Data delivered as a part of the SM package include:

Science Raw Data

All the FITS files produced by user-created Observation Blocks and that could be executed are delivered (categories SCIENCE and ACQUISITION). Some of the OBs may have been executed more than once. In particular, if time permitted, those OBs which produced data clearly out of the specified constraints were tried to be re-executed. Hence there may be more raw files per OB than originally specified.

Appropriate calibration data (these may be raw and/or processed [master] calibration data) are always delivered.

Master calibration data, if available, are delivered according to the instrument mode of the science raw data. Only exception are BIAS and DARK files and a bad pixel table, which are not mode-specific. Their names contain information about their function and instrumental modes.

The following master calibration data are in general included:

• bias frames under BIAS,
• twilight sky flats (IMG) under FLAT,
• reduced photometric standard star exposures and zeropoint tables (IMG) under STD,
• normalized screen flats (LSS, MOS, MXU) under LAMP,
• wavelength calibration files (LSS, MOS, MXU) under LAMP,
• files to correct spatial distortion (MOS, MXU) under LAMP
• reduced spectroscopic standard star spectra (LSS, MOS, MXU) under STD.

Raw calibration data, again mode-specific, are delivered if they fulfil at least one of the following conditions:

• they are specific to your programme (i.e. have been created by your OBs),
• they have not been used to construct master calibration files,
• they are standard star files and your science data are IMG mode,
• the instrument mode selected by you is presently not pipeline-supported.

Additional or missing calibration files may be retrieved from the  ESO Archive.

Check the FORS2 pipeline pages, specifically for calibration data.

If you have measured in the IMG, LSS, MOS or MXU mode, you can expect to receive pipeline-reduced files. Generally, all SCIENCE taken in IMG, LSS, MOS or MXU mode are reduced if they fulfil the following conditions:
 

• they are measured in supported (standard) modes
• master calibration data were available from the same night or at least within a few nights,

Quality checks for the data reduction are applied. The quality of flattening and removal of 4port structure is checked. The degree of overexposure is determined. No file is rejected on the basis of these checks, however.
 

Science data are processed by the pipeline with the best available calibration data. Please note that ESO is not assuming any responsibility in respect to the usefulness of the reduced data. The adopted reduction strategy may not be suitable for the scientific purpose of the observations.

Check the FORS2 pipeline pages, specifically for more details on science reduction.

Photometric data included for IMG mode

For imaging projects, photometric standards are observed on every clear night through the filters being used that night. Clear nights are defined as nights when no clouds are visible. However, we can not certify these nights as photometric.

When available,
 

• the raw standard star files (DPR CATG = STD),
• the reduced standard star files (PRO CATG = REDUCED_STANDARD_IMG),

Pipeline-generated zeropoints per night are obtained by averaging all available standard star measurements. They are available here.

NOTE: some of the STANDARD star files (raw or reduced) may contain saturated pixels. So check them carefully if you want to use them. Pipeline-produced zeropoints are checked for overexposure.