Project Rainbows
Open Science Video Tutorial
Reducing the spectroscopy data obtained from the ALFOSC instrument of the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT).
This is part of a science research program “Obscured Quasar Environments” led by Maria Stone.
Author and Principal Investigator: Maria Stone
Part 1. Documentation and organization
Youtube: YouTube video of the tutorial
Notes: Tutorial Notes on Google Docs
When you start a project, you need to get yourself organized and start the process of not only working on the data and getting the results, but also doing the necessary steps to keep records, to document your steps. This is essential in any science projects.
Here are some points to consider.
- Create paper and/or electronic space for keeping your records organized for the project. I usually have a paper binder and an electronic directory. I also like to have a bookmark folder on my browser with all the commonly used website links that I can just open with one click every time I start working on the project
- Download the raw data.
- Create a working copy of the raw data. This will allow you to start over if you mess up, so that you don’t have to worry about modifying the original files. By the way, it is very normal if you have to start over, even many times.
- Document everything. Your steps, your ideas, your thoughts, your questions. I often create summaries of what I have done after a chunk of work or after a day of work. I do also like to write what is the next thing to do at the end of working on a project that day. I like to keep lists:
- todo list
- list of questions
- things to read
- Document practical things as well, such as
- paths to files
- acknowledgements-> people, funding, instruments/telescopes
- Consider starting a draft of the manuscript as you work on your project as well.
I find it very important to document everything. If I have not touched a project, reading over my own notes brings back to the memory the skeleton of the project, so I can resume the work. It is also easier to then make presentations for seminars or summaries for grant applications, and of course the manuscript for publication itself.
Part 2. Going through the End-of-Night (EON) Reports, sorting through files.
Youtube : Video Recording here
Notes: Research Notes in Google Docs
Tools used:
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Skills introduced:
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More Resources:
- Mac Terminal window info by Apple
- Unix for the Beginning Mage by Joe Topjian – friendly tutorial on command line scripts
- Overleaf.com (for drafting and collaborating on manuscripts)
- Latex
Part 3. Create combined science image without cosmic rays.
Youtube : Video Recording here
Notes: Research Notes in Google Docs
Tools used:
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Skills introduced:
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- Unix for the Beginning Mage by Joe Topjian – friendly tutorial on command line scripts
- IRAF documentation
- IRAF basics from the STScI
- IRAF documentation, full list here, check out especially the following ones (note photometry concepts are used in spectroscopy as well!) :
- “A beginner’s guide to using IRAF” by Barnes 1993
- “A user’s guide to reducing slit spectra with IRAF” by Massey, 1992
- Photometry Using IRAF, Lisa A. Wells, February 1994
- A User’s Guide to Stellar CCD Photometry with IRAF, Philip Massey and Lindsey Davis, April 1992.
- Trim Section values are taken from the following website, link here
- Readout times explanation for ALFOSC here
- python, astropy, https://www.astropy.org/
- FITS files, header and extensions with a visual – explanations and astropy tutorial
- ALFOSC instrument webpages, https://www.not.iac.es/instruments/alfosc/
- HOWTO (my own):