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Author SHA1 Message Date
67f8455e41 Merge pull request 'Campaign plan files' (#11) from campaign-plans into main 2026-07-18 23:25:56 +01:00
512cdd3074 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.
2026-07-18 23:25:54 +01:00
6666de5e27 Merge pull request 'Booking queue and quota handling' (#10) from booking-queue into main 2026-07-18 23:25:23 +01:00
a091e38bc4 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.
2026-07-18 23:25:22 +01:00
36cc26d7fa Merge pull request 'Reservations created and reservation system documented' (#9) from reservations into main 2026-07-18 23:04:27 +01:00
9003d672ff 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.
2026-07-18 23:04:26 +01:00
1846125907 Merge pull request 'T59 window fix: reservation collision and moon discount' (#8) from t59-window-fix into main 2026-07-18 22:56:37 +01:00
c1d353ca10 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).
2026-07-18 22:56:36 +01:00
09e2d95358 Merge pull request 'Drain campaign: spend the balance by 10 Aug, then close' (#7) from drain-campaign into main 2026-07-18 22:41:35 +01:00
08fef91b57 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.
2026-07-18 22:41:33 +01:00
3e9f4e5cff Merge pull request 'Rate card: Plan-40 per-scope points rates' (#6) from rate-card into main 2026-07-18 22:32:31 +01:00
c45d87c9d0 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.
2026-07-18 22:32:29 +01:00
e87c918f45 Merge pull request 'Second free-session plan: NGC 6752' (#5) from ngc6752-plan into main 2026-07-18 22:18:28 +01:00
ab184a7dcc Second free-session plan: NGC 6752 (Pavo globular)
plans/ngc6752.txt mirrors the 47 Tuc test recipe (L 4x120s, RGB 2x90s, Bin2,
~24 min all-in, inside the free daily 30 minutes) on NGC 6752 at RA 19.1811h
dec -59.9844: at RA ~19h it is well placed from mid-evening at Siding Spring
through the whole run window. Uploaded to T33's /plans/qisback/ and verified
byte-identical.

Scheduled for Sunday 2026-07-20 ~15:11 UK as an adaptive follow-up: if
Saturday's 47 Tuc first-light succeeded it images NGC 6752; if Saturday was
clouded out or the scope was contended, it retries the 47 Tuc test instead.
state/TODO.md records the dependency so whichever session fires can decide
from repo state alone.
2026-07-18 22:18:26 +01:00
422b36552c Merge pull request 'T33 first-light prep: 47 Tuc test plan and runbook' (#4) from t33-first-light into main 2026-07-18 22:09:27 +01:00
61aae7dca2 T33 first-light prep: 47 Tuc test plan and session runbook
plans/ngc104-test.txt is the ACP observing plan for the free 30-minute proof
run on T33: NGC 104 / 47 Tucanae, L 4x120s + RGB 2x90s at Bin2 (~17 min
exposure, ~24 min with overhead), modelled on the account's previous
one-click plan format (decimal-hours RA, decimal-degrees dec, #shutdown at
end). Already uploaded to the scope's /plans/qisback/ folder and verified to
round-trip byte-identical.

plans/README.md is the runbook: the T33 ACP endpoint map (status JSON,
console read, scope connect, plan upload/run, logs), the verified upload
procedure, the not-yet-exercised acquire POST with its Windows-path plan
value, the 47 Tuc run window (second half of the SSO night, ~14:00-19:30
UTC), and the step-by-step session procedure including the open questions a
first live run must answer (scope-connect requirement, abort control).

state/TODO.md tracks the test as in progress.
2026-07-18 22:09:24 +01:00
c6aeaa6af8 Merge pull request 'Automation recon: portal endpoints and ACP control servers' (#3) from automation-recon into main 2026-07-18 21:55:54 +01:00
f946361149 Automation recon: portal endpoints, ACP control servers, live status
Records verified findings from a credentialed read-only recon of the
iTelescope portal (2026-07-18) in state/NOTES.md: the WebForms login flow,
the /DataService.svc JSON endpoints (GetAccountStatus, GetMyAvailablePlans,
ApplyPromoCode), the per-telescope ACP web servers behind HTTP auth
(tNN.itelescope.online / tNN.itelescope.net:80NN, confirmed on T33), the
Planner redirect to lookup.itelescope.online, and the per-site weather URLs.
Credentials themselves stay outside the repo.

state/TODO.md gains the next automation steps (map ACP endpoints, explore
the new planner, enumerate more DataService methods) and a campaign-impact
note: most Chile scopes plus several others are currently offline, including
recommended T71 and T73, so near-term work should target T33/T8/T32/T59 at
Siding Spring and status must be re-checked before any booking.
2026-07-18 21:55:52 +01:00
9ba4cdcd35 Merge pull request 'Southern targets guide: objects invisible from the UK' (#2) from southern-targets into main 2026-07-18 21:28:38 +01:00
066db7222d Add points-budget section to TARGETS.md
The user holds 2,638 iTelescope points. Adds a budgeting section built on the
published standard-plan rate shape (affordable scopes ~$19-54/hr, premium
~$54-118/hr, ranges reflecting moon-phase and plan discounts; exact per-scope
rates live in the login portal planner). Estimates points per finished target
(150-350 narrowband on fast scopes, 300-500 dark-of-moon LRGB galaxies,
200-350 for the T8 Magellanic shot), concluding ~2,600 points covers 8-12
showpiece targets. Stretch tactics: free full-moon weeks for clusters, the
daily free 30 minutes for framing tests, and booking narrowband at bright
moon when rates bottom out.
2026-07-18 21:28:32 +01:00
6993f35cfc Southern targets guide: objects invisible from the UK
Adds TARGETS.md, a target guide for the southern iTelescope sites (Siding
Spring Q62, Deep Sky Chile X07) built around UK visibility: from lat 51.5°N
anything below dec -38° never rises and dec -25° to -38° culminates under
~15° altitude. Targets are tiered accordingly (never visible vs hopeless),
grouped by region (Magellanic Clouds, Carina/Crux, Centaurus, Ara/Scorpius
tail, far-southern galaxies, SNR/planetaries), and each is matched to the
best scope from TELESCOPES.md with the field-of-view reasoning in the notes.

Includes a seasonal booking calendar (evening sky by quarter from the
southern sites, with the Q62 30-35° minimum-elevation caveat), a suggested
first campaign for July-August (free T33 globulars, T71 narrowband on Ara/
Scorpius, T73 on NGC 6744, then T8 on the Magellanic Clouds in Oct-Nov),
and cost-shape notes (fast scopes for nebulae, dark-of-moon for LRGB).

README links the new guide; state/TODO.md records the addition.
2026-07-18 20:58:45 +01:00
7fe9e0d2be Merge pull request 'Telescope review: all 23 active iTelescope systems' (#1) from telescope-review into main 2026-07-17 14:21:10 +01:00
18 changed files with 557 additions and 1 deletions

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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) | | 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)
**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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.**
## 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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@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ book for a given target.
- **[TELESCOPES.md](TELESCOPES.md)**: the full review, grouped by observatory, with a - **[TELESCOPES.md](TELESCOPES.md)**: the full review, grouped by observatory, with a
"choosing a telescope" guide at the end. "choosing a telescope" guide at the end.
- **[TARGETS.md](TARGETS.md)**: southern-sky targets invisible from the UK, matched
to scopes and to the time of year to book them.
- **[data/itelescope-telescopes.csv](data/itelescope-telescopes.csv)**: snapshot of - **[data/itelescope-telescopes.csv](data/itelescope-telescopes.csv)**: snapshot of
the network's maintained specs sheet (source of truth for the numbers). the network's maintained specs sheet (source of truth for the numbers).
- **state/**: project state under the Default Workflow. - **state/**: project state under the Default Workflow.

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

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# Observing plans and the T33 session runbook
ACP observing plans for iTelescope scopes, plus the procedure to run one on T33
(the free Siding Spring scope). Credentials are NOT in this repo: they live in
the local claudetemp itelescope folder (creds.txt, `username=`/`password=` lines).
## Plan format (ACP)
See [ngc104-test.txt](ngc104-test.txt). Directives, then a target line:
`Name<TAB>RA_decimal_hours<TAB>Dec_decimal_degrees`. Counts, intervals, binning
and filters are parallel comma-separated lists. `#shutdown` parks safely at the
end (iTelescope's own one-click plans do the same).
## T33 endpoints (base http://t33.itelescope.net:8033, HTTP auth = iTelescope creds)
| Purpose | Path |
|---|---|
| Status JSON (times, obsStat, obsOwner) | /ac/SystemStatus/asystemstatus.asp |
| Console text | /ac/SystemStatus/aconsread.asp |
| Scope connect control | /ac/SystemStatus/ascopeconn.asp |
| Shutter/roof status | /ac/SystemStatus/ashutterctl.asp |
| My plan folder (list/upload/delete) | /plans/qisback/aindex.asp, aupload.asp, adelfile.asp |
| Run a plan ("Acquire Images") | POST /ac/Plans/plan.asp |
| My logs | /logs/qisback/aindex.asp |
| Finished data | data.itelescope.net |
Upload: multipart POST to `/plans/qisback/aupload.asp`, fields `File1` (the file)
and `DestPath=/plans/qisback`. Verified working 2026-07-18; content round-trips
exactly.
Run: the web UI posts the plan select to `/ac/Plans/plan.asp`; the select's value
is the WINDOWS path `C:\ProgramData\ACP\ACP Web Data\Doc Root\plans\qisback\<file>`.
Field names seen: `plan`, optional `VPhot`, `AutoLogoff`. NOT yet exercised live
(observatory was closed, daytime); the first live session must confirm whether a
scope-connect POST (ascopeconn.asp) is required first, and capture the exact
response shape.
## The 47 Tuc free-session test (ngc104-test.txt)
- Target: NGC 104 / 47 Tucanae, RA 0.4015 h, Dec -72.0814 deg (circumpolar at SSO).
- L 4x120 s, RGB 2x90 s each, Bin2: about 17 min exposure, about 24 min with
overhead, inside the daily free 30 minutes.
- Uploaded to /plans/qisback/ on 2026-07-18 and verified.
### When to run
47 Tuc clears T33's 20 degree minimum elevation in the second half of the SSO
night. SSO local = UTC+10; the good window is roughly 14:00-19:30 UTC (UK
afternoon/evening). Sunrise at SSO was 06:14 local (20:14 UTC) at recon time;
stop well before dawn.
### Procedure
1. GET asystemstatus.asp: confirm observatory open (obsStat) and no other user
(obsOwner n/a). If someone is on, wait and retry; T33 is first-come.
2. Confirm the plan file is still in /plans/qisback/ (aindex.asp).
3. POST plan.asp with the plan's Windows path to start acquisition.
4. Poll aconsread.asp (console) every minute or two: slew, centering, filter
changes, exposures. The run self-terminates via #shutdown.
5. Images land in /images/qisback/ on the scope server and then on
data.itelescope.net; logs in /logs/qisback/.
6. Record the session outcome in state/NOTES.md.
Abort path if something looks wrong: the web UI exposes an abort on the console
page; locate it live before starting exposures (not yet mapped).
## Reservations (verified working 2026-07-18)
Reservations live at http://reservations.itelescope.net ("Reservations Pilot"),
reached from each scope's /ac/MenuItems/reservation-edit.asp iframe as
`?t=<scope-id>&u=<username>` (scope ids look like GRAS059 for T59, GRAS033 for
T33; full list in the resources JSON on go.itelescope.net/Reservation/Overview.aspx,
whose embedded DayPilot events also show everyone's bookings, roof/sun times, and
the moon discount per night). No separate login: it trusts the u= parameter once a
session cookie exists.
Creating one is a three-step WebForms dance against
`New.aspx?start=<ISO local>&end=<ISO local>&r=<scope-id>` (times are OBSERVATORY
LOCAL): (1) GET the form, (2) POST tokens + DropDownStartTime/DropDownEndTime
(e.g. "12:05 AM"/"3:45 AM") + PlanToRunListBox=<plan file> + RescheduleCheckbox
+ ButtonRefreshPlans=Refresh Plans, which re-renders with Confirm enabled,
(3) re-POST the fresh tokens with the same fields + ReservationOKButton=Confirm
Reservation. Success = response script `ModalStatic.result("OK")` AND the booking
appearing in the grid: the modal also says "OK" on silent failure, so ALWAYS
re-fetch the grid and look for the reservation id + username.
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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;
; 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) free-session test plan for qisback
; L 4x120s, RGB 2x90s each, Bin2. ~17 min exposure, ~24 min with overhead.
;
#largepreviews
#tiff
#count 4,2,2,2
#interval 120,90,90,90
#binning 2,2,2,2
#filter Luminance,Red,Green,Blue
NGC104 0.401500 -72.081389
#shutdown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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- Sensors are 16-bit ADC unless noted (T20's ASI2400C is 14-bit). - Sensors are 16-bit ADC unless noted (T20's ASI2400C is 14-bit).
- Free scopes (30 min/day): T68 (Utah), T33 (Siding Spring). - Free scopes (30 min/day): T68 (Utah), T33 (Siding Spring).
- Minimum elevation limits come from the support article, not the sheet. - Minimum elevation limits come from the support article, not the sheet.
## Automation recon (2026-07-18, all verified live)
Credentials live OUTSIDE this repo (local claudetemp, never commit them).
- go.itelescope.net is ASP.NET WebForms. Login: GET /login.aspx, POST
UsernameTextBox/PasswordTextBox plus __VIEWSTATE, __VIEWSTATEGENERATOR,
__EVENTVALIDATION, LoginButton=Login; session cookie then works everywhere.
- JSON service at /DataService.svc (session-cookie auth): GetAccountStatus
(balance, plan, renewal), GetMyAvailablePlans (per-plan, per-scope
AccessDiscount), ApplyPromoCode (POST). More methods likely; enumerate from
inline $.ajax calls on each page (Scripts/Common.js has none).
- Home page /default.aspx carries live network status text (per-scope
offline/online reasons) plus points balance: cheap to poll.
- Reservation/Overview.aspx links every telescope's own control server:
https://tNN.itelescope.online/ or http://tNN.itelescope.net:80NN/. These are
ACP web servers behind HTTP auth accepting the same iTelescope credentials
(verified read-only on T33: index.asp is a TiddlyWiki info page, min elevation
20 degrees, 900 s max exposure). Session control and plan submission happen
here; ACP endpoint mapping is the next step.
- Reservation/Planner.aspx now redirects to https://lookup.itelescope.online
(new planning tool, not yet explored).
- Weather per site: Weather/Weather.aspx?site=UDRO|SSO|DSC|SRO|AC|EYE.
- Account: Plan-40 (GBP 32.00 per 28 days), renewal 12 Aug 2026, subscribed
since Apr 2019, balance 2,638 points at recon time.
## Rate card (2026-07-18, points per imaging hour, billed per minute)
Extracted from MyAccount/UpdatePlan.aspx: each scope row carries
data-default-rate (dark-of-moon base); effective rate = base x (1 -
AccessDiscount from DataService GetMyAvailablePlans) x (1 - moon discount,
server-side table keyed on illumination, not extracted yet). Plan-40 discount
is 10% on most scopes, 20% on a few, 0% on the newest (T25, T26, T73, T74).
Plan-40 rates before moon discount: T2 50, T5 68, T8 130, T10 146, T11 161,
T14 97, T17 135, T18 81, T20 89, T21 76, T24 186, T25 322, T26 394, T30 161,
T32 146, T33 0 (free), T59 80, T68 0 (free), T70 119, T71 106, T72 202,
T73 224, T74 295, T75 202, T80 119.
Standouts: T59 at 80/hr is the value big scope (20" CDK, square 37 arcmin
field, 900 s subs); T5 at 68/hr the cheapest paid; T26 at 394/hr the dearest.
Billing is per minute of imaging (exposure) time, so overhead is not billed.
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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A reference and review of the iTelescope.net remote telescope network: what each 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. 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 ## Scope
- In scope: reviews and spec tables for every telescope on the iTelescope network, - In scope: reviews and spec tables for every telescope on the iTelescope network,

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- 2026-07-17: specs sheet snapshotted to data/itelescope-telescopes.csv (24 scopes). - 2026-07-17: specs sheet snapshotted to data/itelescope-telescopes.csv (24 scopes).
- 2026-07-17: TELESCOPES.md written: per-scope reviews for all 23 active telescopes - 2026-07-17: TELESCOPES.md written: per-scope reviews for all 23 active telescopes
plus a choosing guide (T74 noted as in commissioning, no specs published). plus a choosing guide (T74 noted as in commissioning, no specs published).
- 2026-07-18: TARGETS.md written: southern targets invisible from the UK (dec tiers
from lat 51.5°N), matched to Q62/X07 scopes, seasonal booking calendar, and a
July-August starter campaign (T33 free, T71 narrowband, T73 galaxy, T8 LMC later).
## In progress ## In progress
- (nothing) - 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.
- 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 ## Pending
- Automation: map the ACP web endpoints on a per-scope server (start with free
T33) for plan submission and status; explore lookup.itelescope.online (the new
planner); enumerate more /DataService.svc methods. Recon notes in NOTES.md.
- Campaign impact (status seen 2026-07-18): T71 and T73 are offline
(development/mount testing), as are T2, T17, T18, T20, T25, T30, T72, T74,
T75, T80. T8, T33, T32, T59 at Siding Spring are operational. Re-plan the
July-August campaign around T33 free time and Siding Spring scopes until the
Chile rebuild finishes; re-check status before any booking.
- Fill in T74 when iTelescope publishes its specs. - Fill in T74 when iTelescope publishes its specs.
- Reconcile the retired scopes (T9, T19, T31, T69): the support article still lists - Reconcile the retired scopes (T9, T19, T31, T69): the support article still lists
them but the maintained sheet does not; confirm status and note it. them but the maintained sheet does not; confirm status and note it.