HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science =
DAILY
REPORT #4973
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am November 16 - 5am November 17, 2009 (DOY =
320/10:00z-321/10:00z)
OBSERVATION=
S
SCHEDULED
ACS/WFC
11338
Continued
M31 Monitoring for Black Hole X-ray Nova
During
A01-7 we found >16 Black Hole X-ray Novae (BHXN) in M31 =
using
Chandra,
and with HST followup have estimated orbital periods for 6 =
of
these.
Observations are underway with HST to attempt to =
estimate
additional
periods. We propose to continue this program, =
concentrating
our
scarce HST resources on a single transient which exceeds the =
NS
Eddington
limit. Only uninterrupted monitoring can yield the duty =
cycles
and
long-term lightcurves of BHXN (and other variables) in M31. =
Our
GO+GTO
programs have accumulated 300ks (ACIS) near the M31 bulge, =
and
total
ACIS exposure on M31 is now 620ks. Our monitoring program =
alone
can
amass 500ks on the bulge if continued through AO12, and =
combined
with
other programs will reach >1Msec ACIS exposure on the bulge. =
STIS/CCD
11879
CCD
Daily Monitor (Part 1)
This
program comprises basic tests for measuring the read noise and =
dark
current
of the ACS WFC and for tracking the growth of hot pixels. =
The
recorded
frames are used to create bias and dark reference images =
for
science
data reduction and calibration. This program will be =
executed
four
days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) for the duration of Cycle 17. =
To
facilitate
scheduling, this program is split into three proposals. =
This
proposal
covers 352 orbits (22 weeks) from 31 August 2009 to 31 =
January
2010.
COS/FUV
11895
FUV
Detector Dark Monitor
The
purpose of this proposal is to monitor the FUV detector dark rate =
by
taking
long science exposures without illuminating the detector. =
The
detector
dark rate and spatial distribution of counts will be =
compared
to
pre-launch and SMOV data in order to verify the nominal operation =
of
the
detector. Variations of count rate as a function of orbital =
position
will
be analyzed to find dependence of dark rate on proximity to =
the
SAA.
Dependence of dark rate as function of time will also be tracked. =
COS/NUV
11894
NUV
Detector Dark Monitor
The
purpose of this proposal is to measure the NUV detector dark rate =
by
taking
long science exposures with no light on the detector. =
The
detector
dark rate and spatial distribution of counts will be =
compared
to
pre-launch and SMOV data in order to verify the nominal operation =
of
the
detector. Variations of count rate as a function of orbital =
position
will
be analyzed to find dependence of dark rate on proximity to =
the
SAA.
Dependence of dark rate as function of time will also be tracked. =
WFC3/IR
11818
NICMOS
Confirmation of an Extrasolar pPanet Candidate Directly =
Detected
with
ACS
With
ACS/HRC coronagraphy, we have achieved the direct detection of =
a
planet
candidate in F606W and F814W around a bright nearby star with =
a
debris
belt. The planet candidate lies 18 astronomical units interior =
to
the
dust belt and we detect counterclockwise orbital motion =
in
observation=
s
separated by 1.75 years. The candidate has mass no =
greater
than
three Jupiter masses based on an analysis of its luminosity and =
the
dynamical
argument that a significantly more massive object =
would
disrupt
the dust belt. Using recent model predictions for 100-300 =
Myr
old
planetary atmospheres, the planet candidate has a temperature =
of
~400
K and a mass 1.6 - 3.4 M_J. Variability at optical =
wavelengths
suggests
additional sources of luminosity such as H-alpha emission =
or
the
episodic accretion of cometary material. A key surprise is that =
the
planet
candidate is NOT detected in Keck adaptive optics observations =
at
1.6
microns. Two model atmospheres predict a flux a few times =
greater
than
our detection limit, though the model predictions disagree =
with
each
other by a factor of five due to theoretical uncertainty in =
the
strength
of CH4 vibrational bands. These models predict the =
strongest
emission
centered on the F110W passband of NICMOS such that the F814W =
-
F110W
color will be red. Here we propose follow-up NICMOS =
observations
to
verify that the emission observed in F814W is due to the =
emergent
flux
from passive cooling of the planet, as opposed to =
other
explanation=
s,
such as reflected light from a Saturn analog with =
a
circumplane=
tary
debris disk that would produce a bluer F814W - =
F110W
color.
Additional deep images in and and out of the 1.14 micron =
water
trough
using NIC1 narrowband filters will test whether or not =
the
emission
is produced from the passive cooling of a young massive =
planet.
STIS/CCD
10897
Coronagraph=
ic
imaging of the submillimeter debris disk of a 200Myr =
old
M-dwarf
A
recent sub-millimeter survey has unambiguously discovered a new =
debris
disk
around the M0.5 dwarf GJ842.2 which is 200 Myr old. Reanalysis =
of
the
IRAS data has shown that there is also a 25 micron excess =
toward
this
star indicating warm dust close to the star. It is also only =
the
second
debris disk found among M-dwarfs that constitute 70 % of =
the
stars
in the Galaxy. Collisional and Poynting-Roberston =
timescale
arguments
indicate that the cold grains detected in the sub-mm =
are
``primordia=
l'',
i.e. original grains from the protoplanetary phase. =
The
disk
around GJ842.2 is thus unique in terms of the presence of dust =
at
such
a late stage of evolution and presents two conundrums: why did =
it
retain
so much primordial dust at large distances, and why does =
it
continue
to produce dust close to the star? We propose to conduct =
high
contrast
NICMOS coronagraphic imaging of GJ842.2 to determine =
the
spatial
distribution of the small reflecting grains and test the =
various
scenarios
which might explain the IRAS and sub-mm data =
e.g.resonant
trapping
of dust by planets or ``sandblasting'' by interstellar =
medium
grains
working more aggressively on a low-luminosity star than on =
an
A-type
star like Beta Pic. Also, we would search for an =
evolutionary
sequence
between GJ842.2 and the only other M-dwarf with a disk =
resolved
by
HST, the 10 Myr old AU Mic system.
S/C
12046
COS
FUV DCE Memory Dump
Whenever
the FUV detector high voltage is on, count rate and =
current
draw
information is collected, monitored, and saved to DCE memory. =
Every
10
msec the detector samples the currents from the HV power =
supplies
(HVIA,
HVIB) and the AUX power supply (AUXI). The last 1000 samples =
are
saved
in memory, along with a histogram of the number of occurrences =
of
each
current value.
In
the case of a HV transient (known as a "crackle" on FUSE), =
where one
of
these currents exceeds a preset threshold for a persistence time, =
the
HV
will shut down, and the DCE memory will be dumped and examined =
as
part
of the recovery procedure. However, if the current exceeds =
the
threshold
for less than the persistence time (a "mini-crackle" in =
FUSE
parlance),
there is no way to know without dumping DCE memory. =
By
dumping
and examining the histograms regularly, we will be able =
to
monitor
any changes in the rate of "mini-crackles" and thus =
learn
something
about the state of the detector.
STIS/CCD
11844
CCD
Dark Monitor Part 1
The
purpose of this proposal is to monitor the darks for the STIS CCD. =
STIS/CCD
11846
CCD
Bias Monitor-Part 1
The
purpose of this proposal is to monitor the bias in the 1x1, =
1x2,
2x1,
and 2x2 bin settings at gain=3D1, and 1x1 at gain =3D 4, to build =
up
high-S/N
superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns. =
STIS/CCD
11852
STIS
CCD Spectroscopic Flats C17
The
purpose of this proposal is to obtain pixel-to-pixel lamp =
flat
fields
for the STIS CCD in spectroscopic mode.
STIS/CCD
11855
STIS/CCD
Spectroscopic Sensitivity Monitor for Cycle 17
The
purpose of this proposal is to monitor the sensitivity of each =
CCD
grating
mode to detect any changes due to contamination or other =
causes.
WFC3/UVIS
11360
Star
Formation in Nearby Galaxies
Star
formation is a fundamental astrophysical process; it =
controls
phenomena
ranging from the evolution of galaxies and nucleosynthesis =
to
the
origins of planetary systems and abodes for life. The =
WFC3,
optimized
at both UV and IR wavelengths and equipped with an =
extensive
array
of narrow-band filters, brings unique capabilities to this area =
of
study.
The WFC3 Scientific Oversight Committee (SOC) proposes =
an
integrated
program on star formation in the nearby universe which =
will
fully
exploit these new abilities. Our targets range from =
the
well-resolv=
ed
R136 in 30 Dor in the LMC (the nearest super star =
cluster)
and
M82 (the nearest starbursting galaxy) to about half a dozen =
other
nearby
galaxies that sample a wide range of star-formation rates =
and
environment=
s.
Our program consists of broad band multiwavelength =
imaging
over
the entire range from the UV to the near-IR, aimed at studying =
the
ages
and metallicities of stellar populations, revealing young =
stars
that
are still hidden by dust at optical wavelengths, and showing =
the
integrated
properties of star clusters. Narrow-band imaging of the =
same
environment=
s
will allow us to measure star-formation rates, gas
pressure,
chemical abundances, extinction, and shock morphologies. =
The
primary
scientific issues to be addressed are: (1) What triggers =
star
formation?
(2) How do the properties of star-forming regions vary =
among
different
types of galaxies and environments of different gas =
densities
and
compositions? (3) How do these different environments affect =
the
history
of star formation? (4) Is the stellar initial mass =
function
universal
or determined by local conditions?
WFC3/IR
11202
The
Structure of Early-type Galaxies: 0.1-100 Effective Radii =
The
structure, formation and evolution of early-type galaxies is =
still
largely
an open problem in cosmology: how does the Universe evolve =
from
large
linear scales dominated by dark matter to the highly =
non-linear
scales
of galaxies, where baryons and dark matter both play =
important,
interacting=
,
roles? To understand the complex physical =
processes
involved
in their formation scenario, and why they have the =
tight
scaling
relations that we observe today (e.g. the Fundamental Plane), =
it
is
critically important not only to understand their stellar =
structure,
but
also their dark-matter distribution from the smallest to the =
largest
scales.
Over the last three years the SLACS collaboration has =
developed
a
toolbox to tackle these issues in a unique and encompassing way =
by
combining
new non-parametric strong lensing techniques, =
stellar
dynamics,
and most recently weak gravitational lensing, with
high-qualit=
y
Hubble Space Telescope imaging and VLT/Keck =
spectroscopic
data
of early-type lens systems. This allows us to break =
degeneracies
that
are inherent to each of these techniques separately and probe =
the
mass
structure of early-type galaxies from 0.1 to 100 effective =
radii.
The
large dynamic range to which lensing is sensitive allows us both =
to
probe
the clumpy substructure of these galaxies, as well as =
their
low-density=
outer haloes. These methods have convincingly been
demonstrate=
d,
by our team, using smaller pilot-samples of SLACS =
lens
systems
with HST data. In this proposal, we request observing time =
with
WFC3
and NICMOS to observe 53 strong lens systems from SLACS, to =
obtain
complete
multi-color imaging for each system. This would bring the =
total
number
of SLACS lens systems to 87 with completed HST imaging =
and
effectively=
doubles the known number of galaxy-scale strong lenses. =
The
deep
HST images enable us to fully exploit our new techniques, beat =
down
low-number
statistics, and probe the structure and evolution of =
early-
type
galaxies, not only with a uniform data-set an order of =
magnitude
larger
than what is available now, but also with a fully-coherent =
and
self-consis=
tent
methodological approach!
WFC3/IR/S/C=
11929
IR
Dark Current Monitor
Analyses
of ground test data showed that dark current signals are =
more
reliably
removed from science data using darks taken with the =
same
exposure
sequences as the science data, than with a single dark =
current
image
scaled by desired exposure time. Therefore, dark current =
images
must
be collected using all sample sequences that will be used =
in
science
observations. These observations will be used to monitor =
changes
in
the dark current of the WFC3-IR channel on a day-to-day basis, and =
to
build
calibration dark current ramps for each of the sample sequences =
to
be
used by GOs in Cycle 17. For each sample sequence/array =
size
combination=
,
a median ramp will be created and delivered to the
calibration=
database system (CDBS).
WFC3/UVIS
11565
A
Search for Astrometric Companions to Very Low-Mass, Population =
II
Stars
We
propose to carry out a Snapshot search for astrometric companions =
in
a
subsample of very low-mass, halo subdwarfs identified within =
120
parsecs
of the Sun. These ultra-cool M subdwarfs are local
representat=
ives
of the lowest-mass H burning objects from the =
Galactic
Population
II. The expected 3-4 astrometric doubles that will =
be
discovered
will be invaluable in that they will be the first =
systems
from
which gravitational masses of metal-poor stars at the bottom of =
the
main
sequence can be directly measured.
WFC3/UVIS
11903
UVIS
Photometric Zero Points
This
proposal obtains the photometric zero points in 53 of the =
62
UVIS/WFC3
filters: the 18 broad-band filters, 8 medium-band filters, =
16
narrow-band=
filters, and 11 of the 20 quad filters (those being used =
in
cycle
17). The observations will be primary obtained by observing =
the
hot
DA white dwarf standards GD153 and G191-B2B. A redder =
secondary
standard,
P330E, will be observed in a subset of the filters to =
provide
color
corrections. Repeat observations in 16 of the most widely =
used
cycle
17 filters will be obtained once per month for the first =
three
months,
and then once every second month for the duration of cycle =
17,
alternating=
and depending on target availability. These =
observations
will
enable monitoring of the stability of the photometric =
system.
Photometric=
transformation equations will be calculated by comparing =
the
photometry
of stars in two globular clusters, 47 Tuc and NGC 2419, =
to
previous
measurements with other telescopes/instruments.
WFC3/UVIS
11905
WFC3
UVIS CCD Daily Monitor
The
behavior of the WFC3 UVIS CCD will be monitored daily with a set =
of
full-frame,=
four-amp bias and dark frames. A smaller set of =
2Kx4K
subarray
biases are acquired at less frequent intervals throughout =
the
cycle
to support subarray science observations. The internals from =
this
proposal,
along with those from the anneal procedure (Proposal =
11909),
will
be used to generate the necessary superbias and superdark =
reference
files
for the calibration pipeline (CDBS).
FLIGHT
OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant=
Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary =
reports
of
potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.) =
HSTARS:
12075
- GSAcq(1,2,1) failed to RGA hold due to search radius limit exceeded =
during
LOS
=
;
@ 320/11:05:25z
=
;
Observations affected: COS 5-6 Proposal ID# 11895, STIS 5 =
Proposal
ID#
=
;
10897, STIS 6-8 Proposal ID# 11846, STIS 9-10 Proposal ID# =
11852
12076
- GSAcq(1,2,1) scheduled at 320/23:40:28, REAcq(1,2,1) scheduled at
321/00:57:00z
=
;
and at 321/02:38:47z all failed to gyro control due to =
search
radius limit
=
;
exceeded on FGS-1.
=
;
Observations affected: WFC3 39-46 Proposal ID# =
11360.
12077
- GSAcq (2,3,3) failed to RGA Hold due to Search Radius Limit Exceeded =
on FGS-2
=
;
during LOS @ 321/04:54:44z.
=
;
Ops Request 18762 executed @ 321/05:46z resulted in =
successful
REAcq (2,3,3)
=
;
@ 321/06:02:14z.
=
;
Observations affected: WFC3 47-50 Proposal ID# 11360, ACS =
17
Proposal ID# 11360.
COMPLETED
OPS REQUEST:
18562-1
- CONTINGENCY: Continuous FGS Loss of Lock looping @ 320/1146z & =
321/05:46z
18762-0
- Realtime OBAD with Correction @ 321/05:46z
COMPLETED
OPS NOTES: (None)
=
; =
SCHEDULED &nbs=
p;
SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSAcq =
10 =
;
07
FGS
REAcq
06
0=
4
&=
nbsp; &n=
bsp;
OBAD
with Maneuver
04 =
;
04 =
;
SIGNIFICANT=
EVENTS: (None)