Do you remember the Viscacha that sometimes sneaks into our pupils? This is a problem when our mirror is uncalibrated, and the signal it sends to the pyramid wavefront sensor confuses our software. We get dark spots in the pupil (images of the secondary) that often look like our Viscacha friends. They got in back in our first commissioning run (see here and here), and took some Italian magic to deal with.
So today, after a long and frustrating alignment, we got started closing the loop on our calibration source and immediately went to war with the pupil viscachas. Simone was even calling for Truly Nolen at one point.
A brand new set of system modes.After long discussion, it was conluded that it is a viscacha!By the end of the night we have successfully closed the loop on 400 modes. Still subtle issues to sort out, but 2000 Hz is just around the corner. Going clockwise from left, we have Fernando, Alfio, Laird, Kelsey, Lauren, Jared, Armando, Simone, and Enrico.Kelsey and Lauren have been spending some quality time with their Grand-Advisor.Gary Galileo Guanaco is almost tame now. He let us get this close at lunch today. We’ll be riding him soon.PaparazziGary can’t get away.
Today was an exciting day for the whole team: MagAO is mounted, poised, and ready to go!
The adsec is back, has been flattened, and is lookin’ good (after extensive reconstructive surgery).
The pyramid wavefront sensor has been updated (and is swankier than ever).
And finally, MagAO is bolted to the Clay telescope, and is ready to show us what its got!
But we didn’t do this alone. Our fuzzy friend Greg/Gary/Galileo Guanaco appears to be quite interested in the goings-on at the telescope. We caught him peeking at us in the control room this afternoon. According to Dr. Katie Morzinski, he has adopted us as his herd. Or he’s just a creeper. You can decide.
Our fuzzy friend
Greg/Gary/Galileo Guanaco didn’t prove to be TOO much help. He offered absolutely no assistance this evening, and we were forced to proceed without him. We soldiered on and brought MagAO up from the deep to be happily reunited with the telescope.
MagAO rises again
Once MagAO was back on the nasmyth, it took some expert maneuvering by some very talented people to get this 1800 lb beauty mounted back on the telescope.
Mounting MagAO
And after some fancy footwork, MagAO was reunited with its beloved telescope.
The MagAO-X PI approves
There were some final inspections by Dr. Laird Close, PI….
Laird makes some final checks
And some tricksy things to be dealt with, like the ‘anaconda’ – the snake-like coil carrying all of MagAO’s communication cables, power, and plumbing that wraps around the instrument very much like its namesake….
The “anaconda”
But in the end, it was all worth it. In the immortal words of Dr. Jared Males: “We’re back, baby!”
Commissioning is a long and windy road, not unlike Odysseus’ journey in the Odyssey. The MagAO team has traveled half way around the world, and have had our share of battling monsters (like our deformable mirror!), and treasure hunts (to spot that elusive green flash!). We are so close to the end of our journey, only two more days and we should be on sky!
Speaking of mythical creatures…. Professor Laird Close caught this awesome shot of a viscacha mid hop.
As you can imagine things are getting busier than ever as we ramp up to go on sky. Here is a video of Dr. Katie Morzinski preparing the CLIO infrared camera for the telescope! She is filling the dewar with liquid nitrogen to cool it 55K! Watching her made us wish we had the stuff to make Dip N Dots…
The wavefront sensor dynamic duo finally achieved a pupil separation of 40 pixels!
The rest of the AO team has been hard at work getting the deformable secondary up and running! But I don’t have any pictures sorry guys.
Gary Galileo the Guanaco working hard directing observatory traffic
After a long day the MagAO team takes a moment to admire the sunset…
… And take an obligatory selfie of course!
Song of the day is both space and Odyssey themed!
Out Hud 2005: A Face Odyssey
As scientists and engineers, do we all have a hip and edgy sense of fashion? Well obviously.
But more than that, edges seemed to show up everywhere today.
Inside the observatory:
You see the outer edge of the pupil in this interferometric image of the adaptive secondary mirror? Yeah – well you couldn’t yesterday! This beautiful, fringe-filled, full image of the ASM is courtesy of the intrepid mirror-whispers Runa, Marco, and Fernando.
Promising fringes
Outside the observatory:
This guanaco likes to live life on the edge. He’s been swinging by this week frequently to show off for the astro-paparazzi who, without fail, come bounding outside at even the faintest cry of “GUANACO!!!”
Surveying his kingdom
Watching the edge of the horizon for the green flash. Do you see it?? We didn’t either. Still a gorgeous sunset though.
… And take an obligatory selfie of course!
