The UCI remote observing room is available for Keck and Lick observing, videoconferences, and other uses. The priorities for use of the room are:
- Keck remote observing
- Lick remote observing on the Shane telescope
- Lick remote observing on the Nickel telescope
- Videoconferences for UC Observatories business or committee meetings
- Other videoconferences
- Any other meetings
Room reservations are kept on a Google calendar. If you’d like access to the calendar, contact Aaron Barth or Paul Robertson. It is the PI’s responsibility to make sure that observing runs are added to the calendar each semester.
To use the room you’ll need to check out a key. Ask Aaron or Paul how to get a key, and make sure to do this well in advance. Make sure to return the keys when you’re done. If you want to reserve the room for any purpose other than an observing run, like a group meeting or telecon, that’s fine too, subject to the priorities listed above, and all planned events should be entered into the Google calendar to avoid conflicts.
It is the user’s responsibility to be aware of all relevant observatory policies and procedures for requesting and using remote observing facilities. Instructions and links to observatory information are given on the other pages on this site, for Keck and for Lick. The observer is responsible for submitting a request to schedule remote observing, and to do this well in advance of the observing run. For Keck runs, the observer must follow the instructions from Keck to do a remote connection test within a few days before the observing run to make sure everything works. For Lick, remote observers must be checked out and approved by observatory staff on the instrument that’s being used (this can only be done on-site at Mt. Hamilton) and also checked out on the remote observing setup.
Any conflicts in remote room use requests will be decided according to the priority list above. In the event that two UCI PIs have scheduled observing time on Keck I and II on the same night, priority will go to whoever submits the official remote observing request to WMKO first. Also, while Keck observing has priority over Lick observing, that only applies if the room is booked for Keck observing well in advance. If you forgot to request permission for your Keck remote observing until the day before your run and then find that another group has previously reserved the remote room for Lick observing on the same night, you’d better start shopping for last-minute deals on flights to Kona. (In other words, the priority list above is not a substitute for common sense or for planning ahead. Always plan your remote observing runs well in advance to avoid conflicts.) This should be less of a concern now that Keck and Lick are supporting at-home observing, but the observatory user support policies may change in the future.
It is also the observer’s responsibility to clean up after using the room. Please don’t bring food or drinks to the observer’s desk where things could spill on the computers or keyboards. If you’re going to eat, use the round table. Do not leave food garbage in the remote room garbage can since it doesn’t get picked up often.
If you need login passwords for the observing workstations or passwords for connecting to the observatories, make sure you get those well in advance of your observing run. To get login passwords, talk to Aaron or Paul.
Papers that make use of Lick or Keck data obtained at the UCI remote observing room should carry the following acknowledgement:
“Data presented herein were obtained using the UCI Remote Observing Facility, made possible by a generous gift from John and Ruth Ann Evans”.