MDM Observatory 2.4m Telescope Observing Report for 2011 Feb 17

Observer(s): Jackie Faherty (with Brendan Miller)
Institution(s): American Museum of Natural History

Instrument: Nellie

Worked for 8 hours (all night)
Conditions were Non-Photometric most of the night.
Problems were encountered, see the separate trouble report for details.

Seeing and Weather:
   High Winds from 11 until 6:30.
   Beg: Seeing 1.8 arcsec, Patchy Clouds, Winds Light & Variable
   Mid: Seeing 1.7 arcsec, Patchy Clouds, Winds Moderate
   End: Seeing 1.5 arcsec, Patchy Clouds, Winds Moderate

Observing Summary:

When I opened the dome and starting on my first exposure I noticed a lot of condensation on the image.  I decided to flush
the detector with the dry Nitrogen.  I used the hose on the detector for ~20 minutes along with the flat lamps
and was able to burn the moisture off. 

The rest of the night went relatively well.  I lost the guider at least once (not sure why).  It was very windy in the middle of the night
and I noticed that the dewar gloves blew across the dome (along with some ties).

The seeing was variable.  I think the wind was causing lots of issues.

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Submitted on 2011 Feb 18 [7:03:10]