot colour)
- 150 mm f/7.3 apochromatic refractor, 1105 mm focal length
- QHY268C colour CMOS (Sony IMX571, APS-C), 0.69"/px, 72.6 x 48.6 arcmin
- Paramount GTS, off-axis guided, no filters; minimum elevation 25 degrees
**Review:** the premium one-shot-colour option. Superb refractor optics and a modern
back-illuminated sensor at a well-sampled 0.69"/px make it the easiest route to a
finished colour image of medium-sized targets (galaxy groups, planetary nebulae,
globulars) with no filter runs to plan. No narrowband, so emission nebulae under
moonlight are off the menu. Files are large (26 MP 16-bit FITS).
### T5: Takahashi Epsilon 250 + SBIG ST-10XME
- 250 mm f/3.4 hyperbolic flat-field astrograph, 850 mm focal length
- ST-10XME CCD (NABG), 1.66"/px, 60.6 x 40.8 arcmin
- Paramount PME, external guiding; RGB, Ha/SII/OIII, and Johnson-Cousins B, V, I
**Review:** a fast classic. The f/3.4 Epsilon gathers light quickly for its class and
the photometric filter set makes it one of the few scopes that does both pretty
pictures and science. The small, old NABG CCD is the weak point: only 3.2 MP, and
bright stars bloom on long exposures, so keep subs short around bright fields.
### T11: Planewave CDK20 + FLI ProLine PL11002M
- 510 mm (20") f/4.5 corrected Dall-Kirkham with 0.66x reducer, 2280 mm
- PL11002M CCD (full frame), 0.81"/px, 54.3 x 36.2 arcmin
- Ascension 200HR; LRGB, 3 nm narrowband, and U, B, V, R, I; minimum elevation 20 degrees
**Review:** big aperture at a fast reduced focal ratio with a generous field: a strong
general-purpose deep-space scope for nebulae and larger galaxies, plus full UBVRI for
photometry. The sensor's 51% peak QE is dated, so it needs more integration time than
the CMOS scopes for the same depth, and it is noted as sensitive to stray-light
gradients near full moon.
### T14: Takahashi FSQ-106 Fluorite + SBIG STX-16803
- 106 mm f/5.0 Petzval refractor, 530 mm focal length
- STX-16803 CCD, 3.5"/px, 238.8 x 238.8 arcmin (4 x 4 degrees)
- Paramount ME, unguided; LRGB, 5 nm Ha/SII/OIII, V; minimum elevation 25 degrees
**Review:** the classic mono widefield workhorse. Four square degrees on the square
16803 sensor suits large nebula complexes (North America, Veil, Rho Ophiuchi) and
mosaics. CCD rather than CMOS, so integration is slower than modern rivals, and
dithering is recommended. Pick it for framed mono narrowband over T20's colour.
### T20: Takahashi FSQ-106ED + ZWO ASI2400C (one-shot colour)
- 106 mm f/5.0 Petzval refractor, 530 mm focal length
- ASI2400C colour CMOS (Sony IMX410, full frame, 14-bit), 2.31"/px, 233.7 x 155.8 arcmin
- Paramount ME, unguided; Optolong L-Pro and L-Ultimate (3 nm dual-band), Astrodon narrowband
- Field rotated 90 degrees relative to T14 for alternative framing
**Review:** the colour twin of T14 with a modern full-frame CMOS. The L-Ultimate
dual-band filter is the clever bit: one-shot-colour narrowband on emission nebulae,
even with the moon up. Sensor is 14-bit, so dynamic range trails the mono 16-bit
scopes. The best low-effort widefield choice on the network.
### T21: Planewave CDK17 + FLI PL6303E
- 431 mm (17") f/4.5 corrected Dall-Kirkham with 0.66x reducer, 1940 mm
- PL6303E CCD (NABG), 0.96"/px, 49.2 x 32.8 arcmin
- Ascension 200HR; Astrodon LRGB, 5 nm narrowband, and UBVRI; minimum elevation 20 degrees
**Review:** billed as a combined photometry and imaging system, and that is its niche:
the sensitive NABG chip plus a full Johnson-Cousins set makes it a proper science
scope. The same NABG sensitivity means blooming on bright subjects, so it rewards
careful target and exposure choice rather than casual use.
### T25: Planewave CDK20 + Player One Zeus 455M PRO
- 508 mm (20") f/6.8 corrected Dall-Kirkham at native focal length, 3454 mm
- Zeus 455M mono CMOS (Sony IMX455, full frame), 0.23"/px, 36.2 x 24.2 arcmin, 61 MP
- Planewave L-500; Astrodon LRGB and 3 nm narrowband
**Review:** the resolution monster. At 0.23"/px it is oversampled for almost any
seeing, which means you can bin or drizzle as you please and still resolve fine
structure in small galaxies and planetary nebulae. The cost is enormous files (61 MP
per sub) and a narrow field. Choose it when the target is small and detail is the
point.
### T26: Planewave Delta Rho 500 + ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
- 508 mm (20") f/3.0 corrected astrograph, 1537 mm focal length
- ASI6200MM mono CMOS (IMX455, full frame, Bin2 only), 1.01"/px, 80.4 x 54.0 arcmin
- Planewave L-550 on equatorial wedge; Chroma LRGB and 3 nm narrowband
- Recommended subs: LRGB 30-180 s, narrowband 180-300 s (900 s available)
**Review:** arguably the best imaging system on the network: half a metre of aperture
at f/3.0 with a modern 91% QE sensor is a light bucket that reaches faint extended
nebulosity (integrated flux nebulae, faint Ha shells) in a fraction of the usual
integration time, over a 1.3-degree field. Bin2-only is a software limitation, not an
optical one, and barely matters at this image scale.
### T68: Celestron RASA 11 + ZWO ASI2600C (free, one-shot colour)
- 279 mm (11") f/2.2 Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt astrograph, 620 mm focal length
- ASI2600C colour CMOS (IMX571, APS-C), 1.25"/px, 130.2 x 87.0 arcmin
- Paramount ME II, mount-guided, no filters; 30 minutes free per day
**Review:** the free taster scope, and genuinely good: f/2.2 means even short free
sessions produce satisfying colour images of bright nebulae and comets over a
2-degree field. No filters and modest QE cap its ceiling. Ideal for trying the
network, time-lapse of transients, or quick-look framing before booking a paid scope.
---
## Sierra Remote Observatory, California (MPC U69)
High Sierra site with steady seeing; hosts the network's largest northern aperture.
### T24: Planewave CDK24 + Player One Zeus 455M PRO
- 610 mm (24") f/6.5 corrected Dall-Kirkham, 3962 mm focal length
- Zeus 455M mono CMOS, 0.395"/px (Bin2), 31.6 x 21.1 arcmin
- Ascension 200HR, external guiding beyond 300 s; Astrodon LRGB, 3 nm narrowband, V and Ic
- Match subs to calibration set (60/120/180/300/600/900 s); minimum elevation 25 degrees
**Review:** the northern flagship. The biggest glass in the northern half of the
network on a steady-seeing site, with a modern high-QE sensor: first choice for small
galaxies, quasar fields and faint photometry (V and Ic fitted). The operational notes
(RBI flush, fixed exposure ladder, dithering) show it is run seriously for calibrated
science data. Narrow field, so not for showpiece nebulae.
---
## Siding Spring Observatory, Australia (MPC Q62)
The network's southern-hemisphere anchor, on the AAO site. The only access most users
have to Magellanic Cloud and far-southern targets at serious aperture. Roof geometry
limits northern views (horizon limits 35-75 degrees depending on scope).
### T8: Takahashi FSQ-106ED + FLI Microline 16803
- 106 mm f/5.0 Petzval refractor, 530 mm focal length
- ML16803 CCD, 3.5"/px, 238.8 x 238.8 arcmin (4 x 4 degrees)
- Paramount PME, external guiding; Astrodon LRGB, EXO, narrowband, NIR luminance
- North horizon limit 75 degrees; dithering recommended (occasional dark columns)
**Review:** the southern widefield essential: four square degrees on the LMC, SMC,
Eta Carinae or the Gum Nebula is something no northern scope can offer. Same era of
CCD as T14 with the same patience requirement, and its known dark-column quirk makes
dithering effectively mandatory. Book it for large southern showpieces.
### T17: Planewave CDK17 + ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
- 432 mm (17") f/6.8 corrected Dall-Kirkham, 2939 mm focal length
- ASI6200MM mono CMOS (Bin2 only), 0.53"/px, 42.4 x 28.3 arcmin
- Paramount PME, unguided; Astrodon LRGB and 5 nm narrowband; minimum elevation 35 degrees
**Review:** a modern deep-field machine pointed at the southern sky: 91% QE at half an
arcsecond per pixel is a potent combination for southern galaxies (NGC 1365, Centaurus
A) and planetary nebulae. The tight 35-degree elevation floor means plan targets near
culmination.
### T30: Planewave CDK20 + FLI PL6303E
- 508 mm (20") f/4.4 corrected Dall-Kirkham with 0.66x reducer, 2262 mm
- PL6303E CCD (NABG), 0.81"/px, 41.6 x 27.8 arcmin
- Ascension 200HR; Astrodon LRGB, 5 nm narrowband, and full Johnson-Cousins UBVRcIc
**Review:** the southern science scope: big aperture, fast reduced optics and the
full photometric filter set. Same NABG blooming caveat as its northern siblings, and
the CCD needs more integration than T17's CMOS for imaging, so treat it as
photometry-first, imaging-second.
### T32: Planewave CDK17 + ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
- 431 mm (17") f/6.8 corrected Dall-Kirkham, 2912 mm focal length
- ASI6200MM mono CMOS (Bin2 only), 0.53"/px, 42.4 x 28.3 arcmin
- Ascension 200HR; Astrodon LRGB, 5 nm narrowband, plus V and Ic; minimum elevation 30 degrees
**Review:** effectively T17's twin with a slightly friendlier elevation limit and V/Ic
photometric filters added. If T17 is booked, this is the same capability; if you need
magnitudes as well as pictures, prefer T32 of the pair.
### T33: 12.5" RCOS Ritchey-Chretien + Apogee Alta U16 (free)
- 320 mm (12.5") f/9.0 Ritchey-Chretien, 2885 mm focal length
- Alta U16 CCD (NABG), 0.54"/px, 37 x 37 arcmin
- Paramount ME, external guiding; Astrodon LRGB and narrowband
- 30 minutes free per day; north horizon limit 45 degrees
- Recommended: LRGB 300 s; narrowband 300 s Bin2 or 600 s Bin1 on calm nights
**Review:** the free southern scope, and a much more serious instrument than "free"
suggests: a proper RC with narrowband filters at 0.54"/px. The NABG CCD blooms on
bright stars and f/9 is slow, so free 30-minute slots are best spent on compact,
reasonably bright targets, or accumulated across nights.
### T59: Planewave CDK20 + FLI ProLine 16803
- 510 mm (20") f/6.8 corrected Dall-Kirkham, 3411 mm focal length
- ProLine 16803 CCD, 0.54"/px, 37.2 x 37.2 arcmin
- Ascension 200HR; Astrodon LRGB, 5 nm narrowband, Ic and Z; capable of 15-minute subs
**Review:** deep and square: the 16803's square field at half-arcsecond sampling with
an ABG chip rated for very long exposures. The scope to book for faint southern
targets that need 900-second narrowband subs without blooming worries. QE is dated
(60%), so it trades sensor efficiency for exposure headroom.
---
## Deep Sky Chile (MPC X07)
Newest site, Atacama-quality southern skies; a modern all-CMOS lineup built around
astrophotography.
### T70: Samyang 135 mm f/3.5 + ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- 65 mm camera lens at f/3.5, 129 mm focal length
- ASI2600MM mono CMOS (IMX571, APS-C), 4.51"/px, 469.8 x 355.2 arcmin (7.8 x 5.9 degrees)
- Paramount ME, guided; Astrodon LRGB and narrowband; minimum elevation 0 degrees
**Review:** an eight-degree mono narrowband field under Atacama skies, down to the
horizon. Made for constellation-scale mosaics, the Gum Nebula, and the Milky Way core.
It is a camera lens, so expect corner coma and halos on bright stars; that is the
stated trade for the field of view.
### T71: Takahashi Epsilon 180ED + ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- 180 mm f/2.8 hyperbolic Newtonian astrograph, 500 mm focal length
- ASI2600MM mono CMOS, 1.55"/px, 161.4 x 108.0 arcmin
- Paramount MyT, guided; Astrodon LRGB and 5 nm narrowband
- Electronic shutter: no user darks; calibrated data supplied for standard sub lengths
**Review:** the best fast-widefield system on the network: f/2.8 optics, a modern
sensor and Chilean skies. A 2.7 x 1.8 degree field at 1.55"/px suits nearly every
showpiece southern nebula. Subs are constrained to the standard calibration ladder
(10-600 s) since you cannot take your own darks, and files are large (101 MiB).
### T72: Planewave CDK20 + FLI ML-16200
- 510 mm (20") f/6.8 corrected Dall-Kirkham, 3411 mm focal length
- ML-16200 CCD, 0.359"/px, 26.9 x 21.5 arcmin
- Planewave L-500; LRGB, narrowband, and U, B, V, R, I
- Precision-scaled raw calibration frames published at data.itelescope.net (0-900 s)
**Review:** the Chilean science workhorse: full UBVRI photometry, very fine sampling,
and a published high-precision calibration pipeline aimed squarely at photometric
work. The 39Ke full well is modest, so watch saturation on bright comparison stars.
For pretty pictures the CMOS scopes on site are faster; for southern photometry this
is the one.
### T73: Planewave CDK14 + ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- 356 mm (14") f/7.2 corrected Dall-Kirkham, 2563 mm focal length
- ASI2600MM mono CMOS, 0.31"/px, 31.8 x 21.0 arcmin
- Paramount ME II, guided; Chroma LRGB and 3 nm narrowband
**Review:** a fine-detail southern imager: 0.31"/px oversampling with a near-zero
dark current sensor (darks essentially redundant) and tight 3 nm Chroma narrowband.
The pick for small southern galaxies and planetaries when T25-style resolution is
wanted below the celestial equator. Short 240 s max recommended subs keep runs simple.
### T74: (in commissioning)
Listed in the network sheet with no published specs yet.
### T75: ASA N250 + ZWO ASI6200MM Pro
- 250 mm f/3.8 Newtonian astrograph, 950 mm focal length
- ASI6200MM mono CMOS (Bin2 only), 1.72"/px, 137.4 x 91.8 arcmin
- Paramount MyT, guided; Chroma LRGB and 3 nm narrowband
**Review:** the middle option at Deep Sky Chile: faster and wider than the CDKs,
deeper than the Epsilon. A 2.3 x 1.5 degree field at f/3.8 with 91% QE makes quick
work of medium-large southern nebulae. Bin2-only sampling is coarse but well matched
to the focal length.
---
## AstroCamp Observatory, Spain (MPC I89)
High-altitude site in the Spanish mountains; fills the European longitude gap so
northern targets can be followed when America is in daylight.
### T18: Planewave CDK12 + QHY600M
- 318 mm (12.5") f/5.3 corrected Dall-Kirkham, 1683 mm focal length
- QHY600M mono CMOS (IMX455, full frame, Bin2 only), 0.92"/px, 73.6 x 49.1 arcmin
- Paramount PME, externally guided; Astrodon LRGB, 5 nm narrowband, photometric V and Ic
- Minimum elevation 40 degrees
**Review:** a well-balanced all-rounder: enough aperture for galaxies, a wide enough
field (1.2 degrees) for most nebulae, modern sensor, and V/Ic for photometry. Its real
value is longitude coverage for time-critical work (exoplanet transits, variable
stars, GRB follow-up) from Europe. The 40-degree elevation floor is the strictest on
the network, so target selection matters.
---
## Entre Encinas y Estrellas (e-EyE), Spain
Hosting site in Extremadura; currently one iTelescope system.
### T80: Samyang 135 mm f/3.5 + ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- 65 mm camera lens at f/3.5, 129 mm focal length
- ASI2600MM mono CMOS, 5.98"/px, 622.2 x 415.8 arcmin (10.4 x 6.9 degrees)
- Paramount MyT, guided; Astrodon LRGB and narrowband
**Review:** T70's northern sibling: a ten-degree mono field for constellation-scale
imaging (whole of Orion's belt and sword in one frame, big Ha mosaics of Cygnus).
Same camera-lens caveats on corner stars. Between this and T70 the entire sky is
covered at super-wide field.
---
## Choosing a telescope
| Use case | First choice | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Widefield narrowband, north | T14 (mono), T20 (colour dual-band) | T68 (free colour) |
| Widefield narrowband, south | T71 | T8, T75 |
| Constellation-scale mosaics | T80 (north), T70 (south) | |
| Faint extended nebulosity | T26 | T75, T71 |
| Small galaxies / fine detail, north | T24 | T25 |
| Small galaxies / fine detail, south | T73 | T17, T32, T59 |
| Photometry / science, north | T21, T24 | T5, T11, T18 |
| Photometry / science, south | T72 | T30, T32 |
| One-shot colour, minimum effort | T20 | T2, T68 |
| Long (15 min) narrowband subs, south | T59 | |
| European longitude / transit timing | T18 | |
| Free / trying the network | T68 (north), T33 (south) | |
## General observations
- The network is mid-migration from legacy CCDs (16803, PL6303E, ST-10XME) to modern
back-illuminated CMOS (IMX455, IMX571): the CMOS scopes reach the same depth in
roughly half the integration time thanks to 85-91% peak QE, and several of the CCD
systems (NABG chips especially) carry blooming caveats the CMOS ones do not.
- Several CMOS systems are Bin2-only due to software limitations (T17, T18, T26, T32,
T75). At their focal lengths this costs little real resolution.
- Minimum elevation limits vary widely (0 degrees at T70 up to 40 degrees at T18) and
are a real planning constraint, especially at Siding Spring where the roof blocks
much of the northern sky.
- Calibration is handled network-side on several scopes (T71's electronic shutter
disallows user darks; T72 publishes precision-scaled calibration frames; T24 wants
subs matched to its calibration ladder). Check the per-scope notes before planning
exposures.

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@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
Telescope,Platform,Aperture (in),Aperature (mm),Focal Length (mm),F-Ratio,Optical Tube Assembly,Optical Design,Camera,Sensor Type,CMOS Sensor Model,Sensor Size / Format (mm),"Camera Angle
(""Up"" = Deg. East of N)",FOV X (arcmins),FOV Y (arcmins),Pixel Size (µm),Resolution (arcsec / pixel),Sensor Megapixels,Array X,Array Y,Peak QE,Full Well,N/ABG,Recommended Max Exposure (seconds),Guiding,Mount,Filters,Notes,"Additional System Specifications
(e.g. horizon limits, special notes)"
,Utah Desert Remote Observatory (MPC U94),,,,,,,,Note: Sensors generally have 16-bit ADCs unless other values are provided,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
T2,One Shot Color,5.9,150,1105.1,f/7.3,Takahashi TOA-150,Apochromatic Refractor,QHY268C,"Color CMOS
(RGGB Bayer)",Sony IMX571,"23.5 x 15.7
(APS-C)",178.683º,72.6,48.6,3.76,"0.69""",26.4,6280,4210,90%,51Ke,,300,MOAG with Loadstar SX2,Paramount GTS,None,"Large (26 MP, 16-bit) FITS files",Telescope System Information and Specs
T5,Medium Deep Space,9.8,250,850,f/3.4,Takahashi Epsilon 250,Hyperbolic Flat-Field,SBIG ST-10XME,CCD,,14.9 x 10.0,177º,60.6,40.8,6.8,"1.66""",3.2,2184,1472,85%,100Ke,NABG,300,External Guiding,Paramount PME,"Red Green Blue, Ha, SII, OIII, Clear and Johnson's Cousin's Photometric B,V, and I filters.",Non Anti Bloom Gate (NABG) CCD. Bright stars will bloom or bleed in long exposures. Keep your exposures short if very bright stars are in your target FoV.,Telescope System Information and Specs
T11,Deep Space,20.1,510,"2280
(0.66 reducer)",f/4.5,Planewave CDK20,Corrected Dall-Kirkham,FLI ProLine PL11002M,CCD,,"36 x 24
(Full Format)",186.9º,54.3,36.2,9,"0.81""",10.7,4008,2672,51%,60Ke,ABG,600,Active Guiding Disabled,Planewave Ascension 200HR,"AstroDon - Luminance, Red, Green, Blue. 3nm Ha3_50R, Sii3_50R, Oiii_50R. U, B, V, R, I",Optics more sensitive to stray light gradients (e.g. during full moon),Telescope System Information and Specs
T14,Wide Field,4.2,106,530,f/5.0,Takahashi FSQ Fluorite,Petzval Apochromatic Refractor,SBIG STX-16803,CCD,,36.8 x 36.8,90º,238.8,238.8,9,"3.5""",16.8,4096,4096,60%,100Ke,ABG,600,Unguided,Paramount ME,"LRGB, Ha (5nm), SII(5nm), OIII(5nm), V Filters",Dithering recommended,Telescope System Information and Specs
T20,Wide Field,4.2,106,530,f/5.0,Takahashi FSQ-ED,Petzval Apochromatic Refractor,ZWO ASI2400C,"Color CMOS
(14-bit ADC)
(RGGB Bayer)",Sony IMX410,"36 x 24
(Full Format)",358.4º,233.7,155.8,5.94,"2.31""",24.5,6072,4042,>80%,50Ke,ABG,300,Unguided,Paramount ME,"Optolong Lpro, Optolong LUltimate (Ha/OIII 3nm dual band), Astrodon Ha (3nm), SII (3nm) & OIII (5nm)",FoV Rotated 90° relative to T14 for different framing opportunities.,Telescope System Information and Specs
T21,Deep Space,17.0,431,"1940
(0.66 reducer)",f/4.5,Planewave CDK17,Corrected Dall-Kirkham,FLI-PL6303E,CCD,,27.6 x 18.4,359º,49.2,32.8,9,"0.96""",6.3,3072,2048,68%,100Ke,NABG,600,Active Guiding Disabled,Planewave Ascension 200HR,"Astrodon LRGB 50mm unmounted, Astrodon Ha, SII, OIII, 5nm, 50 mm unmounted, Astrodon UBVRI John/Cousins",Photometry and Imaging system. Sensitive NABG CCD - susceptible to blooming artifacts from bright subjects,Telescope System Information and Specs
T25,Deep Space,20.0,508,3454,f/6.8,Planewave CDK20,Corrected Dall-Kirkham,Player One Zeus 455M PRO,Mono CMOS,Sony IMX455,"36 x 24
(Full Format)",251.9º,36.2,24.2,3.76,"0.23""",61.2,9576,6388,91%,71.6Ke,,600,None,Planewave L-500,"Astrodon LRGB Gen2 I-Series Tru-Balance filters, Astrodon 3nm SII,Ha,OIII",Produces very large files,Telescope System Information and Specs
T26,Deep Space,20.0,508,1537,f/3.0,Planewave Delta Rho 500,Advanced Corrected Cassegrain Focus,ASI6200MM Pro (mono),Mono CMOS,Sony IMX455,"36 x 24
(Full Format)",181º,80.4,54,7.52 (Bin2),"1.01""",15.3,4788,3194,91%,51.4Ke,,300,None,Planewave L-550 on Equatorial Wedge,"Chroma Filters:
Wideband: Luminance, Red, Green & Blue
Narrowband: SII, Ha & OIII with a 3nm optimise passband","Bin2 only due to current software limitations
Recommended Exposures: LRGB: 30s-180s.
Narrowband: 180s-300s. 900s Available",Telescope System Information and Specs
T68,"One Shot Color
(30 min free / day)",11.0,279,620,f/2.2,"Celestron RASA 11""",Rowe Ackerman Schmidt Astrograph,ZWO ASI2600 Color,"Color CMOS
(RGGB Bayer)",Sony IMX571,"23.6 x 15.6
(APS-C)",277º,130.2,87,3.76,"1.25""",26.1,6248,4176,>50%,,,240,Via Mount,Paramount ME II,None,"Full-Time Free Telescope System
Large (26 MP, 16-bit) FITS files",Telescope System Information and Specs
,Sierra Remote Observatory (MPC U69),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
T24,Deep Space,24.0,610,3962,f/6.5,Planewave CDK24,Corrected Dall-Kirkham ,Player One Zeus 455M PRO,Mono CMOS,,36 x 24,90.7º,31.6,21.1,7.52 (Bin2),"0.395""",15.3,4788,3194,91%,71.6Ke,,600,External Guiding (300s+),Planewave Ascension 200HR,"Astrodon LRGB2-E50S
Astrodon HA3_50S, OIII3_50S, SII3_50S.Astrodon V, I (V*-50S, Ic*-50S)","Best results on Bin1. Dithering highly recommended. Uses RBI Flush to prevent ghosting. Best to use 60, 120, 180, 300, 600 and 900s exposures to match with calibraiton data.",Telescope System Information and Specs
,"Siding Springs Observatory, Australia (MPC Q62)",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
T8,Wide Field,4.2,106,530,f/5.0,Takahashi FSQ ED,Petzval Apochromatic Refractor,FLI Microline 16803,CCD,,36.8 x 36.8,358º,238.8,238.8,9,"3.5""",16.8,4096,4096,60%,100Ke,ABG,600,External ,Paramount PME,"AstroDon Series 2
Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, EXO, Ha, SII, OIII, NIR Luminance",Northern view is restricted by observatory roof. N Horizon limit is 75°. Dithering is recommended because T8's CCD sometimes produces dark columns. ,Telescope System Information and Specs
T17,Deep Field Astrophotography,17.0,432,2939,f/6.8,Planewave CDK17,Corrected Dall-Kirkham ,ASI6200MM Pro (mono),Mono CMOS,Sony IMX455,"36 x 24
(Full Format)",84.2º,42.4,28.3,7.52 (Bin2),"0.531""",15.3,4788,3194,91% (475nm),51.4Ke,,240,Unguided,Paramount PME,"Astrodon: Luminance, Clear
Astrodon: Red-E. Green-E. Blue-E
Astrodon: Ha 5nm, 5nm OIII, 5nm, SII","NEW CMOS Camera for astrophotography
Bin2 only due to software limitations",Telescope System Information and Specs
T30,Deep Space,20.0,508,"2262
(0.66 reducer)",f/4.4,Planewave CDK20,Corrected Dall-Kirkham ,FLI-PL6303E,CCD,,27.6 x 18.4,270º,41.6,27.8,9,"0.81""",6.3,3072,2048,68%,100Ke,NABG,300,Active Guiding Disabled,Planewave Ascension 200HR,"AstroDon Tru-Balance Gen 2 E series Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, 5nm Ha, 5nm SII, 5nm OIII, and AstroDon Johnson/Cousins UvBVRcIc",Very sensitive NABG CCD - susceptible to blooming artifacts from bright subjects,Telescope System Information and Specs
T32,Wide Deep Field,17.0,431,2912,f/6.8,Planewave CDK17,Corrected Dall-Kirkham ,ASI6200MM Pro (mono),Mono CMOS,Sony IMX455,"36 x 24
(Full Format)",90º,42.4,28.3,7.52 (Bin2),"0.53""",15.3,4788,3194,91% (475nm),51.4Ke,,300,Active Guiding Disabled,Planewave Ascension 200HR,"Astrodon E-Series Luminance Red, Green, Blue
Astrodon 5nm Ha, SII, OIII
Astrodon Johnson/Couisins V, Ic","NEW CMOS Camera for astrophotography
Bin2 only due to software limitations",Telescope System Information and Specs
T33,"Narrow Deep Field
(30 min free / day)",12.6,320,2885,f/9.0,"Star Instruments 12.5"" RCOS",Ritchey-Chrétien - Closed Carbon Tube,Apogee Alta U16,CCD,,36.8 x 36.8,359º,37,37,9,"0.54""",16.8,4096,4096,69%,100Ke,NABG,300,External Guiding,Paramount ME,"Astrodon Series II: Luminance, Red, Green, Blue
Astrodon Ha (5nm), SII, OIII (3nm)
","Full-Time Free Telescope System
North Horizon limit is 45°
Rec. exposures: LRGB at 300s. Narrowband at 300s Bin2, or 600s Bin1 on calm nights. ",Telescope System Information and Specs
T59,Wide Deep Field,20.1,510,3411,f/6.8,Planewave CDK20,Corrected Dall-Kirkham ,FLI Proline 16803,CCD,,36.8 x 36.8,90º,37.2,37.2,9,"0.54""",16.8,4096,4096,60%,> 100X Saturation Exposure,ABG,900,Active Guiding Disabled,Planewave Ascension 200HR,"Astrodon E-Series Luminance Red, Green, Blue
Astrodon 5nm Ha, SII, OIII
Astrodon Johnson/Couisins, IcZ",Capable of very long (15 min) exposures,Telescope System Information and Specs
,Deep Sky Chile (MPC X07),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
T70,Super Wide Field,2.6,65,129,f/3.5,Samyang 135 mm @ f/3.5,Camera Lens,ASI2600MM Pro (mono),Mono CMOS,Sony IMX571,"23.5 x 15.7
(APS-C)",314º,469.8,355.2,3.76,"4.51""",26.1,6248,4176,60%,50Ke,,300,ZWO 30 F/4 guidescope with Loadstar SX2,Paramount ME,"Astrodon Gen 2 E-Series LRGB, Ha, OIII, SII","Note: Camera lens. Some residual coma occurs in the corners, and bright stars develop halos. This is normal and expected on this system. ",Telescope System Information and Specs
T71,Wide Field Astrophotography,7.1,180,500,f/2.8,Takahashi Epsilon 180ED,Hyperbolic Corrected Newtonian Astrograph,ASI2600MM Pro (mono),Mono CMOS,Sony IMX571,"23.5 x 15.7
(APS-C)",342.5º,161.4,108,3.76,"1.55""",26.1,6248,4176,60%,50Ke,,600,QHY miniguidescope f4.3 with Loadstar Pro,Paramount MyT,"Astrodon Gen 2 I-Series LRGB, Ha (5nm), OIII (5nm), SII (5nm)","Electronic shutter. No user dark frames can be taken. Calibrated data available for 10, 30, 60, 120 180, 300, 600s.
Generates very large (26 MP, 101 MiB) FITS files",Telescope System Information and Specs
T72,Deep Space,20.1,510,3411,F/6.8,Planewave CDK20,Corrected Dall-Kirkham,FLI ML-16200,CCD,,27 x 21.6,176º,26.93,21.53,6,"0.359""",16.2,4500,3600,60%,39Ke,ABG,600,None,PlaneWave L-500,"L,R,G,B,SII,Ha,OIII,U,V,B,R,I filters",Raw calibration frames can be found at data.itelescope.net. (Bias Bin1 & Bin2 and Darks 900s Bin1 & 2 are scaled with high precision for photometry calibrated image data from 0 to 900 seconds).,Telescope System Information and Specs
T73,Deep Field Astrophotography,14.0,356,2563,f/7.2,Planewave CDK14,Corrected Dall-Kirkham,ASI2600MM Pro (mono),Mono CMOS,Sony IMX571,"23.5 x 15.7
(APS-C)",179.6º,31.8,21,3.76,"0.31""",26.1,6248,4176,60%,50Ke,,240,WO Guide Star 61 f5.9 guide scope with Starlight Xpress Ultrastar Pro (mono) guide camera,Paramount MEII,"Chroma LRGB, Chroma 3nm Ha, OIII, SII",(the ASI2600MM has an extremely low dark current making darks virtually redundant),Telescope System Information and Specs
T74,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
T75,Medium Deep Space,9.8,250,950,f/3.8,ASA N250,Newtownian Astrograph,ASI6200MM Pro (mono),Mono CMOS,Sony IMX455,"36 x 24
(Full Format)",88.3º,137.4,91.8,7.52 (Bin2),"1.722""",15.3,4788,3194,91%,50Ke,,600,ZWO 30 F/4 guide scope with ASI290MM mini,Paramount MyT,"Chroma LRGB, Chroma 3nm Ha, OIII, SII",Bin2 only due to current software limitations.,Telescope System Information and Specs
,"AstroCamp Observatory, Spain (MPC I89)",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
T18,Medium Deep Space,12.5,318,1683,f/5.3,Planewave CDK12,Corrected Dall-Kirkham ,QHY600M-PH-US Mono,Mono CMOS,Sony IMX455,"36 x 24
(Full Format)",150º,73.6,49.1,7.52 (Bin2),"0.92"" (Bin2)",15.3,4788,3194,87%,> 38Ke,,300,External via Lodestar SX and 300mm guidescope,Paramount PME,"Astrodon Series E LRGB. Astrodon 5nm Ha, SII, OIII. Photometric V (Custom Scientific Bessell) and Ic (Astrodon John/Cousins)","Bin2 only due to current software limitations.
SONY Full Frame BSI CMOS Sensor IMX455",Telescope System Information and Specs
,"Entre Encinas y Estrellas, Spain",,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
T80,Super Wide Field,2.6,65,129,f/3.5,Samyang 135 mm @ f/3.5,Camera Lens,ASI2600MM Pro P25 (mono),Mono CMOS,Sony IMX571,"23.5 x 15.7
(APS-C)",268º,622.2,415.8,3.76,"5.98""",26.1,6248,4176,60%,50Ke,,300,ZWO 30 F/4 guidescope with Loadstar SX2 ,Paramount MyT,"Astrodon Gen 2 E-Series LRGB, Ha, OIII, SII",Note: Camera lens. Some residual coma occurs in the corners,Telescope System Information and Specs
1 Telescope Platform Aperture (in) Aperature (mm) Focal Length (mm) F-Ratio Optical Tube Assembly Optical Design Camera Sensor Type CMOS Sensor Model Sensor Size / Format (mm) Camera Angle ("Up" = Deg. East of N) FOV X (arcmins) FOV Y (arcmins) Pixel Size (µm) Resolution (arcsec / pixel) Sensor Megapixels Array X Array Y Peak QE Full Well N/ABG Recommended Max Exposure (seconds) Guiding Mount Filters Notes Additional System Specifications (e.g. horizon limits, special notes)
2 Utah Desert Remote Observatory (MPC U94) Note: Sensors generally have 16-bit ADCs unless other values are provided
3 T2 One Shot Color 5.9 150 1105.1 f/7.3 Takahashi TOA-150 Apochromatic Refractor QHY268C Color CMOS (RGGB Bayer) Sony IMX571 23.5 x 15.7 (APS-C) 178.683º 72.6 48.6 3.76 0.69" 26.4 6280 4210 90% 51Ke 300 MOAG with Loadstar SX2 Paramount GTS None Large (26 MP, 16-bit) FITS files Telescope System Information and Specs
4 T5 Medium Deep Space 9.8 250 850 f/3.4 Takahashi Epsilon 250 Hyperbolic Flat-Field SBIG ST-10XME CCD 14.9 x 10.0 177º 60.6 40.8 6.8 1.66" 3.2 2184 1472 85% 100Ke NABG 300 External Guiding Paramount PME Red Green Blue, Ha, SII, OIII, Clear and Johnson's Cousin's Photometric B,V, and I filters. Non Anti Bloom Gate (NABG) CCD. Bright stars will bloom or bleed in long exposures. Keep your exposures short if very bright stars are in your target FoV. Telescope System Information and Specs
5 T11 Deep Space 20.1 510 2280 (0.66 reducer) f/4.5 Planewave CDK20 Corrected Dall-Kirkham FLI ProLine PL11002M CCD 36 x 24 (Full Format) 186.9º 54.3 36.2 9 0.81" 10.7 4008 2672 51% 60Ke ABG 600 Active Guiding Disabled Planewave Ascension 200HR AstroDon - Luminance, Red, Green, Blue. 3nm Ha3_50R, Sii3_50R, Oiii_50R. U, B, V, R, I Optics more sensitive to stray light gradients (e.g. during full moon) Telescope System Information and Specs
6 T14 Wide Field 4.2 106 530 f/5.0 Takahashi FSQ Fluorite Petzval Apochromatic Refractor SBIG STX-16803 CCD 36.8 x 36.8 90º 238.8 238.8 9 3.5" 16.8 4096 4096 60% 100Ke ABG 600 Unguided Paramount ME LRGB, Ha (5nm), SII(5nm), OIII(5nm), V Filters Dithering recommended Telescope System Information and Specs
7 T20 Wide Field 4.2 106 530 f/5.0 Takahashi FSQ-ED Petzval Apochromatic Refractor ZWO ASI2400C Color CMOS (14-bit ADC) (RGGB Bayer) Sony IMX410 36 x 24 (Full Format) 358.4º 233.7 155.8 5.94 2.31" 24.5 6072 4042 >80% 50Ke ABG 300 Unguided Paramount ME Optolong Lpro, Optolong LUltimate (Ha/OIII 3nm dual band), Astrodon Ha (3nm), SII (3nm) & OIII (5nm) FoV Rotated 90° relative to T14 for different framing opportunities. Telescope System Information and Specs
8 T21 Deep Space 17.0 431 1940 (0.66 reducer) f/4.5 Planewave CDK17 Corrected Dall-Kirkham FLI-PL6303E CCD 27.6 x 18.4 359º 49.2 32.8 9 0.96" 6.3 3072 2048 68% 100Ke NABG 600 Active Guiding Disabled Planewave Ascension 200HR Astrodon LRGB 50mm unmounted, Astrodon Ha, SII, OIII, 5nm, 50 mm unmounted, Astrodon UBVRI John/Cousins Photometry and Imaging system. Sensitive NABG CCD - susceptible to blooming artifacts from bright subjects Telescope System Information and Specs
9 T25 Deep Space 20.0 508 3454 f/6.8 Planewave CDK20 Corrected Dall-Kirkham Player One Zeus 455M PRO Mono CMOS Sony IMX455 36 x 24 (Full Format) 251.9º 36.2 24.2 3.76 0.23" 61.2 9576 6388 91% 71.6Ke 600 None Planewave L-500 Astrodon LRGB Gen2 I-Series Tru-Balance filters, Astrodon 3nm SII,Ha,OIII Produces very large files Telescope System Information and Specs
10 T26 Deep Space 20.0 508 1537 f/3.0 Planewave Delta Rho 500 Advanced Corrected Cassegrain Focus ASI6200MM Pro (mono) Mono CMOS Sony IMX455 36 x 24 (Full Format) 181º 80.4 54 7.52 (Bin2) 1.01" 15.3 4788 3194 91% 51.4Ke 300 None Planewave L-550 on Equatorial Wedge Chroma Filters: Wideband: Luminance, Red, Green & Blue Narrowband: SII, Ha & OIII with a 3nm optimise passband Bin2 only due to current software limitations Recommended Exposures: LRGB: 30s-180s. Narrowband: 180s-300s. 900s Available Telescope System Information and Specs
11 T68 One Shot Color (30 min free / day) 11.0 279 620 f/2.2 Celestron RASA 11" Rowe Ackerman Schmidt Astrograph ZWO ASI2600 Color Color CMOS (RGGB Bayer) Sony IMX571 23.6 x 15.6 (APS-C) 277º 130.2 87 3.76 1.25" 26.1 6248 4176 >50% 240 Via Mount Paramount ME II None Full-Time Free Telescope System Large (26 MP, 16-bit) FITS files Telescope System Information and Specs
12 Sierra Remote Observatory (MPC U69)
13 T24 Deep Space 24.0 610 3962 f/6.5 Planewave CDK24 Corrected Dall-Kirkham Player One Zeus 455M PRO Mono CMOS 36 x 24 90.7º 31.6 21.1 7.52 (Bin2) 0.395" 15.3 4788 3194 91% 71.6Ke 600 External Guiding (300s+) Planewave Ascension 200HR Astrodon LRGB2-E50S Astrodon HA3_50S, OIII3_50S, SII3_50S.Astrodon V, I (V*-50S, Ic*-50S) Best results on Bin1. Dithering highly recommended. Uses RBI Flush to prevent ghosting. Best to use 60, 120, 180, 300, 600 and 900s exposures to match with calibraiton data. Telescope System Information and Specs
14 Siding Springs Observatory, Australia (MPC Q62)
15 T8 Wide Field 4.2 106 530 f/5.0 Takahashi FSQ ED Petzval Apochromatic Refractor FLI Microline 16803 CCD 36.8 x 36.8 358º 238.8 238.8 9 3.5" 16.8 4096 4096 60% 100Ke ABG 600 External Paramount PME AstroDon Series 2 Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, EXO, Ha, SII, OIII, NIR Luminance Northern view is restricted by observatory roof. N Horizon limit is 75°. Dithering is recommended because T8's CCD sometimes produces dark columns. Telescope System Information and Specs
16 T17 Deep Field Astrophotography 17.0 432 2939 f/6.8 Planewave CDK17 Corrected Dall-Kirkham ASI6200MM Pro (mono) Mono CMOS Sony IMX455 36 x 24 (Full Format) 84.2º 42.4 28.3 7.52 (Bin2) 0.531" 15.3 4788 3194 91% (475nm) 51.4Ke 240 Unguided Paramount PME Astrodon: Luminance, Clear Astrodon: Red-E. Green-E. Blue-E Astrodon: Ha 5nm, 5nm OIII, 5nm, SII NEW CMOS Camera for astrophotography Bin2 only due to software limitations Telescope System Information and Specs
17 T30 Deep Space 20.0 508 2262 (0.66 reducer) f/4.4 Planewave CDK20 Corrected Dall-Kirkham FLI-PL6303E CCD 27.6 x 18.4 270º 41.6 27.8 9 0.81" 6.3 3072 2048 68% 100Ke NABG 300 Active Guiding Disabled Planewave Ascension 200HR AstroDon Tru-Balance Gen 2 E series Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, 5nm Ha, 5nm SII, 5nm OIII, and AstroDon Johnson/Cousins UvBVRcIc Very sensitive NABG CCD - susceptible to blooming artifacts from bright subjects Telescope System Information and Specs
18 T32 Wide Deep Field 17.0 431 2912 f/6.8 Planewave CDK17 Corrected Dall-Kirkham ASI6200MM Pro (mono) Mono CMOS Sony IMX455 36 x 24 (Full Format) 90º 42.4 28.3 7.52 (Bin2) 0.53" 15.3 4788 3194 91% (475nm) 51.4Ke 300 Active Guiding Disabled Planewave Ascension 200HR Astrodon E-Series Luminance Red, Green, Blue Astrodon 5nm Ha, SII, OIII Astrodon Johnson/Couisins V, Ic NEW CMOS Camera for astrophotography Bin2 only due to software limitations Telescope System Information and Specs
19 T33 Narrow Deep Field (30 min free / day) 12.6 320 2885 f/9.0 Star Instruments 12.5" RCOS Ritchey-Chrétien - Closed Carbon Tube Apogee Alta U16 CCD 36.8 x 36.8 359º 37 37 9 0.54" 16.8 4096 4096 69% 100Ke NABG 300 External Guiding Paramount ME Astrodon Series II: Luminance, Red, Green, Blue Astrodon Ha (5nm), SII, OIII (3nm) Full-Time Free Telescope System North Horizon limit is 45° Rec. exposures: LRGB at 300s. Narrowband at 300s Bin2, or 600s Bin1 on calm nights. Telescope System Information and Specs
20 T59 Wide Deep Field 20.1 510 3411 f/6.8 Planewave CDK20 Corrected Dall-Kirkham FLI Proline 16803 CCD 36.8 x 36.8 90º 37.2 37.2 9 0.54" 16.8 4096 4096 60% > 100X Saturation Exposure ABG 900 Active Guiding Disabled Planewave Ascension 200HR Astrodon E-Series Luminance Red, Green, Blue Astrodon 5nm Ha, SII, OIII Astrodon Johnson/Couisins, IcZ Capable of very long (15 min) exposures Telescope System Information and Specs
21 Deep Sky Chile (MPC X07)
22 T70 Super Wide Field 2.6 65 129 f/3.5 Samyang 135 mm @ f/3.5 Camera Lens ASI2600MM Pro (mono) Mono CMOS Sony IMX571 23.5 x 15.7 (APS-C) 314º 469.8 355.2 3.76 4.51" 26.1 6248 4176 60% 50Ke 300 ZWO 30 F/4 guidescope with Loadstar SX2 Paramount ME Astrodon Gen 2 E-Series LRGB, Ha, OIII, SII Note: Camera lens. Some residual coma occurs in the corners, and bright stars develop halos. This is normal and expected on this system. Telescope System Information and Specs
23 T71 Wide Field Astrophotography 7.1 180 500 f/2.8 Takahashi Epsilon 180ED Hyperbolic Corrected Newtonian Astrograph ASI2600MM Pro (mono) Mono CMOS Sony IMX571 23.5 x 15.7 (APS-C) 342.5º 161.4 108 3.76 1.55" 26.1 6248 4176 60% 50Ke 600 QHY miniguidescope f4.3 with Loadstar Pro Paramount MyT Astrodon Gen 2 I-Series LRGB, Ha (5nm), OIII (5nm), SII (5nm) Electronic shutter. No user dark frames can be taken. Calibrated data available for 10, 30, 60, 120 180, 300, 600s. Generates very large (26 MP, 101 MiB) FITS files Telescope System Information and Specs
24 T72 Deep Space 20.1 510 3411 F/6.8 Planewave CDK20 Corrected Dall-Kirkham FLI ML-16200 CCD 27 x 21.6 176º 26.93 21.53 6 0.359" 16.2 4500 3600 60% 39Ke ABG 600 None PlaneWave L-500 L,R,G,B,SII,Ha,OIII,U,V,B,R,I filters Raw calibration frames can be found at data.itelescope.net. (Bias Bin1 & Bin2 and Darks 900s Bin1 & 2 are scaled with high precision for photometry calibrated image data from 0 to 900 seconds). Telescope System Information and Specs
25 T73 Deep Field Astrophotography 14.0 356 2563 f/7.2 Planewave CDK14 Corrected Dall-Kirkham ASI2600MM Pro (mono) Mono CMOS Sony IMX571 23.5 x 15.7 (APS-C) 179.6º 31.8 21 3.76 0.31" 26.1 6248 4176 60% 50Ke 240 WO Guide Star 61 f5.9 guide scope with Starlight Xpress Ultrastar Pro (mono) guide camera Paramount MEII Chroma LRGB, Chroma 3nm Ha, OIII, SII (the ASI2600MM has an extremely low dark current making darks virtually redundant) Telescope System Information and Specs
26 T74
27 T75 Medium Deep Space 9.8 250 950 f/3.8 ASA N250 Newtownian Astrograph ASI6200MM Pro (mono) Mono CMOS Sony IMX455 36 x 24 (Full Format) 88.3º 137.4 91.8 7.52 (Bin2) 1.722" 15.3 4788 3194 91% 50Ke 600 ZWO 30 F/4 guide scope with ASI290MM mini Paramount MyT Chroma LRGB, Chroma 3nm Ha, OIII, SII Bin2 only due to current software limitations. Telescope System Information and Specs
28 AstroCamp Observatory, Spain (MPC I89)
29 T18 Medium Deep Space 12.5 318 1683 f/5.3 Planewave CDK12 Corrected Dall-Kirkham QHY600M-PH-US Mono Mono CMOS Sony IMX455 36 x 24 (Full Format) 150º 73.6 49.1 7.52 (Bin2) 0.92" (Bin2) 15.3 4788 3194 87% > 38Ke 300 External via Lodestar SX and 300mm guidescope Paramount PME Astrodon Series E LRGB. Astrodon 5nm Ha, SII, OIII. Photometric V (Custom Scientific Bessell) and Ic (Astrodon John/Cousins) Bin2 only due to current software limitations. SONY Full Frame BSI CMOS Sensor IMX455 Telescope System Information and Specs
30 Entre Encinas y Estrellas, Spain
31 T80 Super Wide Field 2.6 65 129 f/3.5 Samyang 135 mm @ f/3.5 Camera Lens ASI2600MM Pro P25 (mono) Mono CMOS Sony IMX571 23.5 x 15.7 (APS-C) 268º 622.2 415.8 3.76 5.98" 26.1 6248 4176 60% 50Ke 300 ZWO 30 F/4 guidescope with Loadstar SX2 Paramount MyT Astrodon Gen 2 E-Series LRGB, Ha, OIII, SII Note: Camera lens. Some residual coma occurs in the corners Telescope System Information and Specs

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# Observing plans and the T33 session runbook
ACP observing plans for iTelescope scopes, plus the procedure to run one on T33
(the free Siding Spring scope). Credentials are NOT in this repo: they live in
the local claudetemp itelescope folder (creds.txt, `username=`/`password=` lines).
## Plan format (ACP)
See [ngc104-test.txt](ngc104-test.txt). Directives, then a target line:
`Name<TAB>RA_decimal_hours<TAB>Dec_decimal_degrees`. Counts, intervals, binning
and filters are parallel comma-separated lists. `#shutdown` parks safely at the
end (iTelescope's own one-click plans do the same).
## T33 endpoints (base http://t33.itelescope.net:8033, HTTP auth = iTelescope creds)
| Purpose | Path |
|---|---|
| Status JSON (times, obsStat, obsOwner) | /ac/SystemStatus/asystemstatus.asp |
| Console text | /ac/SystemStatus/aconsread.asp |
| Scope connect control | /ac/SystemStatus/ascopeconn.asp |
| Shutter/roof status | /ac/SystemStatus/ashutterctl.asp |
| My plan folder (list/upload/delete) | /plans/qisback/aindex.asp, aupload.asp, adelfile.asp |
| Run a plan ("Acquire Images") | POST /ac/Plans/plan.asp |
| My logs | /logs/qisback/aindex.asp |
| Finished data | data.itelescope.net |
Upload: multipart POST to `/plans/qisback/aupload.asp`, fields `File1` (the file)
and `DestPath=/plans/qisback`. Verified working 2026-07-18; content round-trips
exactly.
Run: the web UI posts the plan select to `/ac/Plans/plan.asp`; the select's value
is the WINDOWS path `C:\ProgramData\ACP\ACP Web Data\Doc Root\plans\qisback\<file>`.
Field names seen: `plan`, optional `VPhot`, `AutoLogoff`. NOT yet exercised live
(observatory was closed, daytime); the first live session must confirm whether a
scope-connect POST (ascopeconn.asp) is required first, and capture the exact
response shape.
## The 47 Tuc free-session test (ngc104-test.txt)
- Target: NGC 104 / 47 Tucanae, RA 0.4015 h, Dec -72.0814 deg (circumpolar at SSO).
- L 4x120 s, RGB 2x90 s each, Bin2: about 17 min exposure, about 24 min with
overhead, inside the daily free 30 minutes.
- Uploaded to /plans/qisback/ on 2026-07-18 and verified.
### When to run
47 Tuc clears T33's 20 degree minimum elevation in the second half of the SSO
night. SSO local = UTC+10; the good window is roughly 14:00-19:30 UTC (UK
afternoon/evening). Sunrise at SSO was 06:14 local (20:14 UTC) at recon time;
stop well before dawn.
### Procedure
1. GET asystemstatus.asp: confirm observatory open (obsStat) and no other user
(obsOwner n/a). If someone is on, wait and retry; T33 is first-come.
2. Confirm the plan file is still in /plans/qisback/ (aindex.asp).
3. POST plan.asp with the plan's Windows path to start acquisition.
4. Poll aconsread.asp (console) every minute or two: slew, centering, filter
changes, exposures. The run self-terminates via #shutdown.
5. Images land in /images/qisback/ on the scope server and then on
data.itelescope.net; logs in /logs/qisback/.
6. Record the session outcome in state/NOTES.md.
Abort path if something looks wrong: the web UI exposes an abort on the console
page; locate it live before starting exposures (not yet mapped).
## Reservations (verified working 2026-07-18)
Reservations live at http://reservations.itelescope.net ("Reservations Pilot"),
reached from each scope's /ac/MenuItems/reservation-edit.asp iframe as
`?t=<scope-id>&u=<username>` (scope ids look like GRAS059 for T59, GRAS033 for
T33; full list in the resources JSON on go.itelescope.net/Reservation/Overview.aspx,
whose embedded DayPilot events also show everyone's bookings, roof/sun times, and
the moon discount per night). No separate login: it trusts the u= parameter once a
session cookie exists.
Creating one is a three-step WebForms dance against
`New.aspx?start=<ISO local>&end=<ISO local>&r=<scope-id>` (times are OBSERVATORY
LOCAL): (1) GET the form, (2) POST tokens + DropDownStartTime/DropDownEndTime
(e.g. "12:05 AM"/"3:45 AM") + PlanToRunListBox=<plan file> + RescheduleCheckbox
+ ButtonRefreshPlans=Refresh Plans, which re-renders with Confirm enabled,
(3) re-POST the fresh tokens with the same fields + ReservationOKButton=Confirm
Reservation. Success = response script `ModalStatic.result("OK")` AND the booking
appearing in the grid: the modal also says "OK" on silent failure, so ALWAYS
re-fetch the grid and look for the reservation id + username.
Availability probing (2026-07-21): a plain GET of
`New.aspx?start=...&end=...&r=...` is a cheap, side-effect-free conflict check.
The form comes back with the two time dropdowns populated for +/-60 min around
the requested times, and if the slot collides with someone else's booking it
also renders "Conflicting reservation. Start time must be later than H:MM AM".
No message plus a full pair of dropdowns means the window is clear. This beats
reading the DayPilot grid, whose event divs do not survive a plain
Invoke-WebRequest fetch (they are rendered client-side).
Rules learned: maximum reservation length 4:00; recommended duration 1.5x total
imaging time; the attached plan is auto-started by iTelescope at reservation
start (no walk-in POST needed); RescheduleCheckbox auto-rebooks the identical
timeslot on the first available night of the next 30 if the run does not happen.
Delete/edit via Edit.aspx?id=<reservation id> from the grid.

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;
; Cat Paw NGC 6334 in Ha on T8 - phase 2 narrowband
; Ha 9x600s Bin1. 90 min imaging. Bright moon OK.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 9
#interval 600
#binning 1
#filter Ha
NGC6334 17.340000 -36.116667
#shutdown

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;
; Centaurus A (NGC 5128) on T32 for qisback - drain campaign phase 1
; L 12x300s, RGB 4x300s each. 120 min imaging.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 12,4,4,4
#interval 300,300,300,300
#binning 2,2,2,2
#filter Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
NGC5128 13.424333 -43.019139
#shutdown

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;
; Corona Australis dust complex on T8 for qisback - drain campaign phase 1
; L 8x300s Bin1, RGB 5x300s each Bin2. 115 min imaging.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 8,5,5,5
#interval 300,300,300,300
#binning 1,2,2,2
#filter Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
CrA-complex 19.030000 -36.955000
#shutdown

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;
; Centaurus A (NGC 5128) HDR core set on T32 for qisback - drain campaign
; Companion to cena-t32.txt (2026-07-21, 24x300s LRGB BIN2), whose nucleus is
; saturated: the core reaches 65313 ADU in a single 300s luminance sub.
; This is the short-exposure ladder to blend under that core.
; L 8x60s, 8x15s, 8x5s spans a 60x range below 300s; RGB 5x30s gives the
; nucleus colour. BIN2 throughout so the frames register to the deep stack
; without rescaling. 18.2 min imaging total.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 8,8,8,5,5,5
#interval 60,15,5,30,30,30
#binning 2,2,2,2,2,2
#filter Luminance,Luminance,Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
NGC5128 13.424333 -43.019139
#shutdown

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;
; 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) free-session test plan for qisback
; L 4x120s, RGB 2x90s each, Bin2. ~17 min exposure, ~24 min with overhead.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 4,2,2,2
#interval 120,90,90,90
#binning 2,2,2,2
#filter Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
NGC104 0.401500 -72.081389
#shutdown

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;
; NGC 6188 Fighting Dragons on T59, session A: Ha + OIII - phase 2 narrowband
; Ha 6x600s, OIII 6x600s. 120 min imaging. Bright moon OK.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 6,6
#interval 600,600
#binning 1,1
#filter Ha,OIII
NGC6188 16.669167 -48.796667
#shutdown

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;
; NGC 6188 on T59, session B: SII + extra Ha - phase 2 narrowband
; SII 6x600s, Ha 3x600s. 90 min imaging. Bright moon OK.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 6,3
#interval 600,600
#binning 1,1
#filter SII,Ha
NGC6188 16.669167 -48.796667
#shutdown

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;
; NGC 6744 paid session on T59 for qisback
; L 15x300s Bin1, RGB 7x300s each Bin2.
; 180 min imaging = ~240 pts at Plan-40 rate 80/hr before moon discount.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 15,7,7,7
#interval 300,300,300,300
#binning 1,2,2,2
#filter Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
NGC6744 19.162833 -63.857500
#shutdown

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;
; NGC 6752 (Pavo globular) free-session plan for qisback
; L 4x120s, RGB 2x90s each, Bin2. ~17 min exposure, ~24 min with overhead.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 4,2,2,2
#interval 120,90,90,90
#binning 2,2,2,2
#filter Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
NGC6752 19.181111 -59.984444
#shutdown

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;
; Scorpius tail super-wide (Prawn/Cat Paw region) on T70 for qisback - phase 1
; L 10x300s, RGB 4x300s each. 110 min imaging.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 10,4,4,4
#interval 300,300,300,300
#binning 1,1,1,1
#filter Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
Scorpius-tail 16.916667 -40.000000
#shutdown

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;
; SMC + 47 Tucanae in one T8 frame - phase 3 signature shot
; L 8x300s Bin1, RGB 6x300s each Bin2. 130 min imaging. Dark of moon.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 8,6,6,6
#interval 300,300,300,300
#binning 1,2,2,2
#filter Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
SMC-47Tuc 0.650000 -72.500000
#shutdown

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;
; Tarantula Nebula NGC 2070 on T32 - phase 3
; L 10x300s, RGB 5x300s each. 125 min imaging. Pre-dawn rising target.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 10,5,5,5
#interval 300,300,300,300
#binning 2,2,2,2
#filter Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
NGC2070 5.643333 -69.100000
#shutdown

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# Architecture
> How the system is built and why. Update this when the structure changes; a change is
> not finished until this reflects it.
A documentation-only repo; there is no code.
- `TELESCOPES.md`: the deliverable. Per-observatory sections, one entry per telescope
(spec bullets then a review paragraph), a "choosing a telescope" table, and general
observations. Compiled from the sources below, dated in its header.
- `data/itelescope-telescopes.csv`: verbatim CSV export of iTelescope's maintained
specs Google Sheet. Treated as the source of truth for numbers; re-exported to
refresh (see state/NOTES.md).
- `state/`: Default Workflow project memory.
- `CLAUDE.md` + `docs/`: the Default Workflow itself, copied from the
Default-Workflow repo so the project is self-contained.

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# Decisions
> A dated, append only log of decisions and their rationale. Newest at the top. Never
> rewrite past entries; if a decision is reversed, add a new entry that says so.
## 2026-07-17: follow the Google Sheet, not the support article
The support article (https://support.itelescope.net/support/solutions/articles/247371)
and the maintained Google Sheet
(https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jZWkkjewOuyNC9YzQ8y2d0pO1e4T7EBeysmQMPBVSOk/)
disagree: the article lists T9, T19, T31, T69, which the sheet omits; the sheet has
T25, T26, T59, T71-T75, T80, which the article lacks. The article itself points to
the sheet as the current source, so the review follows the sheet and notes the
discrepancy. The sheet CSV export is snapshotted in data/ so the review's numbers
remain reproducible even if the sheet changes.
## 2026-07-17: single review document, not per-telescope files
23 active scopes each need only a spec block and a short assessment; one TELESCOPES.md
grouped by observatory reads better and is easier to keep current than 23 stub files.
Revisit if per-scope content grows (photos, session logs).
## 2026-07-17: no launchpad scraping
https://go.itelescope.net/ is an authenticated app shell with no public data. All
content comes from public support pages and the public sheet; nothing in this repo
requires iTelescope credentials.
Per-telescope detail pages, if ever needed:
support.itelescope.net/support/solutions/articles/231901-231920 (older scopes),
245471 (T68), 251171 (T70), 251556 (T69), 251589 (T19).

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# Notes
> Working notes, gotchas, environment quirks, and dead ends to avoid. Free form. The
> point is to save a future session from rediscovering something the hard way.
- Refresh the specs snapshot with:
`curl -sL "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jZWkkjewOuyNC9YzQ8y2d0pO1e4T7EBeysmQMPBVSOk/export?format=csv" -o data/itelescope-telescopes.csv`
- The CSV has multi-line cells (quoted); line count is not row count. Telescope rows
start `T<number>,`; observatory header rows have an empty first column.
- Sensors are 16-bit ADC unless noted (T20's ASI2400C is 14-bit).
- Free scopes (30 min/day): T68 (Utah), T33 (Siding Spring).
- Minimum elevation limits come from the support article, not the sheet.
## Automation recon (2026-07-18, all verified live)
Credentials live OUTSIDE this repo (local claudetemp, never commit them).
- go.itelescope.net is ASP.NET WebForms. Login: GET /login.aspx, POST
UsernameTextBox/PasswordTextBox plus __VIEWSTATE, __VIEWSTATEGENERATOR,
__EVENTVALIDATION, LoginButton=Login; session cookie then works everywhere.
- JSON service at /DataService.svc (session-cookie auth): GetAccountStatus
(balance, plan, renewal), GetMyAvailablePlans (per-plan, per-scope
AccessDiscount), ApplyPromoCode (POST). More methods likely; enumerate from
inline $.ajax calls on each page (Scripts/Common.js has none).
- Home page /default.aspx carries live network status text (per-scope
offline/online reasons) plus points balance: cheap to poll.
- Reservation/Overview.aspx links every telescope's own control server:
https://tNN.itelescope.online/ or http://tNN.itelescope.net:80NN/. These are
ACP web servers behind HTTP auth accepting the same iTelescope credentials
(verified read-only on T33: index.asp is a TiddlyWiki info page, min elevation
20 degrees, 900 s max exposure). Session control and plan submission happen
here; ACP endpoint mapping is the next step.
- Reservation/Planner.aspx now redirects to https://lookup.itelescope.online
(new planning tool, not yet explored).
- Weather per site: Weather/Weather.aspx?site=UDRO|SSO|DSC|SRO|AC|EYE.
- Account: Plan-40 (GBP 32.00 per 28 days), renewal 12 Aug 2026, subscribed
since Apr 2019, balance 2,638 points at recon time.
## Rate card (2026-07-18, points per imaging hour, billed per minute)
Extracted from MyAccount/UpdatePlan.aspx: each scope row carries
data-default-rate (dark-of-moon base); effective rate = base x (1 -
AccessDiscount from DataService GetMyAvailablePlans) x (1 - moon discount,
server-side table keyed on illumination, not extracted yet). Plan-40 discount
is 10% on most scopes, 20% on a few, 0% on the newest (T25, T26, T73, T74).
Plan-40 rates before moon discount: T2 50, T5 68, T8 130, T10 146, T11 161,
T14 97, T17 135, T18 81, T20 89, T21 76, T24 186, T25 322, T26 394, T30 161,
T32 146, T33 0 (free), T59 80, T68 0 (free), T70 119, T71 106, T72 202,
T73 224, T74 295, T75 202, T80 119.
Standouts: T59 at 80/hr is the value big scope (20" CDK, square 37 arcmin
field, 900 s subs); T5 at 68/hr the cheapest paid; T26 at 394/hr the dearest.
Billing is per minute of imaging (exposure) time, so overhead is not billed.
**RATE CORRECTION (2026-07-20, from the first real bill):** the paragraph above
underestimates. T59 session 851148: 180 min of exposure, wall clock 00:05:22 to
03:29:56 (3h24m34s), history "Time Used" 3h24m32s = WALL time, billed 381 points
at 0% moon discount. That is ~112 pts/hr of wall time or ~127 pts/hr of exposure
time, vs the 80/hr the card predicted. So either Time Used (wall clock) is what
gets billed, or the card's data-default-rate is stale. Consequence: estimate
sessions at rate x reserved-slot-length (slots run ~1.15-1.5x imaging time), i.e.
multiply old exposure-based estimates by ~1.6 until more bills confirm the model.
**RATE CORRECTION 2 (2026-07-21, second bill; SUPERSEDES the x1.6 rule above).**
T32 session 851344: 120 min of exposure, Time Used 2h25m55s, 25% moon discount,
billed 160. 160 = 2.00 h x 80 exactly, and the T59 bill is 381 = 3.00 h x 127
exactly. Both land on the plan's IMAGING minutes to the point, and neither lands
on wall time. So the wall-clock theory is dead and the original "billed per
minute of exposure" documentation was right; what is wrong is the card's
per-scope numbers. Observed effective rates: **T59 127/hr** (card said 80),
**T32 80/hr even after a 25% moon discount**, implying a base near 107/hr (card
said 146). The pair looks transposed, but two samples cannot prove it. Rules:
do NOT apply any blanket multiplier; derive each scope's rate from its first
real bill; until then treat a card rate as +/-60%; and compute estimates from
the plan's exposure total, never from the reserved slot length.
Paid imaging needs no reservation when a scope is idle: same walk-in ACP flow
as the free scopes, points just deduct. Reservations (to guarantee a slot) go
through lookup.itelescope.online, which is Cloudflare-protected: Playwright
needed.

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# Project: itelescope
> The anchor document. A session that reads only this, TODO.md and DECISIONS.md should
> understand what the project is and what to do next. Keep it current.
## Objective
A reference and review of the iTelescope.net remote telescope network: what each
telescope is, what it is good at, and which one to book for a given kind of target.
Since 2026-07-18 the active objective is the drain campaign (CAMPAIGN.md): spend
the account's 2,638 points on southern-sky imaging by 10 Aug 2026, download all
data, then cancel the membership before the 12 Aug renewal. Cancellation needs
explicit user confirmation on the day.
## Scope
- In scope: reviews and spec tables for every telescope on the iTelescope network,
grouped by observatory; source data snapshots; guidance on choosing a scope.
- Out of scope: automating bookings, image processing, anything requiring the
iTelescope login (the launchpad at go.itelescope.net is authenticated).
## Audience
Laurence, when planning imaging or photometry runs on iTelescope, and anyone else
choosing a telescope on the network.
## Description
iTelescope.net operates remote telescopes across six observatories (Utah, Sierra
California, Siding Spring Australia, Deep Sky Chile, AstroCamp Spain, e-EyE Spain).
Public specs are scattered across a Freshdesk support article and a maintained Google
Sheet. This repo snapshots that data and turns it into a usable review: per-telescope
assessments plus a "which scope for what" guide.
## Success criteria
- Every active telescope on the network has an entry with specs and an assessment.
- A reader can pick the right scope for widefield, deep space, galaxies, photometry,
or free imaging without visiting the source pages.
## Key facts
- Trunk branch: main
- Forge / remote: https://git.discworld.casa/laurence/itelescope
- Runtime / stack: markdown only; source data in data/ as CSV
- How to run it: nothing to run; read TELESCOPES.md

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# <feature title>
> Fill this in when opening the PR. It is the summary a later documentation session
> reads to write the docs, so make it complete and self contained.
## Feature
<What was built, in plain terms.>
## What was achieved
<The outcome. What now works that did not before.>
## How to verify
<Steps or commands to confirm it works.>
## Tools used
<Languages, libraries, commands, services involved.>
## How it works
<Enough detail for a documentation session to start from this PR alone: the approach,
the key files, and how the pieces connect.>
## State updated
- [ ] `state/TODO.md`
- [ ] `state/DECISIONS.md` (if a decision was made)
- [ ] `state/ARCHITECTURE.md` (if the structure changed)
## Follow ups
<Anything deferred or worth doing next.>

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# TODO
> The current state of play. Keep it honest and current; this is what the next session
> reads to know what to do. Move items between sections as they progress.
## Done
- 2026-07-17: repo created on git.discworld.casa, Default Workflow scaffold copied in.
- 2026-07-17: specs sheet snapshotted to data/itelescope-telescopes.csv (24 scopes).
- 2026-07-17: TELESCOPES.md written: per-scope reviews for all 23 active telescopes
plus a choosing guide (T74 noted as in commissioning, no specs published).
- 2026-07-18: TARGETS.md written: southern targets invisible from the UK (dec tiers
from lat 51.5°N), matched to Q62/X07 scopes, seasonal booking calendar, and a
July-August starter campaign (T33 free, T71 narrowband, T73 galaxy, T8 LMC later).
## Done (recent)
- 2026-07-20: NGC 6744 on T59 SUCCEEDED (reservation 749227, txn 851148): full
LRGB dataset on the scope server (L 15x300s BIN1, RGB 7x300s each BIN2),
previews verified clean. Billed 381 pts (est was ~240: see the rate
correction in NOTES.md). Balance now 2,257. Ledger updated in CAMPAIGN.md.
## Done (recent)
- 2026-07-21 ~08:55 UTC: free T33 47 Tuc retry booked as reservation 749314
(grid-verified), third attempt at the first-light test, runs 14:05-14:50 UTC
21 Jul, costs 0.
## Done (recent)
- 2026-07-21 11:40 UTC: Cen A on T32 verified COMPLETE (billed 160, NGC5128
images on the scope server), and queue #2 (Corona Australis on T8) booked for
the night of 22 Jul, 21:45-00:45 SSO local, which brackets the target's
culmination instead of chasing it down the western sky. Rate model rebuilt
from two actual bills. Details in the CAMPAIGN.md session note.
## In progress
- T33 first-light test on its THIRD booking (749314), which had NOT yet run as of
11:40 UTC 21 Jul: it starts 14:05 UTC. Verify after 14:50 UTC (images and logs
on t33.itelescope.net:8033 were still empty/stale at 11:40, as expected). The
two prior free reservations (749228, 749229) expired unused with reschedule=No;
if 749314 also fails to run, stop rebooking and either walk it in (POST
plan.asp per plans/README.md) or drop the free objective.
- The T32 HDR core set (plans/hdrcore-t32.txt) was booked and then CANCELLED on
2026-07-21 without running: the Cen A nucleus is not saturated, the earlier
claim having measured a foreground star. See the correction in CAMPAIGN.md.
Zero points spent. The plan file remains available on T32 if a genuinely
saturated target turns up.
- The 21 Jul Cen A data has been fully processed off-repo, in the user's
Downloads\NGC5128\20260721\stacked folder: masters, plate solution (0.27
arcsec on 237 stars), an LRGB composite, a globular cluster survey (289
candidates, 62% catalogue-confirmed, density falling 10.5x outward), surface
photometry (Sersic n = 4.27, Re = 400 arcsec, total G = 6.56, which matches
the catalogued brightness and so validates the photometric chain), and a
transient/moving-object search (both null, with measured limits). METHODS.md
there documents the lot. Nothing from that analysis needs to come back into
this repo, but two results affect FUTURE sessions and are recorded here:
**(a)** measure saturation properly before buying short subs, and **(b)** the
faint outer halo in that stack is limited by the sky-plane subtraction
(-17.9 ADU/px of real halo light absorbed), not by exposure time, so more
integration alone would not have gone deeper.
- CrA on T8 runs 11:45-14:45 UTC 22 Jul. Verify after 14:45 UTC: images under
/images/qisback/T8/ on t8.itelescope.net:8008, then the actual bill from
account/history.aspx into the ledger. This is the first T8 bill, so it also
fixes T8's effective rate (card says 130/hr; trust nothing until observed).
- DRAIN CAMPAIGN ACTIVE (see CAMPAIGN.md): spend the full balance by 10 Aug,
then cancel before the 12 Aug renewal (user confirmation required for the
cancel itself). 541 of 2,638 spent; 2,097 remain. The x1.6 estimate multiplier
is WITHDRAWN: billing is on plan imaging minutes, and per-scope rates must come
from actual bills (T59 127/hr, T32 80/hr observed; the NOTES rate card is
unreliable). On current numbers the campaign UNDER-spends by ~800: plan extra
or longer runs, do not trim. Reschedule flag never sticks (grid always shows
No): treat every reservation as one-shot and verify the morning after.
Download the NGC 6744 and NGC 5128 data from data.itelescope.net before the
10 Aug cancellation sweep. Update the CAMPAIGN.md ledger after every session
from account/history.aspx.
## Pending
- Automation: map the ACP web endpoints on a per-scope server (start with free
T33) for plan submission and status; explore lookup.itelescope.online (the new
planner); enumerate more /DataService.svc methods. Recon notes in NOTES.md.
- Campaign impact (status seen 2026-07-18): T71 and T73 are offline
(development/mount testing), as are T2, T17, T18, T20, T25, T30, T72, T74,
T75, T80. T8, T33, T32, T59 at Siding Spring are operational. Re-plan the
July-August campaign around T33 free time and Siding Spring scopes until the
Chile rebuild finishes; re-check status before any booking.
- Fill in T74 when iTelescope publishes its specs.
- Reconcile the retired scopes (T9, T19, T31, T69): the support article still lists
them but the maintained sheet does not; confirm status and note it.
- Optional: per-telescope detail pages on support.itelescope.net (links in
DECISIONS.md) hold photos and operational history if deeper entries are ever wanted.
- Periodic refresh: re-export the Google Sheet and diff against data/ to catch new or
changed systems.