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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) |
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)
**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.) | 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 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 | 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 |
### 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.
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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@ -63,29 +63,3 @@ 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=<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.
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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;
; 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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;
; 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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@ -35,33 +35,3 @@ 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.
**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
needed.

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@ -8,11 +8,6 @@
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,

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@ -13,43 +13,17 @@
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.
## 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.
- 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.
- 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.
## Pending