Data reduction and analysis pipelines: the simple approach for the xFOSC family of instruments

Raymond F. Butler; Kieran Forde

doi:10.1117/12.551848

16 September 2004 Data reduction and analysis pipelines: the simple approach for the xFOSC family of instruments

Raymond F. Butler, Kieran Forde

Proceedings Volume 5493, Optimizing Scientific Return for Astronomy through Information Technologies; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.551848
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2004, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Abstract

We describe how instrument data-processing pipelines can be quickly and easily developed using the modularity, header-manipulation, and scripting features of the IRAF suite. Our illustration case is the design of a simple IRAF-based reduction and analysis pipeline for the BFOSC instrument on the 1.52m Cassini Telescope at Loiano, run by the Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna. On the basis of header keywords, raw frames are automatically processed in a series of steps: grouping by any observational parameter(s), CCD reduction, registration, coaddition, photometry, deconvolution, RGB-tricolour representation, and basic astrometry, with spectroscopy partially implemented as of now. In this way, FITS data can be automatically analysed from raw frames to "end product" (of final or near-final scientific quality), while still "at the telescope", thus enabling much faster feedback. Since the xFOSC family of instruments produced by the Astronomical Observatory of Copenhagen, which includes BFOSC, share identical design and operation, it should be simple to adapt the pipeline to any of the ten FOSC instruments: DFOSC on the ESO/Danish 1.54m, ALFOSC on the Nordic Optical Telescope, TFOSC on the new TT1 (Castelgrande) Telescope. We also aim to make it available for "on the fly" archival processing.

Citation Download Citation

Raymond F. Butler and Kieran Forde "Data reduction and analysis pipelines: the simple approach for the xFOSC family of instruments", Proc. SPIE 5493, Optimizing Scientific Return for Astronomy through Information Technologies, (16 September 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.551848

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KEYWORDS

Calibration

Stars

Telescopes

Photometry

Point spread functions

Astronomy

Charge-coupled devices

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