Nickel Remote Observing Policy
A. Only observers with experience observing locally with the Nickel Telescope and Direct Camera are eligible to observe remotely. Observers must have been checked out, on site, by a Lick support astronomer, and sufficient experience must have been gained.
B. Potential remote users must receive an additional remote-observing checkout during the afternoon of the first night of their remote run.
C. Proposals for remote observing must specify the facility from which the observer will be working, and include a list of up to four filters and the order in which they are to be installed. In all other ways, the remote observing proposal process is the same as for local observing.
D. The Lick remote observing system is set up to be run from Keck mainland remote observing facilities at the following sites: UCB, LBNL, UCLA, UCSC, UCSD, UCSB, UCR, UCD, and UCI. Keck observing has priority over Lick observing in these rooms. Shane 3-m telescope observing has priority over Nickel observing in these rooms as well. The observer must coordinate the use of these rooms with the local scheduler.
E. Nickel remote observers are not permitted to remotely operate the instrument unless and until it has been explicitly released to them by the TT or support astronomer.
F. Weather limits are the same when observing remotely as when observing locally. The remote observer must be certain that the weather is adequate for observing. If there is any doubt, the observer must close.
G. It is strongly encouraged to have an active Zoom video conference connection with the Nickel telescope control room to hear sounds of the telescopes or communicate with Lick Observatory staff.
Support Astronomers, sa@ucolick.org Last modified: Thu Aug 5 12:46:27 PDT 2021