Laurence
7bf834a184
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.
14 KiB
Drain campaign: spend 2,638 points, then close the account
Decision (2026-07-18): use the full points balance on southern imaging, then cancel the membership. Constraints and policy facts that shape the plan:
- Balance 2,638 points; Plan-40 renews 12 Aug 2026 (GBP 32). Cancel BEFORE renewal.
- Points cannot be refunded, and cannot be used without an active subscription (support article 142963). So: drain first, cancel last, in that order.
- Cancellation target: 10 Aug 2026, two days before renewal. Cancellation is submitted via MyAccount/Cancel.aspx and requires explicit user confirmation on the day; Claude must not submit it unprompted.
- Rates: see the rate card in state/NOTES.md. Billing is per minute of imaging time.
- Moon: bright nights roughly 24 Jul - 2 Aug (full ~29 Jul); dark again 5-12 Aug. Full-moon week includes free access promotions; paid draining focuses on dark and grey nights, narrowband carries the bright week.
- Scope availability is volatile (much of Chile offline as of 18 Jul); re-check the status line on go.itelescope.net before every session and substitute freely.
Session ledger
Update after every run: date, scope, target, imaging minutes, points charged (from account/history.aspx), cumulative spend.
| Date | Scope | Target | Plan file | Imaging | Est. pts | Actual pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-19 | T33 | 47 Tuc | ngc104-test.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | DID NOT RUN | reservation 749228 expired unused: no images, no logs on T33 (checked 20 Jul); grid shows reschedule=No despite the flag being set at booking |
| 2026-07-19 | T59 | NGC 6744 | ngc6744-t59.txt | 180 min | ~240 (0% moon disc. until 21 Jul) | 381 | SUCCESS (txn 851148): ran 00:05:22-03:29:56 SSO, Time Used 3h24m32s, 0% moon disc. Full dataset on scope server: L 15x300s BIN1, RGB 7x300s each BIN2; previews checked, round stars, galaxy clean: no refund case. Effective rate ~112 pts/hr of WALL time (not the 80/hr imaging-time estimate: see NOTES rate correction) |
| 2026-07-20 | T33 | NGC 6752 | ngc6752.txt | 17 min | 0 (free) | DID NOT RUN | reservation 749229 expired unused: no images, no logs (checked 20 Jul 20:30 UTC, after window) |
| 2026-07-21 | T32 | Centaurus A | cena-t32.txt | 120 min | ~350 (x1.6 model) | 160 | SUCCESS (txn 851344): ran 18:50:24-21:16:19 SSO local (08:50-11:16 UTC), Time Used 2h25m55s, 25% moon discount. Images present: /images/qisback/T32/NGC5128 on t32.itelescope.net:8032. Came in at 0.46x the x1.6 model, i.e. LESS than the original estimate: see the rate correction below |
Cumulative spend: 541. Balance after (verified GetAccountStatus 2026-07-21 11:40 UTC): 2,097.
Rate correction (2026-07-21, supersedes the 2026-07-20 x1.6 warning). Two paid runs now bracket the question, and both bill EXACTLY the plan's imaging minutes, not wall-clock:
| Scope | Plan imaging | Wall (Time Used) | Billed | Points per imaging hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T59 | 180 min (36x300s) | 3h24m32s | 381 | 127 (0% moon) |
| T32 | 120 min (24x300s) | 2h25m55s | 160 | 80 (25% moon) |
381 = 3.00 h x 127 and 160 = 2.00 h x 80, both to the point. So billing is on imaging time as originally documented, and the wall-clock theory is dead. What is wrong is the rate card in NOTES.md: it lists T59 at 80/hr (actual 127) and T32 at 146/hr (actual 80 even after the 25% moon discount, so a base near 107/hr). The two look transposed, but two samples cannot prove that. Do not apply a blanket multiplier. Derive each scope's effective rate from its first actual bill, and treat any not-yet-observed scope's card rate as +/-60%.
Planned allocation (~2,600 points, adapt as scopes/weather allow)
Phase 1, dark nights now - 23 Jul (~1,030 pts):
- T59 NGC 6744 LRGB, 3 h, ~240 (scheduled 19 Jul)
- T32 Centaurus A LRGB, 2 h, ~292: early UK-afternoon window while it is high
- T8 Corona Australis dust complex LRGB, 2 h, ~260
- T70 (Chile) Scorpius tail / Prawn super-wide LRGB, 2 h, ~238
Phase 2, bright nights 24 Jul - 2 Aug (~440 pts, narrowband only):
- T59 NGC 6188 in Ha/OIII/SII 5nm, 3 h total, ~240
- T8 Ha on the Cat's Paw / War and Peace field, 1.5 h, ~195
- Plus any full-moon free promotions for clusters (cost 0, not part of the drain)
Phase 3, dark nights 3 - 10 Aug (~1,130 pts):
- T8 SMC + 47 Tucanae in one frame, 3 h LRGB, ~390: the signature shot, SMC well placed in the second half of the SSO night by August
- T8 or T59 Large Magellanic Cloud attempt if it clears the elevation limits late in the window; otherwise Tarantula on T32, 2 h, ~292
- Remainder (~450): best-of list: repeat the strongest target for more depth, or Chile scopes (T71 106/hr, T73 224/hr) if they return from maintenance: Tarantula and NGC 1313 preferred. Aim to land the balance under ~50 points.
Booked reservations (all with plan attached + reschedule flag)
| ID | Scope | Night of (SSO/obs local) | Slot | Plan | Est. pts | Status (2026-07-20) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 749227 | T59 | 19 Jul | 00:05-03:45 | ngc6744-t59.txt | ~240 | COMPLETED, billed 381 |
| 749228 | T33 | 19 Jul | 00:05-00:50 | ngc104-test.txt | 0 | EXPIRED unused (no run, no auto-reschedule) |
| 749229 | T33 | 20 Jul | 00:05-00:50 | ngc6752.txt | 0 | EXPIRED unused (no run, no auto-reschedule) |
| 749230 | T8 | 26 Jul | 21:35-23:55 | catspaw-t8.txt | ~146 (25% moon disc.) | still booked |
| 749302 | T32 | 21 Jul | 18:50-21:50 | cena-t32.txt | ~350 (x1.6 rate, 25% moon disc.) | COMPLETED, billed 160. EVENING slot: T32 has a 35 deg elevation floor and Cen A culminates ~17:10 before dark, sinking to 11 deg by the old 00:35 slot (which could never have run). Ran 18:50-21:16, finishing 34 min early (plan complete, not a fault); images landed under /images/qisback/T32/NGC5128 |
| (id not captured) | T8 | 22 Jul | 21:45-00:45 | cra-t8.txt | ~250 | booked + MySummary-verified 2026-07-21 11:45 UTC. This is queue #2 finally placed: see the resolution note below. Runs 11:45-14:45 UTC 22 Jul |
| (id not captured) | T32 | 22 Jul | 18:50-19:50 | hdrcore-t32.txt | ~25 | 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 reservations expired unused. If this one also fails to run, the problem is not the booking but the auto-start on free scopes: escalate to walk-in (POST plan.asp per plans/README.md) or drop the free-imaging objective.
Booking queue (blocked by the rolling 8-hour reservation allowance)
Book in order as quota frees (a session completing releases its hours). Exact New.aspx parameters; all plans already uploaded and verified on their scopes. Verify every booking via Edit.aspx?id= probing (sequential ids), NOT the grid.
| # | Scope id | start | end | start sel | end sel | Plan | Est. pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOOKED as 749302 (see table above); the original 00:35 slot was an error, Cen A is an EVENING target (35 deg floor on T32) | cena-t32.txt | ~350 | ||||
| 2 | BOOKED 2026-07-21 for the night of 22 Jul, 21:45-00:45 (see table above); the 01:35 slot was blocked by hajo and low anyway | cra-t8.txt | ~250 | ||||
| 3 | GRAS059 | 2026-07-25T20:35:00 | 2026-07-25T23:55:00 | 8:35 PM | 11:55 PM | ngc6188-haoiii-t59.txt | ~120 (disc.) |
| 4 | GRAS059 | 2026-07-27T20:35:00 | 2026-07-27T23:05:00 | 8:35 PM | 11:05 PM | ngc6188-sii-t59.txt | ~90 (disc.) |
| 5 | GRAS008 | 2026-08-08T02:35:00 | 2026-08-08T06:05:00 | 2:35 AM | 6:05 AM | smc47tuc-t8.txt | ~390 |
| 6 | GRAS032 | 2026-08-09T03:05:00 | 2026-08-09T06:05:00 | 3:05 AM | 6:05 AM | tarantula-t32.txt | ~365 |
| 7 | (T70, blocked: server unreachable) | night TBD before 5 Aug | ~2.5h | scorpius-t70.txt (in scratch, re-upload needed) | ~238 | ||
| 8 | 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)
Done this session: free T33 47 Tuc retry booked as 749314 (grid-verified). NOT done, both correctly deferred:
- Cen A verify: 749302 had not run yet (starts 08:50 UTC, this session ran at 08:48). Verify after 11:50 UTC.
- cra-t8 (#2): blocked twice over. (1) Quota: Cen A holds 3h until it completes ~11:50 UTC; with Cat's Paw (2h20m) + Cen A (3h) + T33 (45m) held, under ~1h55m is free, not enough for a 3h slot. (2) Conflict: user hajo holds T8 00:25-02:25 SSO local (res 749207), overlapping our planned 01:35-04:35.
cra-t8 resolution options (pick with a live grid re-check when quota frees):
- (a) Shift to 02:25-05:25 after hajo. Downside: Corona Australis culminates ~22:30 SSO local, so by 02:25-05:25 it is 4-6.5h past meridian and low; poor.
- (b) PREFERRED: move cra-t8 to the NEXT night, 2026-07-23T01:35-04:35 (night of 22 Jul SSO), same clock time, avoids hajo, keeps decent altitude. Re-check that night's T8 grid first. One night's slip is fine inside the drain window.
- (c) Earlier slot 21:25-00:25 (before hajo) is astronomically best but starts 11:25 UTC, before Cen A releases quota at 11:50; not bookable in time.
The scheduled 12:13 UTC job (ae3af497) fires after Cen A completes: it should verify Cen A + bill, then book cra-t8 by option (b) unless the grid has changed (hajo may cancel, opening option (a)/original). At corrected (x1.6) rates the full remaining queue runs ~2,530 vs 2,257 balance (~270 over): once actual bills for Cen A and CrA land, trim Phase 3 (shorten Tarantula #6 or the SMC slot) to land the balance near zero.
Session 2026-07-21 ~11:40 UTC (Cen A verify + cra-t8 booked)
Ran ahead of the 12:13 UTC scheduled job, after Cen A had finished at 11:16 UTC.
- Cen A verified: completed, billed 160, NGC5128 images on the scope server. Ledger and rate model updated (the x1.6 model is withdrawn: see the rate correction above).
- cra-t8 booked, but on a better slot than the deferred option (b). Probing New.aspx for the original 01:35-04:35 returned "Conflicting reservation. Start time must be later than 2:25 AM" (hajo, as predicted), confirming that option (a) was all that remained on the night of 21 Jul, and it puts Corona Australis 3.5-6.5 h past the meridian. Instead the run went to the EVENING of the next night: 2026-07-22T21:45 - 2026-07-23T00:45 SSO local, which brackets the ~22:30 culmination, so the whole 115 min of imaging happens near the zenith. This is option (c)'s geometry on option (b)'s night; the reason (c) was unbookable earlier (quota held by Cen A) had expired by the time Cen A completed. Grid probing showed no conflict on either side of the slot. Verified in Reservation/MySummary.aspx; quota now 6:50 / 8:00.
- Moon on the night of 22 Jul is ~57% illuminated, the last usable night before the bright-week narrowband phase. LRGB on a dust complex under a half moon is a compromise, but the alternative is slipping a Phase 1 broadband target into the bright week, which is worse.
- Reservation id NOT captured: the confirm response carries only
ModalStatic.result("OK")and MySummary does not print ids. Nothing depends on the id unless the booking must be edited or deleted, in which case find it by probing Edit.aspx?id= around the current sequence (749314 was issued ~08:55 UTC on 21 Jul). - Budget: 2,097 left, 19 nights to 10 Aug. Remaining queue at card rates is roughly 1,300, which UNDER-spends by ~800. With the x1.6 model withdrawn, the next planning session should add work rather than trim it: candidates are a second narrowband night on T59 (observed 127/hr, the only scope with a trustworthy rate), or extending the Phase 3 SMC and Tarantula runs, both of which have the sky time to absorb longer plans.
Substitution rules: if T71 returns to service, move #2 and #7 to T71 (faster f/2.8 optics, cheaper 106 pts/hr; re-cut the plans for 1.55"/px). If T70's server returns, book #7 as-is. Check the go.itelescope.net status line before each booking round. After #6, allocate the remaining balance (~450 pts) to a final deep session on the best-performing scope, sized to land under 50 pts.
10 Aug: verify balance is near zero, download ALL data from data.itelescope.net, then (with explicit user confirmation) cancel via MyAccount/Cancel.aspx.
Operational notes
- Sessions are now RESERVED, not walk-in: upload the plan to the scope, then book it at reservations.itelescope.net with the plan attached (procedure in plans/README.md); iTelescope auto-starts the plan at reservation start and the reschedule flag retries weather losses. Claude sessions monitor rather than drive. T59 moon discount correction: 0% until 21 Jul, 25% from 22 Jul.
- Cron jobs live only in an open Claude session; if a day's session has no live session to fire it, the user prompts "run today's drain session" and any session picks it up from this file plus state/TODO.md.
- Bad-data protection: iTelescope refunds points for weather-ruined runs on request; check each session's images before marking the ledger final.
- Final data sweep before cancellation: everything on data.itelescope.net AND the per-scope /images/qisback/ folders.