Service Mode Guidelines for Period 83
This page and the links in the left menu provide the general information necessary to complete the Phase II preparation for Service Mode programmes at the VLT/VLTI and VISTA.
This information has been updated for Period 83. Period 84 users should follow the Period 84 procedures.
Introduction
The easiest way to prepare the phase 2 material of your observations is to choose the instrument of your interest in the Instrument Menu on the right and then follow the topics given in the list on the left or to choose the Phase II Instrument Overview Table. You should finish your preparation with the Phase II Submission.
More general information about Philosophy and Scheduling of Service Mode Observing, General Service Mode Policies, and Special Procedures is also available (see menu on the left).
Phase II deadline:
Please note that late submission penalties apply: if the Phase II material is submitted after the deadline without prior agreement with ESO, the run shall have its Priority Group reduced automatically by one rank class (A to B, B to C, C to canceled).
News and Recent Changes:
Please follow this link to get the news on recent changes concerning general phase 2 matters, observatory news, as well as instrument specific news (if you have chosen an instrument with the Instrument Menu on the right).
A quick checklist
- Before you start...: Please check the following points:
- You know your ESO User Portal username and password. They are the same ones you use for other things like checking the Webletters, etc. Please consult the User Portal FAQ for more information.
- You have installed the latest versions of P2PP and any relevant instrument-specific preparation tools (FIMS, NAOS PS, FPOSS, VMMPS, Guidecam for VIMOS or VISIR).
- You may need to submit some Phase 2 Waiver Requests. Those need to be approved by ESO before the phase 2 deadline, and thus need to be submitted at least one week before the deadline.
- The phase 2 package consists of:
- A set of Observation Blocks (OBs), constructed and submitted to the ESO database using the latest version of the P2PP tool. Note that the OBs include both finding charts and, when applicable (i.e. for moving targets), ephemeris files.
- A README file providing an overview of your programme details, also prepared and submitted from within P2PP.
- Once the submission is complete:
- Do not forget to click the p2pp-submit button in P2PP! This step has to be repeated for every observing run for which you are submitting Phase II material. Please be reminded that your phase 2 package submission, re-submission, or modification will not be processed until you have notified to ESO the completion of your submission using the p2pp-submit button.
Where to seek help
All investigators assigned Service Mode time should contact the ESO User Support Department in all matters regarding phase 2 preparation. Please include the programme ID in the subject line!
The USD list of Frequently Asked Questions provides answers to some of the most common inquiries related to the preparation of Service Mode Observations.