A PDF guide to the user interface that was launched in June 2019. The latest version, October 2023, includes information about the QHY600 cameras on the 0.4-meter telescopes.
A two-page PDF document that lists the basics about interacting with the LCO Network. We strongly encourage serious users to consult the "Getting Started" guide for information about the Observation Portal and how to compose observation requests.
Documentation relating to the LCO internal science archive.
Documentation of the BANZAI data reduction pipeline.
A description of the FLOYDS (low-resolution spectrograph) pipeline.
A description of the NRES pipeline.
FITS header keywords and definitions
A description of how uncertainties are propagated during the BANZAI reduction process.
A description of the BANZAI-NRES data pipeline.
Documentation, examples and code for working with LCO's extensive programmatic interfaces.
A description of the information on submitted observing requests now available in the observatory portal.
Some SBIG 6303 cameras show a nonlinear response when the sky background is low. Photometry affected by this problem can be improved by applying empirically-derived corrections.
The system for prioritizing observing requests.
Rapid Response mode is for observations of science targets (e.g. gamma-ray bursts) that must be carried-out as soon as possible after a request is submitted. Time-Critical mode is for observations at tightly constrained times that rarely occur.
Observations of standard stars are routinely acquired to enable the photometric calibration of science data, as well as to monitor the performance of the network’s telescopes. The data from these observations are available to all in the Science Archive.
If data are unusable because of a technical problem arising from LCO's hardware or software, the time charged for that observation may be refunded to the proposal.
Advice on setting your airmass limit for best quality data
The time available to Co-investigators on a proposal (for observation requests) may be restricted by the proposal's PI. Read how user quotas work and how to enable them.
Bright stars can leave "ghosts" in the SBIG 6303 camera images (on the 0.4m telescopes). Find out why they occur, and how to spot them.
Some images, acquired under good conditions, resist astrometric solutions. We’ve determined that pixel saturation is critical for determining whether an astrometric (WCS) solution is fit to an image.