IRAF to ISIS and PlotSpectra

[Andrew Smith]

After considerable delay, including a change of mount, I managed on 2017 11 05 to do an automated capture of echellograms of Rho Cas managed by a Pyhon program controlling The Sky X. This included starting up slewing to the target, centering it on the guide head, auto guiding and capturing the echellograms (including calibration frames) before shutting down. (I also I nervously kept an eye out for spent fireworks as I have had rockets on the roof of the observatory before.)

Following that I have now been able to automatically reduce the spectra in IRAF using scripts and get them in a format that both ISIS and PlotSpectra find acceptable.

I still need to add various keywords and get the file naming right for BAA database but one minute step for spectroscopy and giant leap for me!

The example shows the Na D lines with their classic split. The MRes spectrograph was temperature stable to better than +/-0.02C and is giving an R ~ 10000 measured from the Th Ar calibration lines.

All in all I am back in business... ...at long last.

Regards Andrew

[Olivier GARDE]

Hi Andrew,

My dream : reduce echelle spectra automatically.
You realize it !!!!

But is it simple to do with The Sky X or other software like Maxim DL ?

[Andrew Smith]

Olivier,

All the reduction is done in IRAF I just use The SkyX for controlling the telescope and cameras.

I still have to copy the files into the IRAF directories and run the scripts. It is not any more "automatic" than say using ISIS once it is set up for your echelle and object.

The setup in IRAF is similar to that needed in ISIS but done in a very different way given the age and heritage of IRAF.

Regards Andrew