Checklist

Last Updated: June 14, 2025

This is a brief summary of the procedures you need to follow when observing at MRO. Observers should contact MRO staff prior to use of the telescope for the very latest information . If you are reading a printed copy, please check the revision date at the top against the latest version at https://uwmro.github.io/checklist/.

Arrival Checklist

Note: Our septic system is a secret superhero, but its superpowers are limited to naturally occurring materials (and toilet paper). Do not put wipes or anything else into the system, or else you may experience what life was like before flushing toilets.

Second Note: Propane should always be kept outside. If you use the grill it’s okay to leave it outside during your stay, but never bring the propane inside the building.

1. Log the level of the water tank. The light to the water tank room is (most inconveniently!) located on the left side of the doorway. Measure the water level by opening the valve to the gauge marked “in. H2O”, which is located just above the water pump. The clear tubing will also match the level in the tank.

2. Prepare heat and air conditioning. Turn on the HVAC system with the “Master Control Switch” on the front of the furnace. The furnace will heat to 65 degrees, and turn on thermostats in each room. If you need more heat, turn the thermostat on (if necessary) and set the heat to your liking. If the daytime outside temperature is above about 85 degrees, you can turn on the air conditioner: Uncover the vents in the covered area on the outside of the building (just north of the main entrance) and then turn on the AC circuit breakers. Remember to replace the covers before you leave MRO.

3. Prepare the water system. Turn on the water pump with circuit breaker 8 on panel M. Flush both toilets, which helps avoid the dreaded sewer backup. Remember to check the level of the water tank on a daily basis so as to avoid the (also dreaded) low water alarm. Refill if the tank goes below 1/4 of the way full; instructions for filling the tank are taped to the front of the tank itself. At the end of your trip finalize your log entry and record how much water your group used.

Observing Checklist

Weather conditions can make it unsafe to operate the telescope and its instruments. Cover the telescope mirrors and close the dome if any of the following weather conditions arise:

Sustained winds in excess of 30MPH, or gusts in excess of 45MPH;

Humidity in excess of 95%;

(Temperature - Dew Point) < 5° F.

Weather data for wind speed and humidity are available from the wireless station located to the left of the control room monitors. Data for (Temperature - Dewpoint) are available from the same station. If sustained wind speeds exceed 20MPH, or you are experiencing gusts in excess of 35MPH, you should work with the telescope dome opening pointed downwind (away from the direction that the wind is blowing from).

1. Prepare the camera. On the left-hand control room computer, click the MRO Camera Controls bookmark in Firefox (you can also navigate to http://72.233.250.83/ from any machine on the network). Initialize the camera, set it’s temperature to -82 degrees, and press Set. It should take approximately ten minutes for the camera to indicate this temperature, but possibly half an hour till it’s stable.

2. Setup the filter wheel. Under Filters, press Home to prepare the filter wheel for use.

3. Open the dome at about sunset. From the power unit in the northeast corner of the dome, plug the upper shutter power cable (round end) into the appropriate socket located below the dome motor; you will need to rotate the plug, as well as rotate its locking ring to fully seal it into position. Once it is connected, push and hold the upper shutter control switch to open the upper door. After the upper shutter has moved a few inches, you can open the lower shutter by plugging in its (standard 3-prong) power cord and pushing on the lower shutter power switch located on the righthand side of the dome motor until the lower shutter is fully deployed. Unplug the 3-prong power cord when the lower half is fully deployed. The upper shutter will stop automatically, at which point you can unplug its power cord. Restow the cables using the carabiners attached to each power cord. Each of the carabiners should snap onto the U bracket which is mounted above the dome shutter motor – make sure the plugs don’t hang down, otherwise they might get caught as the dome rotates.

4. Turn on the telescope. Turn on power to the telescope’s motors with the key on the RA skirt (you will hear the clunk of a relay). On the right-hand control room computer, start Remmina and double-click to connect to the F1 Computer. If necessary, open SiTech.exe and click SkyView.

5. Initialize telescope to zenith. If the telescope has been properly parked, it will be pointed at zenith. If you’re not sure, use the bubble level and the hand paddle to bring to telescope to zenith. Resist the urge to make small adjustments–if the telescope appears to be very near zenith, it was almost certainly properly parked! After you have confirmed that the telescope is pointed at zenith, update the telescope’s coordinates by clicking Initialize to Zenith in Telescope Controls on the left-hand computer (it’s okay to click on OK in the dialog box that will appear on the right hand computer). The telescope will start tracking, so unless you’re about to slew to a star, click STOP.

6. Remove the telescope covers. Move the telescope to cover position with the Slew to Cover Position button. Make sure the data cables are free to move before moving the telescope. ALWAYS watch the lines when moving the telescope!!! Use the ladder on the southeast end of the dome floor to remove the cover to the main telescope, as well as the 6” finder on the east side of the telescope. Store both covers on the table south of the telescope pier.

7. Take bias exposures. A bias exposure at this time will verify that the camera has cooled down and is functioning properly. If all is well, continue.

8. Take flats. Take sky flats pointed approximately 20 degrees east of the zenith (west for morning flats). Take dome flats in Cover Position using the incandescent desk lamp pointed down to the floor.

9. Fine tune the telescope pointing on a bright star. Vega is a fine target for much of the summer. Find your target in SkyView (Ctrl-f), and slew by (left-) clicking and choosing GoTo. If your target does not appear in the ccd’s field of view, use the finder to center the star until you can image it with Evora camera. Center the star in the ccd, and update the telescope’s pointing by again clicking on it, but this time choose Sync.

10. Focus the telescope on a faint star. Move the telescope to a dimmer star in the finder, then take images and adjust focus to minimize the PSF. 9000 is a reasonable move for donuts, 3000 is best when you can see stars. 1500 is the smallest reasonable move, only for fine tuning. Note that the focus position will change as the temperature changes over the course of the night, which may necessitate refocusing.

11. Take your images. Remember to watch the lines when slewing, and go outside and check the sky on a regular basis.

12. At the end of the night, shutdown the camera. Select Shutdown in MRO Camera Controls.

13. Cover and park the telescope. Use the Go to Cover Position button and carefully replace the telescope covers. The 30” cover no longer fits into the tube, that’s okay. Use Go to Park to move the telescope back to the parked (zenith) position.

14. Turn off the telescope. Turn off motor power with the key on the telescope’s RA skirt. Most equipment in the telescope’s mount will remain powered on, but the F1’s motor board status lights should “go into blinky”.

15. Close the dome. Rotate the dome to its home position. Plug in both cables and close the shutters. The lower shutter must be fully closed before the upper shutter reaches it. The upper shutter will stop automatically when it’s fully closed. Unplug both cables.

Departure Checklist

Carefully go through these lists of tasks, which keep the telescope and the observatory safe and in working order. MRO users are liable for any and all damages to the equipment caused by failure to properly follow these guidelines.

1. Secure the Telescope. You likely already turned off power to the telescope’s motors, but double-check. The power to equipment in the mount should remain on, but the lights on the F1 should be “in blinky”). Confirm that Evora has been shutdown. If you haven’t already, now is a good time to take a copy of your data.

2. Clean the Observatory. Aim to leave the observatory cleaner than you found it. Sweep from top to bottom. Clean up and wipe down the kitchen, the dining table, and the day room so there are no food particles left out to attract critters. Wipe down the stove, microwave, counter, and sink. Scrub the bathrooms. Collect all the garbage and recycling to dispose of in the PAB loading dock.

3. Secure the Observatory.

• Turn off power strip to the small appliances (toaster, coffee maker, etc.). Turn off lights, vent fans, the stereo, etc. (but do not turn off the computers).

• Remove the pipe and seal the water jug under the sink.

• Close and secure the dayroom shutters. Cleat the lines so the wind doesn’t tangle them.

• Turn off the water pump circuit breaker. Log the water level and write a log entry for your departure. This is a good time to note if it’s time to restock any essentials.

• If you turned on the air conditioning, turn it off, and cover the vents. Turn off the HVAC system with the furnace master control switch.

• Secure the propane: Store them out of sight, under the air conditioning vents outside. The propane tanks never go indoors, but the grill does.

• Close and latch every interior door. Ensure exterior doors are fully secured, and lock the gate behind you as you leave.

Contact Information

Problem reports should be addressed to Oliver Fraser: (206) 669-1886, Email: ojf@uw.edu