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Getting a SARAO account

Follow the email instructions to obtain your login details��For more information on obtaining a SARAO account please visit:�https://skaafrica.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/1/article/333676627

Using the SARAO observation planning tool (OPT) requires a SARAO account. �Register as a first time user at apps.sarao.ac.za/opt/observations��

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Use the OPT to simulate and plan observations ahead of MeerKAT open time calls to strengthen your proposal or application

Users do not require a valid Proposal ID

Not having a Proposal ID means that observations can not be submitted

However, observations can be saved to return to, and can also be downloaded for future uploads to the OPT

Use the OPT to create and submit observations after MeerKAT observing time has been awarded

The primary investigator (PI) of a proposal is notified via email of the outcome of the proposal

If successful, the email contains a valid Proposal ID (standardly in the format SCI-YYYYMMDD-XX-nn)

In the OPT the PI will have access to their associated Proposal IDs. PIs can also provide access to these Proposal IDs to their team members

OPT observations with a valid Proposal ID can be submitted to the observing queue for review

Planning vs Submitting with the OPT

The OPT can be used either to plan your MeerKAT observations when writing proposals OR to create observations and submit them to the observing queue when you have been allocated MeerKAT observing time. The differences are highlighted below.

Planning Submitting

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Helpful display information

1 . User credentials: After logging in your user credentials appear in the top-right hand corner of the OPT�

1. user credentials

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Helpful display information

1 . User credentials: After logging in your user credentials appear in the top-right hand corner of the OPT�

By clicking on the user icon and selecting settings you can review the Proposal IDs � associated with your username:

1. user credentials

In this case the user has not been awarded observing time yet and therefore has no proposals listed.

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Helpful display information

1 . User credentials: After logging in your user credentials appear in the top-right hand corner of the OPT�

2. Clocks: At all times the OPT will display, � - current Local Sidereal Time (LST)

- current Universal Standard time (UTC)

- current South African Standard time (SAST)

1. user credentials

2. clocks

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Create a new observation

Click on New Observation to create your first observation.��

�

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Create a new observation

In this tutorial we will create a mock observation of the Galaxy Cluster MACS J0025.4-1222.

�The observation will have a total duration of 8 hours (480 min), with:

bandpass calibrator scans of 10 min (600 sec) every 3 hours
target scans of 30 min (1800 sec) each, and
gain calibrator scans of 2 min (120 sec) between each target scan

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Create a new observation

In this tutorial we will create a mock observation of the Galaxy Cluster MACS J0025.4-1222.

�The observation will have a total duration of 8 hours (480 min), with:

bandpass calibrator scans of 10 min (600 sec) every 3 hours
target scans of 30 min (1800 sec) each, and
gain calibrator scans of 2 min (120 sec) between each target scan

Note: this tutorial example does not make use of a polarisation calibrator source. �For information on how to add a polarisation calibrator to your observing strategy, please refer to https://skaafrica.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ESDKB/pages/1493631000/Polarisation+calibration

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Add a description

Step 2: Click on New Observation to create your first observation

Add a description for your Observation, for example,��“Observation of the Galaxy Cluster MACS J0025.4-1222”�

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Add a description

Step 2: Click on New Observation to create your first observation

If you already have access to a proposal ID or IDs you will be able to select the relevant ID (SCI-YYYYMMDD-XX-nn) from the drop down menu. ��Alternatively, when using the OPT to plan a observation for which observing time has not yet been awarded, you can leave it blank.

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Select instrument parameters

Step 2: Click on New Observation to create your first observation

Select the correlator product, integration time and band for the observation.

Correlator products:

�

��

c856M32k

c - correlator

bc - beamformer

bandwidth in MHz

856M - L-band (centered on 1283 MHz)�544M - U-band (centered on 816 MHz)

number of frequency channels across the band:�32k - 32 768 channels

4k - 4096 channels

1k - 1024 channels

4k_n107M - (narrowband mode)

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Select instrument parameters

Step 2: Click on New Observation to create your first observation

Narrowband spectral line mode��When selecting, 4k_n107M, you will be required to enter a center frequency in the range 909.5 MHz to 1658.5 MHz, determined by your scientific interest.�

Narrowband observations are recorded as both a wideband (WB) and narrowband (NB) data product:�

WB: 4096 channels across the 856 MHz L-band�
NB: 32768 channels across 107 MHz centered on the centre frequency you specified

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Select instrument parameters

Select the correlator product, integration time and band for the observation.

2) Integration time:��Options range from 0.25 sec to 8.00 sec, however all integration times < 8.00 sec need to be strongly motivated for in the science case of the submission.��For this tutorial we use the default L-band setup of 4000 channels (c856M4k) �and 8.00 sec integration time. ��

�

��

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Select instrument parameters

Step 2: Click on New Observation to create your first observation

The pool resources are set to cbf, sdp by default.

�These resources are required for all science observations,

cbf: correlator and/ beamformer
sdp: science data processing.

Additional commensal resources and user supplied equipment (USEs) can be added to this list for particular use cases. Note this can only be done if the advanced button is toggled.

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Configure an observing block

This pattern, with gaincal* scans on either side of target scans, is �repeated every ~ 3 hrs until the required observing duration is reached

��

*gaincal = Gain calibrator

**bpcal = Bandpass calibrator

��

Observations typically follow the format,

the bpcal** is repeated every 3 hrs, and typically observed at the start and end of an observation.

Bpcal

Gaincal

Target

Gaincal

Target

Bpcal

Gaincal

… …

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Configure an observing block

Observations typically follow the format,

The use of Blocks allows you to easily create observations �with such repeating patterns
Click on Configure to create the first observing block within the observation��

Bpcal

Gaincal

Target

Gaincal

Target

Bpcal

Gaincal

… …

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Import observing targets

Click on Import Sources to add the target/s that you want to observe. � � � A pop-up box, to set the target duration will appear.� The default target scan is 1800 seconds or 30 min. � We will use this default value.

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Import observing targets

Add the target/s you want to observe by clicking on Import and upload a csv file with the target coordinates in the following format,

# Name, radec tag, RA(J2000), Dec(J2000)

J0025-1222, radec target,00:25:29.381,-12:22:37.06��You will be able to select calibrators (bpcal and gaincal) �from the planning tool.�

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Import observing targets

��The target and its RA/DEC J2000 coordinates appear, labelled as target with an associated track of 1800 sec. �

Notice that the start of the LST observing window is automatically populated with LST time the sources rises above the horizon, which by default is at (its minimum value of) 15 degrees. �You will be able to adjust desired LST starting windows, as well as selected horizon values as you continue planning your observation. Note that horizon values larger than 15 degrees will need to be strongly motivated for in the science case of the submission.�

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Add a gain calibrator