Modules

Dome

Note

Regarding Dome control development, it will be divided in two stages:

Stage 1: Dome control with C# and ASCOM drivers. Tested on ASCOM simulator. Also check out ASCOM’s Dome class.

Stage 2: Dome control with Alpaca through its web API.

On stage 2, we can use the Python interface.

Dome control communication

Types of operations:

  • status

    • azim, open/close

  • set for coordinates (move dome to alt /azim)

  • open dome

  • close dome

  • park position (optional)

  • sync azimuth (not for now)

API

DomeStatus()

return: json (dictonary)

{
"azim": float (degrees),
"open": boolean,
"park": boolean,
"connected": boolean,
"time": unixtime (float),
"version" : string (version of a software) // example: “v0.0.1”
}
SetAzim(azim float)

return boolean

OpenDome()

return boolean

CloseDome()

return boolean

ParkPostion()

return boolean

Telescope

Public API: TBD

Machine finishes taking images for a specific request or routine imaging.

Notify Processor machine that there are new raw exposures in some folder. The collection of these calibration and light frames will be referred from now on as a file batch.

Processor

The process begins when the work order is received by the Telescope module or any other external request.

  • Processor machine transfers file batch to local repo (if necessary).

  • Processor begins sequence of steps to calibrate (preprocess, reduce) the images.

  • Specific steps are flat stacking, dark stacking, flat-dark correction, astrometry, etc.

Example of a single step

Let’s suppose we want to do a Dark stacking.

  • Query the database for all Exposure of type dark in given FileBatch.

  • Group the Exposure by exposure time exptime and filter if any.

  • Make one stack per group and save to file.

  • Create an entry for each dark stack in the database.

  • If no errors

    • Record in the database that process was completed with no errors.

    • Return control.

  • If there were errors

    • Record in the database an error.

    • Raise an Exception.

    • The caller function should catch the exception and log the error (this should trigger an email send to all admins).

    • The caller function can either return control or skip the step and continue with the next step.

Work Orders

An example of a work order sent to the Preprocessor:

work_order = {
    "id": "1",
    "request": "calibrate_file_batch",
    "url": https://myaddres.org/get?allfiles,
    "datetime": "2019-03-05T14:34:54.234",
    "user": "Main Module",
    ...
}

request could be one of the following: calibrate_file_batch, resume_file_batch, restart_file_batch, etc.

Here is an example of a work order sent to telescope:

work_order = {
    "id": "1",
    "request": "observation",
    "priority": None,
    "datetime": "2019-03-05T14:34:54.234",
    "ra" = 132.23356,
    "dec" = 34.254534,
    "user": "Main Module",
    ...
}

priority is assigned by the scheduler in the Telescope module when receiving the WO. It will be a float number in the range 0-10.