Guidelines for AAT Observers

A "Must-do" Checklist

You must use the WWW travel form to keep us informed of your plans.
All observers must read the Safety Guidelines.
Make contact with your support astronomer well in advance of your run.
Fill out your Observer's Report Form at the end of your last night.

Travel, Accommodation & Arriving at the AAT

Due to changed staffing arrangements, effective from 1 January 2008, the AAO will no longer be able to offer a personalised booking service for visiting observers. The AAO will require external users/observers to make their own bookings and travel arrangements to Epping and SSO. The AAO will no longer make bookings on behalf of those users. The travel pages on the AAO web contain many useful accommodation and transportation links. It is each observer's responsibility to book the SSO lodge and organise transportation for their visit.

Once accommodation and travel arrangements have been confirmed, you will still need to advise the AAO of your plans by filling out our Observer Travel form. You will be able to indicate on this form if you require car hire or a taxi if you are flying to/from Dubbo. Please inform your support astronomer and the AAT admin (Katrina Harley ; aatadmin -@- aao.gov.au) of any subsequent changes to your travel arrangements.

Visiting observers from most countries, including the United Kingdom and the USA, will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) in order to enter Australia. You can apply for an ETA online by going to http://www.eta.immi.gov.au/. Visiting observers who are not eligible to apply for an ETA will need to contact their nearest Australian visa office. Please contact Helen Woods (hmw -@- aao.gov.au) if you require an official letter in support of your visa application.

A study desk, torch/flashlight, and AAT keycard will be allocated for your use at the telescope. If you arrive at night, the AAT building will be locked (though the ANU Lodge will not). You may phone the night assistant from the AAT entrance to request admission to pick up your keycard. Observers will also find information on their study desks about visitor computer accounts, connecting laptops, etc.

Visits and Talks at Epping

We encourage observers to visit the AAO Laboratory in Epping, Sydney. In particular, we encourage visitors to present colloquia -- please contact Quentin Parker (qap -@- ics.mq.edu.au) if you would like to give us a talk. Funding is available from the AAO for a night's subsistence and accommodation in Sydney to assist this. Facilities available at the AAO in Epping include a library, PCs, Linux and UNIX workstations running Starlink, IRAF, and IDL software. Please let us know your requirements.

Support

A night assistant and technical support are always provided at the telescope. A support astronomer (noted on the schedule) is available to advise on your observations, and will assist at the telescope if required. He or she will usually contact you a month or so before your observing run. If you wish to contact them ahead of time, see the Schedule Notes near the bottom of the schedule for their e-mail address.

Students

The AAO strongly encourages students to attend and participate in observing runs. However, all students must be accompanied throughout by their supervisor, or a suitably-qualified colleague (postdoc-level or above). Under certain circumstances, suitably-experienced graduate students may observe on their own at the AAT, but only with the prior written permission of the AAO Director.

Observing Guidelines

You are strongly encouraged to arrive at the telescope one day prior to your observing run. The trip from Sydney can be a long one, and may not leave sufficient time to set-up for your run if you arrive on the day your run starts. This problem is even worse for instruments requiring complex set-ups like 2dF.
If your required set-up changes from that which you originally proposed, it is essential that you contact your support astronomer (see schedule), and the AAT scheduler (sched -@- aao.gov.au) to inform them of the change. Significant changes made at the last minute may be difficult, or impossible, for the telescope staff to accommodate.
2dF observers should thoroughly familiarise themselves with the documentation available on the 2dF + AAOmega home page, which includes the 2dF Manual, Information for Observers, and a list of Frequently Asked Questions. 2dF is a very complex instrument! We have developed a list of "Frequently Made Mistakes", available from the 2dF + AAOmega WWW page, and which we encourage observers to read. You should liaise with your support astronomer before your run if there is anything which is unclear. Because of the complexity of 2dF set-ups, it is essential you are ready to begin work by 4 hours before dark on the day of your run. For this reason 2dF observers must always arrive at the telescope on the day before. Many problems can be fixed if they are caught the day before observing starts!
Seeing measurements are usually made at the start of each night using a Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM), causing interruptions of several minutes during twilight. We ask observers to be patient with this small loss of time.
Every observer should fill out an Observer's Report Form towards the end of their last night. The information provided in these forms is vital to the continued improvement in the Observatory's facilities.
You are encouraged to bring your own writable DVDs, as AAO-supplied DVDs will be charged for. Writeable CDs are supplied free of charge.
Observers must also pay for their overseas telephone calls. Please settle debts with Rhonda Martin in the AAT Reception before your departure; the AAO accepts Visa, MasterCard and Bankcard. These charges are separate from the accommodation charges payable to the ANU Lodge.

Override Programs

AATAC can award time to over-ride programs. The guidelines under which these programs operate can be found here. In general, no one scheduled program can be over-ridden for more than 3 hours without payback.

Safety at the AAT

Dome Safety: The following is excerpt is taken from the AAT Safety Guidelines which every observer will find on their desk when they arrive at the AAT. Observers must follow these guidelines at all times.
Admission to areas of the AAT building above Floor 2 is allowed only with the permission of an observatory staff member. Only the current observers should be at the control room level. No-one (observers included!) may enter the dome at night without the knowledge and approval of the night assistant, whether to check the instrument or the weather etc. Everyone entering the dome at night must collect a torch/flashlight and carry it with them at all times. Anyone unfamiliar with the telescope or dome should ask for a 5 minute orientation tour. Please ensure that your colleagues appreciate these requirements.
See also Dome Safety.
Bushfire Safety: Bushfires (also known as forest fires or wildfires) present a very real risk to the observatory site each summer (November to March). Visiting observers are especially at risk. Please ensure you have read the document describing Fire Procedures during Bushfire Season for Siding Spring Observatory. Bushfires can change quickly and unpredictably and so visitor familiarity with these procedures during the summer months is of paramount importance.

Preprints and Reprints

It is important that we maintain complete records of publications based on AAT and UKST observations. Please inform the Epping Librarian (lib -@- aao.gov.au) of any published and conference papers. We also request an acknowledgement to the AAO in any publications which result from use of the facilities.

Visitor Instruments

Observers awarded time with a Visitor Instrument are encouraged to examine the Guidelines for Visitor Instruments to ensure their instrument arrives in time for their run to go smoothly.

Heath Jones, aatac -@- aao.gov.au