User support

Instructions & deadlines for the phase 2: preparing observations

The observing blocks (OBs) to execute VST observations must be prepared with the ESO P2 tool. The tutorial for the OmegaCam@VST is available here.
The OmegaCam User and Template manual is available here.
Log in into ESO P2 using your ESO USER PORTAL ACCOUNT
You should find the VST proposal as delegated, according to the ESO ID for your run provided here
If your run requires a cadence in time, include the time intervals in the relevant tab into the P2.
Create one OB for each time interval (e.g., if a target should be observed twice in two different time windows, create two OBs, each with its own time interval).
Once the OBs are ready, please, DO NOT PUSH THE BOTTOM "NOTIFY ESO"!
Certify the created OBs.
ALL OBs must be submitted by the deadlines provided below. Any delay might affect the execution of your run.

We suggest following the Additional Guidelines for OB preparation, which include advice on naming conventions for scheduling. You can find them at the following link.

Deadline for the OB submission for the P4

September 15th, 2025: For targets visible between October 1st 2025 and March 31st 2026
March 13th, 2026: For targets visible between April 1st and September 30th, 2026

Instruction for ToO Alert

Before 8 PM (CET)

Upon receiving an alert, PIs must email vst@inaf.it and promptly prepare the OB for observation. The program will be given the highest priority.

After 8 PM (CET)

Upon receiving an alert promptly prepare the OB for observation. A telephone number to contact will be provided to PIs.

Ongoing and Past Observations:

In the following pages, users can track the status of ongoing and past runs. The estimates are done on monthly basis, and are update every ~15 days.

P3 Observing track

P2 Observing track

P1 Observing track

Note: ESO’s communication systems were unavailable for part of May 2024 (P2) due to a cyber attack. As a result, VST observations could not always be carried out according to the schedule. More details in ESO network affected by cyber incident.

Data reduction calendar

VSTcen offers users periodic data reduction learning sessions at the INAF Observatory of Capodimonte. During these 3-day sessions, participants can familiarize with all the data reduction steps using Astro-WISE.

VST users interested in these learning sessions can check the available dates for upcoming sessions following this link and book a slot by contacting VST@inaf.it.

Please note that an Astro-WISE account is required. If you plan to attend a data reduction learning session but do not have an account, please contact us at VST@inaf.it at least 2 weeks in advance. Additionally, you are required to provide a short acronym for the project, along with a brief description and the program ID.

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