From c45d87c9d0a456aa97d5474b896a07d17af55625 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2026 22:32:29 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 01/12] Rate card: per-scope Plan-40 points rates extracted from the portal The UpdatePlan page embeds each telescope's dark-of-moon base rate in a data-default-rate attribute; effective rate = base x (1 - plan AccessDiscount from DataService.svc/GetMyAvailablePlans) x (1 - moon discount from a server-side illumination table, not yet extracted). Records the computed Plan-40 rates for all 25 listed scopes, the billing model (points per imaging hour, billed per minute of exposure time, overhead unbilled), the walk-in rule (idle scopes need no reservation; the ACP flow is identical to the free scopes with points deducting), and the Cloudflare constraint on the reservation planner. --- state/NOTES.md | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+) diff --git a/state/NOTES.md b/state/NOTES.md index 37fc86d..12a6266 100644 --- a/state/NOTES.md +++ b/state/NOTES.md @@ -35,3 +35,24 @@ Credentials live OUTSIDE this repo (local claudetemp, never commit them). - 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. +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. From 08fef91b57aada8e463e0d7951082f65766f62ae Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2026 22:41:33 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 02/12] Drain campaign: spend the balance by 10 Aug, then close the account User decision 2026-07-18: use the full 2,638-point balance on southern imaging, then cancel the membership before the 12 Aug renewal (GBP 32). CAMPAIGN.md holds the plan: policy facts that force the order (points are non-refundable and unusable without an active subscription, per support article 142963), a three-phase allocation shaped by the moon (dark-night LRGB now and 3-10 Aug, narrowband through the bright 24 Jul - 2 Aug week), a per-session ledger to reconcile against account/history.aspx, the 10 Aug data-download-then-cancel endgame, and the rule that the cancellation POST itself is never submitted without explicit user confirmation on the day. plans/ngc6744-t59.txt is the first paid run (T59, L 15x300 Bin1 + RGB 7x300 Bin2, ~180 min imaging, ~240 pts), already uploaded to T59 and verified byte-identical. PROJECT.md and TODO.md updated to make the drain the active objective for any future session. --- CAMPAIGN.md | 65 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ plans/ngc6744-t59.txt | 13 +++++++++ state/PROJECT.md | 5 ++++ state/TODO.md | 5 ++++ 4 files changed, 88 insertions(+) create mode 100644 CAMPAIGN.md create mode 100644 plans/ngc6744-t59.txt 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 From c1d353ca10527341a0fdfdae4d32814af0f9224a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2026 22:56:36 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 03/12] T59 window fix: third-party reservation constrains the NGC 6744 run The booking grid (Reservation/Overview.aspx embeds the DayPilot events) shows astrosharp holding T59 from 03:50 to 04:40 SSO local on 20 Jul, i.e. 17:50-19:40 UTC on 19 Jul, which collided with the original 15:33 UTC walk-in start. The run is rescheduled to start ~14:15 UTC (parallel with the free T33 test, different scope) so it completes by 17:45 UTC, with a trim-or-skip rule if the start slips. The grid also confirms a 25% moon discount in effect, so the cost estimate drops from ~240 to ~185 points; ledger updated. Times in the embedded grid are per-observatory local time (verified against Utah sunset and the first-quarter moon note). --- CAMPAIGN.md | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md index bc1908d..4f1c54e 100644 --- a/CAMPAIGN.md +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Update after every run: date, scope, target, imaging minutes, points charged | 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 | +| 2026-07-19 | T59 | NGC 6744 | ngc6744-t59.txt | 180 min | ~185 (25% moon disc.) | | first paid run; must clear scope by 17:45 UTC (astrosharp reservation 17:50-19:40 UTC) | | 2026-07-20 | T33 | NGC 6752 | ngc6752.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | | | ## Planned allocation (~2,600 points, adapt as scopes/weather allow) From 9003d672ff3ebee98b8af89b59b641157a96fa4e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2026 23:04:26 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 04/12] Reservations created for all three sessions; mechanics documented The Reservations Pilot app at reservations.itelescope.net is now mapped and driven end to end: three-step WebForms flow (form GET, Refresh Plans postback with plan+times selected which enables Confirm, then Confirm), observatory-local times, 4-hour maximum, plan attachment causing iTelescope to auto-start the run at reservation start, and the reschedule flag that rebooks weather losses on the next free night. Crucial gotcha recorded: the confirm modal returns OK even when nothing was created (first attempt silently failed on the 4-hour rule), so verification against the grid is mandatory. Live reservations: 749227 (T59, NGC 6744, 00:05-03:45 SSO local 20 Jul), 749228 (T33, 47 Tuc test, 00:05-00:50 same night), 749229 (T33, NGC 6752, 00:05-00:50 following night). Ledger corrected: T59 moon discount is 0% until 21 Jul (the earlier 25% figure came from a Utah scope's grid), so the NGC 6744 estimate returns to ~240 pts. Monitoring crons replace the old starter crons since the scheduler now fires the plans itself. --- CAMPAIGN.md | 13 ++++++++----- plans/README.md | 26 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 34 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-) diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md index 4f1c54e..261d7c7 100644 --- a/CAMPAIGN.md +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -23,9 +23,9 @@ Update after every run: date, scope, target, imaging minutes, points charged | 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 | ~185 (25% moon disc.) | | first paid run; must clear scope by 17:45 UTC (astrosharp reservation 17:50-19:40 UTC) | -| 2026-07-20 | T33 | NGC 6752 | ngc6752.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | | | +| 2026-07-19 | T33 | 47 Tuc | ngc104-test.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | | first-light test; reservation 749228, 00:05-00:50 SSO local 20 Jul, auto-runs | +| 2026-07-19 | T59 | NGC 6744 | ngc6744-t59.txt | 180 min | ~240 (0% moon disc. until 21 Jul) | | first paid run; reservation 749227, 00:05-03:45 SSO local 20 Jul, auto-runs, reschedule flag on; astrosharp holds 03:50-04:40 | +| 2026-07-20 | T33 | NGC 6752 | ngc6752.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | | reservation 749229, 00:05-00:50 SSO local 21 Jul, auto-runs | ## Planned allocation (~2,600 points, adapt as scopes/weather allow) @@ -54,8 +54,11 @@ 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. +- 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. diff --git a/plans/README.md b/plans/README.md index a55f277..1a0688d 100644 --- a/plans/README.md +++ b/plans/README.md @@ -63,3 +63,29 @@ stop well before dawn. 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=&u=` (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=&end=&r=` (times are OBSERVATORY +LOCAL): (1) GET the form, (2) POST tokens + DropDownStartTime/DropDownEndTime +(e.g. "12:05 AM"/"3:45 AM") + PlanToRunListBox= + 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. + +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= from the grid. From a091e38bc4a3f0ff0e76e911e676ad334979b28b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2026 23:25:22 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 05/12] Booking queue: full campaign reservations attempted, quota documented All seven remaining campaign sessions were attempted against reservations.itelescope.net in one pass. The rolling reservation allowance (8 hours outstanding on Plan-40) admitted only the Cat's Paw Ha session (749230, T8, night of 26 Jul, verified via Edit.aspx?id= since the grid cannot page that far forward); the other six returned 'quota.' and are recorded as a ready-to-fire queue with exact New.aspx parameters. All plans are uploaded and verified on T8/T32/T59; T70's plan could not be uploaded (scope server unreachable, consistent with the Chile outage) and its entry is blocked pending the server returning. Substitution rules recorded: T71, if it returns, takes the widefield sessions (better optics, lower rate); T70 books as-is if reachable; status line checked before every booking round. Booking cadence: a daily job (or manual 'process the booking queue') books queue items in order as completed sessions release quota. --- CAMPAIGN.md | 31 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 31 insertions(+) diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md index 261d7c7..a42ba84 100644 --- a/CAMPAIGN.md +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -49,6 +49,37 @@ Update after every run: date, scope, target, imaging minutes, points charged 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 | +|---|---|---|---|---|---| +| 749227 | T59 | 19 Jul | 00:05-03:45 | ngc6744-t59.txt | ~240 | +| 749228 | T33 | 19 Jul | 00:05-00:50 | ngc104-test.txt | 0 | +| 749229 | T33 | 20 Jul | 00:05-00:50 | ngc6752.txt | 0 | +| 749230 | T8 | 26 Jul | 21:35-23:55 | catspaw-t8.txt | ~146 (25% moon disc.) | + +## 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 | GRAS032 | 2026-07-21T00:35:00 | 2026-07-21T03:35:00 | 12:35 AM | 3:35 AM | cena-t32.txt | ~292 | +| 2 | GRAS008 | 2026-07-22T01:35:00 | 2026-07-22T04:35:00 | 1:35 AM | 4:35 AM | 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 | + +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.** From 512cdd30746f40043d6fe4605c16d6273e8c8626 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2026 23:25:54 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 06/12] Campaign plan files for every queued session The eight ACP plans backing the drain-campaign booking queue: cena-t32 (Centaurus A LRGB), cra-t8 (Corona Australis dust), catspaw-t8 (NGC 6334 Ha, booked as 749230), smc47tuc-t8 (the SMC + 47 Tuc signature frame), tarantula-t32 (NGC 2070 LRGB), ngc6188-haoiii-t59 and ngc6188-sii-t59 (bright-moon narrowband pair), scorpius-t70 (super-wide, pending the T70 server returning). All except scorpius-t70 are uploaded to their scopes and verified byte-identical; keeping them in the repo lets any session re-upload after scope-side maintenance wipes or for T71 substitution re-cuts. Binning conventions: Bin1 L / Bin2 RGB on the CCD scopes (T8), Bin2 throughout on T32 (camera is Bin2-only), Bin1 on modern CMOS (T70), Bin1 narrowband on T59 with 600 s subs. --- plans/catspaw-t8.txt | 12 ++++++++++++ plans/cena-t32.txt | 12 ++++++++++++ plans/cra-t8.txt | 12 ++++++++++++ plans/ngc6188-haoiii-t59.txt | 12 ++++++++++++ plans/ngc6188-sii-t59.txt | 12 ++++++++++++ plans/scorpius-t70.txt | 12 ++++++++++++ plans/smc47tuc-t8.txt | 12 ++++++++++++ plans/tarantula-t32.txt | 12 ++++++++++++ 8 files changed, 96 insertions(+) create mode 100644 plans/catspaw-t8.txt create mode 100644 plans/cena-t32.txt create mode 100644 plans/cra-t8.txt create mode 100644 plans/ngc6188-haoiii-t59.txt create mode 100644 plans/ngc6188-sii-t59.txt create mode 100644 plans/scorpius-t70.txt create mode 100644 plans/smc47tuc-t8.txt create mode 100644 plans/tarantula-t32.txt diff --git a/plans/catspaw-t8.txt b/plans/catspaw-t8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c541cfb --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/catspaw-t8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +; +; 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 diff --git a/plans/cena-t32.txt b/plans/cena-t32.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..94e44c3 --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/cena-t32.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +; +; 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 diff --git a/plans/cra-t8.txt b/plans/cra-t8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..03663b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/cra-t8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +; +; 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 diff --git a/plans/ngc6188-haoiii-t59.txt b/plans/ngc6188-haoiii-t59.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4299bdd --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/ngc6188-haoiii-t59.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +; +; 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 diff --git a/plans/ngc6188-sii-t59.txt b/plans/ngc6188-sii-t59.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..864d194 --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/ngc6188-sii-t59.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +; +; 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 diff --git a/plans/scorpius-t70.txt b/plans/scorpius-t70.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f74ed3d --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/scorpius-t70.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +; +; 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 diff --git a/plans/smc47tuc-t8.txt b/plans/smc47tuc-t8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..05dd554 --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/smc47tuc-t8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +; +; 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 diff --git a/plans/tarantula-t32.txt b/plans/tarantula-t32.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..cf70646 --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/tarantula-t32.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12 @@ +; +; 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 From 07713c2f13a94e3b38a95b26152c5f4020e4b999 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2026 21:30:11 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 07/12] Record 19-20 Jul session outcomes: T59 success (381 pts), T33 free runs missed - T59 NGC 6744 (reservation 749227) ran 00:05-03:30 SSO local 20 Jul and billed 381 points (txn 851148), not the ~240 estimated. Full LRGB dataset verified on the scope server (L 15x300s BIN1, R/G/B 7x300s each BIN2); preview JPEGs checked: round stars, clean galaxy, no weather damage, so no refund claim. - Rate correction in state/NOTES.md: history 'Time Used' equals wall-clock session time (3h24m32s), and the effective rate was ~112 pts/hr wall / ~127 pts/hr exposure vs the 80/hr the UpdatePlan rate card predicted. All existing queue estimates flagged ~1.6x low until more bills confirm the model. - Both free T33 reservations (749228 47 Tuc, 749229 NGC 6752) expired unused: no images, no logs; grid shows reschedule=No despite the flag being set at booking. First-light test is still outstanding; plans remain uploaded on T33. - Ledger, booked-reservations table and queue updated: balance verified 2,257 via GetAccountStatus; queue #1 (Cen A T32) missed its 21 Jul slot and needs a new night. --- CAMPAIGN.md | 33 +++++++++++++++++++++++---------- state/NOTES.md | 9 +++++++++ state/TODO.md | 30 +++++++++++++++++++----------- 3 files changed, 51 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-) diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md index a42ba84..9d26005 100644 --- a/CAMPAIGN.md +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -23,9 +23,18 @@ Update after every run: date, scope, target, imaging minutes, points charged | 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; reservation 749228, 00:05-00:50 SSO local 20 Jul, auto-runs | -| 2026-07-19 | T59 | NGC 6744 | ngc6744-t59.txt | 180 min | ~240 (0% moon disc. until 21 Jul) | | first paid run; reservation 749227, 00:05-03:45 SSO local 20 Jul, auto-runs, reschedule flag on; astrosharp holds 03:50-04:40 | -| 2026-07-20 | T33 | NGC 6752 | ngc6752.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | | reservation 749229, 00:05-00:50 SSO local 21 Jul, auto-runs | +| 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) | + +Cumulative spend: 381. Balance after (verified GetAccountStatus 2026-07-20): **2,257**. + +**Re-estimation warning (2026-07-20):** T59 actual came in at 1.6x the estimate +(381 vs ~240). Either billing is on wall-clock session time (Time Used matched +start-to-end, not the 180 min of exposure) or the rate card's 80/hr for T59 is +stale. Treat ALL queue estimates below as ~1.6x low until re-verified against +account/history.aspx after the next paid run. At 1.6x, the remaining queue +(~1,700 est) actually covers the full 2,257 balance nicely. ## Planned allocation (~2,600 points, adapt as scopes/weather allow) @@ -51,12 +60,16 @@ Update after every run: date, scope, target, imaging minutes, points charged ## Booked reservations (all with plan attached + reschedule flag) -| ID | Scope | Night of (SSO/obs local) | Slot | Plan | Est. pts | -|---|---|---|---|---|---| -| 749227 | T59 | 19 Jul | 00:05-03:45 | ngc6744-t59.txt | ~240 | -| 749228 | T33 | 19 Jul | 00:05-00:50 | ngc104-test.txt | 0 | -| 749229 | T33 | 20 Jul | 00:05-00:50 | ngc6752.txt | 0 | -| 749230 | T8 | 26 Jul | 21:35-23:55 | catspaw-t8.txt | ~146 (25% moon disc.) | +| 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 | + +The T33 free runs and the T33 first-light test remain outstanding: rebook a free +T33 slot (next window: night of 22 Jul SSO, 00:05-00:50, i.e. 21 Jul ~14:05 UTC) +and investigate why the reschedule flag read "No" in the grid. ## Booking queue (blocked by the rolling 8-hour reservation allowance) @@ -66,7 +79,7 @@ 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 | GRAS032 | 2026-07-21T00:35:00 | 2026-07-21T03:35:00 | 12:35 AM | 3:35 AM | cena-t32.txt | ~292 | +| 1 | GRAS032 | MISSED 21 Jul slot (passed unbooked); rebook next clear night, Cen A best early in the SSO night | | 12:35 AM | 3:35 AM | cena-t32.txt | ~292 (x1.6?) | | 2 | GRAS008 | 2026-07-22T01:35:00 | 2026-07-22T04:35:00 | 1:35 AM | 4:35 AM | 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.) | diff --git a/state/NOTES.md b/state/NOTES.md index 12a6266..3d37f7e 100644 --- a/state/NOTES.md +++ b/state/NOTES.md @@ -52,6 +52,15 @@ 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. 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 diff --git a/state/TODO.md b/state/TODO.md index 2ba756f..6a0be28 100644 --- a/state/TODO.md +++ b/state/TODO.md @@ -13,21 +13,29 @@ 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. + ## In progress -- T33 first-light test: ngc104-test.txt (47 Tuc, ~24 min LRGB) uploaded to - /plans/qisback/ on T33 and verified. Run window: 2026-07-19 roughly 14:00-19:30 - UTC when 47 Tuc clears the 20 degree limit. Procedure in plans/README.md. - Remaining: live-run the plan (confirm the plan.asp POST and any scope-connect - step), monitor via console, pull images/logs, record outcome in NOTES. -- Second free session scheduled for 2026-07-20 same window: runs - 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. +- T33 first-light test STILL OUTSTANDING: reservations 749228 (47 Tuc, night of + 19 Jul) and 749229 (NGC 6752, night of 20 Jul) both expired unused: no images, + no logs, and the grid showed reschedule=No despite the flag being set at + booking. Plans are still uploaded and verified on T33. Next free window: + night of 22 Jul SSO (21 Jul ~14:05 UTC). Rebook 00:05-00:50 with + ngc104-test.txt, and investigate the reschedule flag (may not stick on free + scopes, or the checkbox POST was ignored). - 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. + cancel itself). 381 of 2,638 spent; 2,257 remain. IMPORTANT: estimates run + ~1.6x low vs actual billing (see NOTES rate correction): re-cost the queue + before booking more. Queue #1 (Cen A T32) missed its 21 Jul slot and needs a + new night. Download the NGC 6744 data from data.itelescope.net before the + 10 Aug cancellation sweep. Update the CAMPAIGN.md ledger after every session from account/history.aspx. ## Pending From bd31a8a6fb7740204d50f25960c6f45af8fd730b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2026 21:56:56 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 08/12] Rebook Cen A on T32 as evening reservation 749302; document quota-driven booking order - Reservation 749302 created and grid-verified: T32, night of 21 Jul SSO, 18:50-21:50 local (08:50-11:50 UTC 21 Jul), plan cena-t32.txt, est ~350 pts at the corrected x1.6 rate with 25% moon discount (46% moon ~30 deg away). - The original queue slot (00:35-03:35) was an astronomy error: T32 has a 35 degree elevation floor and Cen A culminates ~17:10 SSO local in late July, sinking to ~11 degrees by midnight. Evening is the only viable window; noted in the ledger so the mistake is not repeated. - Reschedule flag confirmed to never stick (second booking posting RescheduleCheckbox=on that renders as No in the grid): every reservation is one-shot, verify the morning after. - Quota math recorded: 5h20m of 8h held; queue #2 (cra-t8) plus the free T33 47 Tuc retry must wait for the Cen A run to release its 3h (~11:50 UTC 21 Jul). Full remaining queue at corrected rates ~2,530 vs 2,257 balance: Phase 3 needs a ~270-point trim once real bills confirm the rate model. --- CAMPAIGN.md | 13 ++++++++++++- state/TODO.md | 14 ++++++++++---- 2 files changed, 22 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-) diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md index 9d26005..1ad1515 100644 --- a/CAMPAIGN.md +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ account/history.aspx after the next paid run. At 1.6x, the remaining queue | 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.) | booked 20 Jul. 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). 46% moon is up ~30 deg away: acceptable for a bright drain target. Reschedule flag AGAIN shows No despite RescheduleCheckbox=on in the POST: the flag does not stick, treat every booking as one-shot | The T33 free runs and the T33 first-light test remain outstanding: rebook a free T33 slot (next window: night of 22 Jul SSO, 00:05-00:50, i.e. 21 Jul ~14:05 UTC) @@ -79,7 +80,7 @@ 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 | GRAS032 | MISSED 21 Jul slot (passed unbooked); rebook next clear night, Cen A best early in the SSO night | | 12:35 AM | 3:35 AM | cena-t32.txt | ~292 (x1.6?) | +| 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 | GRAS008 | 2026-07-22T01:35:00 | 2026-07-22T04:35:00 | 1:35 AM | 4:35 AM | 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.) | @@ -87,6 +88,16 @@ Verify every booking via Edit.aspx?id= probing (sequential ids), NOT the grid. | 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 | +Quota position after booking 749302 (2026-07-20): held = 749230 (2h20m) + +749302 (3h) = 5h20m of the 8h allowance, ~2h40m free. Queue #2 (cra-t8, 3h, +night of 21 Jul SSO = 22 Jul 01:35 local) does NOT fit until tonight's Cen A +run completes (~11:50 UTC 21 Jul) and releases its 3h. NEXT BOOKING ROUND: +21 Jul around midday UK, book #2 cra-t8 (full 3h) plus the free T33 47 Tuc +retry (00:05-00:50, night of 22 Jul SSO). 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. + 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 diff --git a/state/TODO.md b/state/TODO.md index 6a0be28..54f7841 100644 --- a/state/TODO.md +++ b/state/TODO.md @@ -32,10 +32,16 @@ - 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). 381 of 2,638 spent; 2,257 remain. IMPORTANT: estimates run - ~1.6x low vs actual billing (see NOTES rate correction): re-cost the queue - before booking more. Queue #1 (Cen A T32) missed its 21 Jul slot and needs a - new night. Download the NGC 6744 data from data.itelescope.net before the - 10 Aug cancellation sweep. + ~1.6x low vs actual billing (see NOTES rate correction). Cen A REBOOKED + 2026-07-20 as reservation 749302: T32, night of 21 Jul SSO, 18:50-21:50 + local (08:50-11:50 UTC 21 Jul), evening slot because T32's 35 deg floor + makes Cen A an evening-only target (the old 00:35 slot was an error). + NEXT SESSION (21 Jul ~midday UK): check 749302 ran + bill, then book queue + #2 (cra-t8, 3h, quota frees when Cen A completes) and the free T33 47 Tuc + retry (00:05-00:50 night of 22 Jul SSO). Reschedule flag never sticks + (grid always shows No): treat every reservation as one-shot and verify the + morning after. Download the NGC 6744 data from data.itelescope.net before + the 10 Aug cancellation sweep. Update the CAMPAIGN.md ledger after every session from account/history.aspx. ## Pending From f49e045bb68eec1961f798333eea240ee96bc1a3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:52:35 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 09/12] Book free T33 47 Tuc retry (749314); defer cra-t8 on quota + hajo conflict - Session ran early (08:48 UTC, before Cen A 749302's 08:50 UTC start), so this round did only the time-sensitive, unblocked work. - Free T33 47 Tuc retry booked and grid-verified as reservation 749314 (night of 21 Jul SSO, 00:05-00:50, runs 14:05 UTC). Third attempt: the two prior free reservations expired unused, so if this one also fails to run the issue is free-scope auto-start, not the booking. - Cen A (749302) verify deferred: had not run yet; runs 08:50-11:50 UTC. - cra-t8 (queue #2) deferred, blocked twice: quota held by Cen A until ~11:50 UTC, AND user hajo holds T8 00:25-02:25 SSO local that night (res 749207), overlapping the planned 01:35-04:35 slot. Documented resolution options; preferred is slipping cra-t8 one night to 2026-07-23T01:35 to dodge the conflict and keep Corona Australis near culmination. - Scheduled job ae3af497 (~12:13 UTC) will verify Cen A and book cra-t8 against a live grid re-check. --- CAMPAIGN.md | 43 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------ state/TODO.md | 45 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------- 2 files changed, 57 insertions(+), 31 deletions(-) diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md index 1ad1515..7ec6e21 100644 --- a/CAMPAIGN.md +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -66,11 +66,13 @@ account/history.aspx after the next paid run. At 1.6x, the remaining queue | 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.) | booked 20 Jul. 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). 46% moon is up ~30 deg away: acceptable for a bright drain target. Reschedule flag AGAIN shows No despite RescheduleCheckbox=on in the POST: the flag does not stick, treat every booking as one-shot | +| 749302 | T32 | 21 Jul | 18:50-21:50 | cena-t32.txt | ~350 (x1.6 rate, 25% moon disc.) | booked 20 Jul. 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). 46% moon is up ~30 deg away: acceptable for a bright drain target. Reschedule flag AGAIN shows No despite RescheduleCheckbox=on in the POST: the flag does not stick, treat every booking as one-shot. RUNS 08:50-11:50 UTC 21 Jul; verify after that | +| 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 free runs and the T33 first-light test remain outstanding: rebook a free -T33 slot (next window: night of 22 Jul SSO, 00:05-00:50, i.e. 21 Jul ~14:05 UTC) -and investigate why the reschedule flag read "No" in the grid. +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) @@ -81,20 +83,37 @@ 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 | GRAS008 | 2026-07-22T01:35:00 | 2026-07-22T04:35:00 | 1:35 AM | 4:35 AM | cra-t8.txt | ~250 | +| 2 | GRAS008 | 2026-07-22T01:35:00 | 2026-07-22T04:35:00 | 1:35 AM | 4:35 AM | cra-t8.txt | ~250 | CONFLICT: user hajo holds T8 00:25-02:25 that night (res 749207), overlapping our 01:35 start. See resolution note below | | 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 | -Quota position after booking 749302 (2026-07-20): held = 749230 (2h20m) + -749302 (3h) = 5h20m of the 8h allowance, ~2h40m free. Queue #2 (cra-t8, 3h, -night of 21 Jul SSO = 22 Jul 01:35 local) does NOT fit until tonight's Cen A -run completes (~11:50 UTC 21 Jul) and releases its 3h. NEXT BOOKING ROUND: -21 Jul around midday UK, book #2 cra-t8 (full 3h) plus the free T33 47 Tuc -retry (00:05-00:50, night of 22 Jul SSO). At corrected (x1.6) rates the full -remaining queue runs ~2,530 vs 2,257 balance (~270 over): once actual bills +### 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. diff --git a/state/TODO.md b/state/TODO.md index 54f7841..712a10c 100644 --- a/state/TODO.md +++ b/state/TODO.md @@ -20,29 +20,36 @@ 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. + ## In progress -- T33 first-light test STILL OUTSTANDING: reservations 749228 (47 Tuc, night of - 19 Jul) and 749229 (NGC 6752, night of 20 Jul) both expired unused: no images, - no logs, and the grid showed reschedule=No despite the flag being set at - booking. Plans are still uploaded and verified on T33. Next free window: - night of 22 Jul SSO (21 Jul ~14:05 UTC). Rebook 00:05-00:50 with - ngc104-test.txt, and investigate the reschedule flag (may not stick on free - scopes, or the checkbox POST was ignored). +- T33 first-light test on its THIRD booking (749314). The two prior free + reservations (749228, 749229) expired unused with reschedule=No; the free-scope + auto-start appears not to fire. 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. +- CEN A verify pending: reservation 749302 (T32) runs 08:50-11:50 UTC 21 Jul. + After 11:50 UTC, confirm images on t32.itelescope.net:8032, pull the actual + bill from Account/History.aspx, spot-check a preview, and refine the x1.6 rate + model in NOTES.md. +- cra-t8 (queue #2) NOT yet booked, deferred twice over: (1) quota held by Cen A + until ~11:50 UTC; (2) user hajo holds T8 00:25-02:25 SSO local that night + (res 749207), overlapping our planned 01:35-04:35. Resolution: prefer booking + the NEXT night (2026-07-23T01:35-04:35) to dodge hajo and keep altitude; see + the resolution note in CAMPAIGN.md. Scheduled job ae3af497 (~12:13 UTC) handles + Cen A verify + this booking with a live grid re-check. - 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). 381 of 2,638 spent; 2,257 remain. IMPORTANT: estimates run - ~1.6x low vs actual billing (see NOTES rate correction). Cen A REBOOKED - 2026-07-20 as reservation 749302: T32, night of 21 Jul SSO, 18:50-21:50 - local (08:50-11:50 UTC 21 Jul), evening slot because T32's 35 deg floor - makes Cen A an evening-only target (the old 00:35 slot was an error). - NEXT SESSION (21 Jul ~midday UK): check 749302 ran + bill, then book queue - #2 (cra-t8, 3h, quota frees when Cen A completes) and the free T33 47 Tuc - retry (00:05-00:50 night of 22 Jul SSO). Reschedule flag never sticks - (grid always shows No): treat every reservation as one-shot and verify the - morning after. Download the NGC 6744 data from data.itelescope.net before - the 10 Aug cancellation sweep. - Update the CAMPAIGN.md ledger after every session from account/history.aspx. + cancel itself). 381 of 2,638 spent; 2,257 remain. Estimates run ~1.6x low vs + actual billing (see NOTES rate correction). Reschedule flag never sticks (grid + always shows No): treat every reservation as one-shot and verify the morning + after. Download the NGC 6744 data from data.itelescope.net before the 10 Aug + cancellation sweep. Update the CAMPAIGN.md ledger after every session from + account/history.aspx. ## Pending From cd3de7136136ec0f82a86335183ff373ad814411 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:43:11 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 10/12] Verify Cen A, book CrA on T8 for 22 Jul evening, rebuild the rate model Cen A (reservation 749302, T32) completed at 11:16 UTC, 34 minutes early because the plan finished, not because of a fault: NGC5128 images are on t32.itelescope.net:8032 and transaction 851344 billed 160 points. Balance is now 2,097 of the original 2,638. That second bill settles the billing question the 20 Jul note left open. T32 billed 160 for a 120 min plan (2.00 h x 80) and T59 billed 381 for a 180 min plan (3.00 h x 127); both land exactly on the plan's exposure total and neither lands on wall-clock time. So billing is per imaging minute as originally documented, and the x1.6 wall-clock multiplier is withdrawn from CAMPAIGN.md, TODO.md and NOTES.md. What is actually wrong is the rate card's per-scope numbers, so each scope's rate now has to be derived from its first real bill. The practical consequence is the opposite of the old warning: the campaign is now heading to UNDER-spend by roughly 800 points, so later planning sessions should add or lengthen runs rather than trim them. Queue #2 (Corona Australis on T8) is booked at last. The original 01:35-04:35 slot was confirmed dead by probing New.aspx, which answered "Conflicting reservation. Start time must be later than 2:25 AM" (user hajo's reservation 749207, exactly as the previous session predicted). Rather than take the leftover 02:30-05:30, where the target sits 3.5 to 6.5 hours past the meridian, the run moved to the next night's evening, 2026-07-22 21:45 to 2026-07-23 00:45 SSO local, which brackets the ~22:30 culmination so all 115 minutes of imaging happen near the zenith. This is the geometry of the previously rejected option (c) on the night of option (b): (c) was only rejected because Cen A held the reservation quota, and that expired when Cen A completed. Verified via Reservation/MySummary.aspx; quota now 6:50 of 8:00. The New.aspx probe is documented in plans/README.md as the way to test a slot for conflicts, since the DayPilot grid renders client-side and shows nothing to a plain HTTP fetch. --- CAMPAIGN.md | 65 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------- plans/README.md | 9 +++++++ state/NOTES.md | 13 ++++++++++ state/TODO.md | 47 ++++++++++++++++++++--------------- 4 files changed, 105 insertions(+), 29 deletions(-) diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md index 7ec6e21..d1963b0 100644 --- a/CAMPAIGN.md +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -26,15 +26,27 @@ Update after every run: date, scope, target, imaging minutes, points charged | 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: 381. Balance after (verified GetAccountStatus 2026-07-20): **2,257**. +Cumulative spend: 541. Balance after (verified GetAccountStatus 2026-07-21 +11:40 UTC): **2,097**. -**Re-estimation warning (2026-07-20):** T59 actual came in at 1.6x the estimate -(381 vs ~240). Either billing is on wall-clock session time (Time Used matched -start-to-end, not the 180 min of exposure) or the rate card's 80/hr for T59 is -stale. Treat ALL queue estimates below as ~1.6x low until re-verified against -account/history.aspx after the next paid run. At 1.6x, the remaining queue -(~1,700 est) actually covers the full 2,257 balance nicely. +**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) @@ -66,7 +78,8 @@ account/history.aspx after the next paid run. At 1.6x, the remaining queue | 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.) | booked 20 Jul. 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). 46% moon is up ~30 deg away: acceptable for a bright drain target. Reschedule flag AGAIN shows No despite RescheduleCheckbox=on in the POST: the flag does not stick, treat every booking as one-shot. RUNS 08:50-11:50 UTC 21 Jul; verify after that | +| 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 | | 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 @@ -83,7 +96,7 @@ 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 | GRAS008 | 2026-07-22T01:35:00 | 2026-07-22T04:35:00 | 1:35 AM | 4:35 AM | cra-t8.txt | ~250 | CONFLICT: user hajo holds T8 00:25-02:25 that night (res 749207), overlapping our 01:35 start. See resolution note below | +| 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 | @@ -117,6 +130,40 @@ 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 diff --git a/plans/README.md b/plans/README.md index 1a0688d..71c823e 100644 --- a/plans/README.md +++ b/plans/README.md @@ -84,6 +84,15 @@ Reservation. Success = response script `ModalStatic.result("OK")` AND the bookin 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 diff --git a/state/NOTES.md b/state/NOTES.md index 3d37f7e..3a4323c 100644 --- a/state/NOTES.md +++ b/state/NOTES.md @@ -61,6 +61,19 @@ 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 diff --git a/state/TODO.md b/state/TODO.md index 712a10c..612369e 100644 --- a/state/TODO.md +++ b/state/TODO.md @@ -26,30 +26,37 @@ (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). The two prior free - reservations (749228, 749229) expired unused with reschedule=No; the free-scope - auto-start appears not to fire. 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. -- CEN A verify pending: reservation 749302 (T32) runs 08:50-11:50 UTC 21 Jul. - After 11:50 UTC, confirm images on t32.itelescope.net:8032, pull the actual - bill from Account/History.aspx, spot-check a preview, and refine the x1.6 rate - model in NOTES.md. -- cra-t8 (queue #2) NOT yet booked, deferred twice over: (1) quota held by Cen A - until ~11:50 UTC; (2) user hajo holds T8 00:25-02:25 SSO local that night - (res 749207), overlapping our planned 01:35-04:35. Resolution: prefer booking - the NEXT night (2026-07-23T01:35-04:35) to dodge hajo and keep altitude; see - the resolution note in CAMPAIGN.md. Scheduled job ae3af497 (~12:13 UTC) handles - Cen A verify + this booking with a live grid re-check. +- 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. +- 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). 381 of 2,638 spent; 2,257 remain. Estimates run ~1.6x low vs - actual billing (see NOTES rate correction). Reschedule flag never sticks (grid - always shows No): treat every reservation as one-shot and verify the morning - after. Download the NGC 6744 data from data.itelescope.net before the 10 Aug - cancellation sweep. Update the CAMPAIGN.md ledger after every session from - account/history.aspx. + 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 From 7bf834a184e65e8e00de1037051dc6bdf8984304 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:41:23 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 11/12] Book a short-exposure core set for Cen A, and make it a campaign habit Processing the 21 Jul Centaurus A data showed the nucleus is saturated: a single 300 s luminance sub reads 65313 ADU in the core, so the deep stack is clipped there and the core cannot be recovered by processing. The only fix is more data at shorter exposures. plans/hdrcore-t32.txt is that data: L 8x60s, 8x15s and 8x5s plus RGB 5x30s, all BIN2 so the frames register against the deep stack without rescaling. The ladder spans a factor of 60 below the 300 s subs, which covers the unknown true peak of the nucleus, and the RGB gives the core its colour. 18.2 minutes of imaging, about 25 points. Uploaded to T32 and verified byte-identical, then booked for the evening of 22 Jul, 18:50-19:50 SSO local, which is the same window in which the deep run actually succeeded (T32 has a 35 degree elevation floor and Cen A is an evening target). Verified in MySummary; quota now 7:05 of 8:00. The wider point is recorded in CAMPAIGN.md: bright targets need a short set budgeted alongside the deep run. NGC 6744 has already been shot without one, and 47 Tuc and the SMC in queue #5 will certainly need one, a globular cluster core being the fastest thing there is to saturate. --- CAMPAIGN.md | 19 +++++++++++++++++++ plans/hdrcore-t32.txt | 17 +++++++++++++++++ state/TODO.md | 5 +++++ 3 files changed, 41 insertions(+) create mode 100644 plans/hdrcore-t32.txt diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md index d1963b0..ed7e9d6 100644 --- a/CAMPAIGN.md +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ actual bill, and treat any not-yet-observed scope's card rate as +/-60%. | 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 | booked + MySummary-verified 2026-07-21 13:30 UTC. HDR core set for the 21 Jul Cen A data, whose nucleus is saturated: see the note below. Runs 08:50-09:50 UTC 22 Jul, immediately before the T8 run that night | | 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 @@ -102,6 +103,24 @@ Verify every booking via Edit.aspx?id= probing (sequential ids), NOT the grid. | 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 | BOOKED 2026-07-21 for 22 Jul 18:50-19:50 (see table above) | | | | | hdrcore-t32.txt | ~25 | + +### Short-exposure core sets are now part of the campaign + +The 21 Jul Cen A data came back with a saturated nucleus: a single 300 s +luminance sub reads 65313 ADU in the core, so the deep stack is clipped there +and no amount of processing recovers it. plans/hdrcore-t32.txt is the fix, an +exposure ladder (L 8x60s, 8x15s, 8x5s, RGB 5x30s, all BIN2 to match) that +blends in under the clipped core. It costs about 25 points, roughly a sixth of +what the deep run cost, and the same trick applies to any bright target. + +**Apply this to the rest of the queue.** NGC 6744 (already shot, 19 Jul) has a +bright nucleus and probably needs the same treatment; 47 Tuc and the SMC +(queue #5) certainly will, since a globular cluster core saturates fast. Before +each remaining bright-target run, budget an extra ~25 points and an hour of +reservation quota for a matching short set, and cut the ladder from the deep +plan's exposure rather than guessing: shortest sub = deep sub / 60 is what was +used here. ### Session 2026-07-21 ~08:55 UTC (booking round run early, before Cen A ran) diff --git a/plans/hdrcore-t32.txt b/plans/hdrcore-t32.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..908c510 --- /dev/null +++ b/plans/hdrcore-t32.txt @@ -0,0 +1,17 @@ +; +; 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 diff --git a/state/TODO.md b/state/TODO.md index 612369e..51b91f0 100644 --- a/state/TODO.md +++ b/state/TODO.md @@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ 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. +- HDR core set on T32 runs 08:50-09:50 UTC 22 Jul (plans/hdrcore-t32.txt, ~25 + pts). Verify after 09:50 UTC, then download and blend it under the saturated + core of the 21 Jul Cen A stack. The processing pipeline for that stack lives + in the user's Downloads\NGC5128\20260721\stacked\scripts folder, not in this + repo, with METHODS.md alongside it. - 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 From 7dc611935992882cca3622f6bd78265f551617b8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Laurence Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:50:38 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 12/12] Correct the saturated-nucleus claim and cancel the booking it justified The previous commit asserted that the 21 Jul Centaurus A data came back with a saturated nucleus, and booked a short-exposure core set on T32 to fix it. The assertion was wrong. It 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. The 65313 ADU belonged to a foreground star 128 px (69 arcsec) from the nucleus, well inside the box. Median filtering the inner 800 x 800 px to remove stars leaves the galaxy peaking at 1944 ADU, roughly a thirtieth of the clip level, with not one star-free pixel above 30000 ADU anywhere in that box. The brightest pixel in the whole frame is at the right-hand edge, 2370 px from centre. The core looked blown in the processed image because of the stretch, not the sensor: the white point sat at the 99.995th percentile, a level set by field stars, so the galaxy's entire range from a 7 ADU sky to a 1944 ADU peak was compressed into the top few percent of the tone curve. Re-rendering the same frames with a second curve scaled to the galaxy recovered the core completely, with no new data. The T32 reservation has been cancelled without running, so it cost nothing. The other three reservations were verified intact afterwards and quota is back to 6:05 of 8:00. plans/hdrcore-t32.txt stays in the repo and on the scope: 47 Tuc and the SMC may genuinely saturate, a dense cluster core being the fastest thing there is to clip, and the ladder is ready if they do. The corrected habit is recorded in CAMPAIGN.md: measure whether a core is saturated before buying time to fix it, filtering stars out of the measurement first. The check takes a minute and would have saved this whole detour. TODO.md also records a second result that affects future planning: the faint outer halo of that stack is limited by the sky-plane subtraction, which absorbed about 17.9 ADU/px of real halo light, rather than by exposure time. More integration alone would not have gone deeper. --- CAMPAIGN.md | 42 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------------- state/TODO.md | 23 ++++++++++++++++++----- 2 files changed, 44 insertions(+), 21 deletions(-) diff --git a/CAMPAIGN.md b/CAMPAIGN.md index ed7e9d6..06717ba 100644 --- a/CAMPAIGN.md +++ b/CAMPAIGN.md @@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ actual bill, and treat any not-yet-observed scope's card rate as +/-60%. | 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 | booked + MySummary-verified 2026-07-21 13:30 UTC. HDR core set for the 21 Jul Cen A data, whose nucleus is saturated: see the note below. Runs 08:50-09:50 UTC 22 Jul, immediately before the T8 run that night | +| (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 @@ -103,24 +103,34 @@ Verify every booking via Edit.aspx?id= probing (sequential ids), NOT the grid. | 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 | BOOKED 2026-07-21 for 22 Jul 18:50-19:50 (see table above) | | | | | hdrcore-t32.txt | ~25 | +| 8 | WITHDRAWN: booked then cancelled 2026-07-21, premise was wrong (see below) | | | | | hdrcore-t32.txt | 0 | -### Short-exposure core sets are now part of the campaign +### CORRECTION (2026-07-21): the Cen A nucleus was never saturated -The 21 Jul Cen A data came back with a saturated nucleus: a single 300 s -luminance sub reads 65313 ADU in the core, so the deep stack is clipped there -and no amount of processing recovers it. plans/hdrcore-t32.txt is the fix, an -exposure ladder (L 8x60s, 8x15s, 8x5s, RGB 5x30s, all BIN2 to match) that -blends in under the clipped core. It costs about 25 points, roughly a sixth of -what the deep run cost, and the same trick applies to any bright target. +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.** -**Apply this to the rest of the queue.** NGC 6744 (already shot, 19 Jul) has a -bright nucleus and probably needs the same treatment; 47 Tuc and the SMC -(queue #5) certainly will, since a globular cluster core saturates fast. Before -each remaining bright-target run, budget an extra ~25 points and an hour of -reservation quota for a matching short set, and cut the ladder from the deep -plan's exposure rather than guessing: shortest sub = deep sub / 60 is what was -used here. +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) diff --git a/state/TODO.md b/state/TODO.md index 51b91f0..13a5890 100644 --- a/state/TODO.md +++ b/state/TODO.md @@ -42,11 +42,24 @@ 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. -- HDR core set on T32 runs 08:50-09:50 UTC 22 Jul (plans/hdrcore-t32.txt, ~25 - pts). Verify after 09:50 UTC, then download and blend it under the saturated - core of the 21 Jul Cen A stack. The processing pipeline for that stack lives - in the user's Downloads\NGC5128\20260721\stacked\scripts folder, not in this - repo, with METHODS.md alongside it. +- 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