On rare occasions, for scan maps with homogeneous coverages in array reference frame, the exposure map overlay can display one scan less than for certain values of the orientation angle. The AOT overlay display functionality is the reference in case of difference.
- Implication for user: the predicted exposure map can be smaller than the one defined in the AOR.
- Recommended action: rely on AOR overlay to assess mapped area instead of exposure map.
A range scan defined in the [55-73] and [102-210] micron range will fail if
1) The short wavelength edge is between 110 and 120 microns
AND
2) The long wavelength range is above 120 microns.
- Implication for user: A range scan in the [55-73] and [102-210] microns range that has the conditions defined above is not currently feasible. The parallel range in the extended 2nd order cannot be performed.
- Recommended action: change the wavelength settings to "Range scan in [71-98] and [102-210] microns (2nd and 1st orders)", if it fails for the [55-73] and [102-210] micron range. It will be possible to change back to the [55-73] and [102-210] microns range scan in the next HSpot release.
In the range sensitivity plot functionality, the units on the Y-axis can disappear in the line sensitivity plot, after zooming too much.
- Implication for user: sometimes inconvenient when reading the Y scale
- Recommended action: none.
In the three SED modes the reference wavelength is not used in the time estimator calculations if it is entered in the 'PACS range editor'
- Implication for user: No need to enter a reference wavelength in the PACS range editor.
- Recommended action: Use the range sensitivity plot GUI to get the sensitivity at the user desired reference wavelength.
Range scans defined in the second order with the red edge wavelength lower than 73 microns are not possible due to a software bug.
- Implication for user: this range shall be performed in the third order instead.
- Recommended action: If a range scan fully bracketed in the range 71-73 microns is to be entered in HSpot, the user shall select the third order, where the line sensitivity is better (but not the continuum sensitivity), and switch back to second order in a future HSpot version is needed.
Range scans defined in the first order with the red edge wavelength lower than 105 microns are not possible due to a software bug.
- Implication for user: Range scan fully bracketed in the range 102-105 microns are not possible.
- Recommended action: Extend the red edge wavelength beyond 105.0 microns to make is possible in HSpot.
In the Time Estimation Details the times sometimes do not agree with those in the Time Estimation Summary.
- Implication for user: Minor inconvenience when Time Estimation Details are displayed.
- Recommended action: The times given in the Time Estimation Summary are the ones that should be used.
Certain sequence of events can lead to Continuum Estimates going missing when reopening the Source Flux Estimates panel.
- Implication for user: Values are not always displayed in the window effects displaying the values and they are not always used in Time Estimation, however they are not lost from memory.
- Recommended action: To get back your estimates press cancel in the Source Flux Estimates window. Then press cancel on the AOR window. Now reopen your AOR and the Source Flux Estimates, you should see that they are displayed again.
Certain sequence of events can lead to default values not being set correctly when changing between "High and Low" resolution and other resolutions.
- Implication for user: When you change resolutions the default value might not be displayed.
- Recommended action: Always check the values of parameters when you change settings, do not trust that the usual values will appear, this is good practice anyway.
A serious bug has been found when working with HIFI in HSpot with Linux SUSE 9.1 and the KDE window manager. This bug, which is in KDE, causes system crashes when windows are opened to define HIFI AORs.
- Implication for user: Serious.
- Recommended action: Do not try to run HIFI AORs with this OS/platform combination.
Mapping (and visualisation) for the HIFI DBS raster map mode is using a position angle which is with respect to the Z axis of the telescope. This should be corrected to giving a PA with respect to north on the sky.
- Implication for user: The position angle and thus visualisation changes depending on the date of observation.
- Recommended action: The is no solution for users right now other than to be aware of the problem, although this bug should be fixed fairly quickly within HSpot.
There is a bug in the frequency editor when only the HRS is to be used. In the first (or only, if high-resolution mode is selected) scroll-down menu for the transition, the menu only features the -no line- tab, despite the presence of an available transition in the window of interest.
- Implication for user: the user cannot select the transition of interest in the first HRS sub-band scroll-down menu.
- Recommended action: we can propose two work-arounds for this problem:
i) Select WBS simultaneously, then go to the frequency editor to assign the lines as needed (the bug does not apply then). Go back to the main window, deselect the WBS: the settings are kept for the HRS (please check again the settings in the frequency editor to confirm that they have remained as desired).
ii) The second approach consists of filling in manually the value of the requested frequency in the "Observed Frequency" box (it should turn white when ready to be filled in). Click somewhere else in order to get the chosen frequency applied.
HIFI time estimation can take more than the nominal 10 seconds for AORs of more complicated modes (spectral scans and mapping AORs with OFF positions). In extreme cases a time estimation make take up to a minute. Users should beware not to hit the Abort button too soon!
- Implication for user: Can be serious. HIFI time estimation may be extremely slow if many AORs must be computed.
- Recommended action: This problem is particularly serious when there is heavy load on the system, but there is no real solution at present apart from exercising patience. The user should be aware of this and try not to run large numbers of time estimates at peak times (e.g. near an AO closure).
For the HIFI load chop with OFF and frequency switch point modes there is the possibility of providing an OFF position that is offset in RA and Dec from the target position. Currently, if the offset reference box is checked then the following two errors are seen.
- Implication for user: Visualisation of AORs does not work correctly. AORs must be hand-checked to ensure that they are correct.
- Recommended action: If an offset in declination only is used then the visualisation is correct.
There is a similar problem in submission of many HIFI AORs since these are recomputed as they are input into our database.
Time estimations for spectral scan AORs currently will not be given accurately if nominal times (a few minutes) are placed as a time goal to scan a whole band.
- Implication for user:
- Recommended action: Users are advised to use time goals closer to the minimum times needed (3000+ seconds).
When the WBS-only is selected, the best goal resolution possible should be at least 1.1 MHz. However, in the default time estimator window, this value is set at 0.480 MHz, which will result in an error and an explanatory error message. When the WBS-only is selected, the user should adapt the best goal resolution possible accordingly.
- Implication for user: .
- Recommended action:
In the Time Estimation Details the times sometimes do not agree with those in the Time Estimation Summary.
- Implication for user: Minor inconvenience when Time Estimation Details are displayed.
- Recommended action: The times given in the Time Estimation Summary are the ones that should be used.
There are some pending issues with the display of moving targets. In particular, if you display a moving target with a 3-colour image background the display parameters for the first colour layer are not propagated to other layers, so you must take care to enter the some date for each layer of the image.
- Implication for user: This is principally an inconvenience.
- Recommended action: If working with a three colour plot as background, note down carefully the date that you have choosen to display so that you enter the same date and time for each layer. Alternatively, work with a monochrome image.
If you request that HSpot displays the background for a target for which you have not previously calculated a background value, it will display the last value that was calculated by the program, even though it was for a different target.
- Implication for user: Minor unless the user notes the values for external use. Users should not think that a "wrong value" means that the calculations of time estimate or signal-to-noise are wrong in HSpot.
- Recommended action: Calculate the background for each source as you enter it as a target.
There are a series of bugs in the SkyView image display option, which is external to HSpot and thus not under our direct control. The bugs have been reported to the appropriate authority.
Some images apparently download several Mbt of data and then give an error that the file is empty. These are images that are full of pixels with zero value.
- Implication for user: This bug is more annoying than serious.
- Recommended action: Some SkyView options (DSS, ISSA image, etc) are available through other HSpot menu options. Alternatively, if you need to check a field, try an alternative survey option.
On many occasions a SkyView image download may be refused due to an I/O error. Mac seems to be particularly prone to this.
- Implication for user: This bug is more annoying than serious.
- Recommended action: Persistance. If the request is repeated several times, or the requested image is reduced in size, the file generally will download in the end. Usually, if a large image is required, it works best to download the image in a small format and then repeat the download with a larger sizze.
SkyView has limited capacity. If several users attempt to download simultaneously it will give a "too many processes" error.
- Implication for user: This bug is more annoying than serious.
- Recommended action: Try again a few minutes later.
Four catalogues give format errors when a user attempts to display them as an image overlay: the HST Guide Star Catalogue, the Old Chandra Master Catalogue, the USNO A2.0 catalogue and the ROSAT All-Sky Public Archival Data catalogue.
- Implication for user: It is impossible to overlay these catalogues in HSpot.
- Recommended action: Choose an alternative catalogue for overlay.
There is a known problem in the system whereby, occasionally, the submission of a proposal may hang silently or fail (giving a server error) during time estimation.
- Implication for user: this is a serious, but infrequent error that will cause submission to fail. So far it has only been observed with proposals with large numbers of HIFI AORs for which time estimation is slow.
- Recommended action: Please pay careful attention to the message advising what is the minimum time that time estimation should take in the first stage of proposal entry prior to username and pasword entry. The suggested minimum time is the theoretical time that should be needed if there is no other load on the system. If the proposal submission system is under heavy load time estimation may take significantly longer. If the time estimation has taken more than 3 times the suggested minimum, the proposal submission has probably hung.
Abort the time estimation, resubmit and inform the Helpdesk (http://herschel.esac.esa.int/) immediately if this happens during AO closure.
There is a known problem in the system whereby, under certain conditions, the resubmission or updating of a proposal may fail with a pop-up window displaying "Server Error".
- Implication for user: this is a serious, but infrequent error that will cause resubmission to fail.
- Recommended action: Please inform the Helpdesk (http://herschel.esac.esa.int/) immediately if this happens so that the problem can be resolved in time to complete the resubmission or update of the proposal.