Preparing WFCAM MSBs using the OT

The Observing Tool, or "OT" is the software used to prepare for all ukirt observing. With it, one creates "Minimum Schedulable Blocks" or MSBs. An MSB is the smallest block of observations that the observing system will schedule. The MSB completely specifies the observing that will be carried out - all technical details (target positions, instrument configurations, observing sequences) are specified therein, along with the text of any notes that you wish the observer to read when about to execute your MSB.

A simple WFCAM MSB

Here we illustrate the simplest possible yet, possibly scientifically useful, MSB.

A typical WFCAM MSB

Here we illustrate what we think will end up being a fairly typical MSB.

Using the Position Editor with WFCAM

This is a typical view of the position editor with the WFCAM components.

The main WFCAM elements are displayed:

the four chips in light blue (use the button Sci Area to turn them on)
the autoguider ccd in magenta (button WFCAM AG)
the base position marked by a circle with a crosshair in green (button Base)
the guide star marked by a green square and the label GUIDE (button GUIDE etc)

The image was obtained using a 40x40 map. You can chose the size of the map by using the Catalogs button, and then manually changing the default field of view (15x15).

Choosing a guide star

On the Science program window, click on the target component. On the lower left, click on "add guide". Move back to the position editor window. Zoom in on the autoguider ccd. Disable the button "Base". Enable the button "GUIDE etc".
On the upper left, enable the button "Drag". Now you can freely move the green square to chose a guide star. Note that
the offset pattern will move your guide star. The guide star needs to be withing the autoguider ccd at all offset positions. To visually check that this is the case, go back to the Science program window, and click on the offset component. Now, the position editor will show the different offset positions of the guide stars. See figure below, showing the offsets position for both the base and the guide star during a 9-point jitter sequence.

Choosing guide stars for a tiled observation

Currently, there is no way to display at the same time the four paw-prints of the pointings that make up a tile. However, there is a way to display the four separate autoguider ccd positions. This is important because each of the four pointings need a separate guide stars. To achieve this result, start with a generic single paw print MSB. Set the target component to the expected centre of the tile. Go to the position editor, retrieve a large image (40x40), and click on WFCAM tile autoguider. This will display both the autoguider on the central position (that will actually not be used), and the expected positions of the autoguider ccd in each of the four pointings of the tile. Make sure you can easily find a guide star in each of the four positions, or use the "Drag" button together with the "Base" button to move the base position. When you are sure you can find guide stars in each of the four pointings, then input the new Base position in the Target component of your Tile MSB, and discard the generic single paw-print MSB you just used.