diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bc1908d --- /dev/null +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -0,0 +1,65 @@ +# 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) | | first-light test | +| 2026-07-19 | T59 | NGC 6744 | ngc6744-t59.txt | 180 min | ~240 | | first paid run | +| 2026-07-20 | T33 | NGC 6752 | ngc6752.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | | | + +## 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. + +**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 + +- Every paid session follows plans/README.md (walk-in when idle; same ACP flow as + the free scopes). Upload plans the day before where possible. +- 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. diff --git a/plans/ngc6744-t59.txt b/plans/ngc6744-t59.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6e76e66 --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/ngc6744-t59.txt @@ -0,0 +1,13 @@ +; +; 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 diff --git a/state/PROJECT.md b/state/PROJECT.md index 9139d4e..316170d 100644 --- a/state/PROJECT.md +++ b/state/PROJECT.md @@ -8,6 +8,11 @@ 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, diff --git a/state/TODO.md b/state/TODO.md index e1d372d..2ba756f 100644 --- a/state/TODO.md +++ b/state/TODO.md @@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ plans/ngc6752.txt (uploaded to T33, verified) if the 47 Tuc test succeeded, otherwise retries ngc104-test.txt. Whichever session runs must record its outcome here and in NOTES so the other knows. +- 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). First paid run: NGC 6744 on T59 (plans/ngc6744-t59.txt, + uploaded and verified), scheduled 2026-07-19 after the free test, ~240 pts. + Update the CAMPAIGN.md ledger after every session from account/history.aspx. ## Pending