(1)
The GRB project is allowed 5 priority interrupts per month. In any given month once these interrupts have been "used up" then no burst alerts should be responded to until the next month (i.e. burst alerts should be ignored). See the box below for the current number of interrupts remaining. If there is 1 or more interrupt remaining then proceed with planning the GRB observations (move on to section (2)).
| DECEMBER INTERRUPTS REMAINING: | |
|---|---|
| 3 | PROCEED with GRB observations |
(2)
If there is an interrupt avaliable then you need to decide whether or not to observe the burst based on the properties of the burst. If the burst is to be observed you also need to decide which telescope observation script to run.
To figure out the correct course of action, pick the links below that best describe the burst. You will click through several links. Finally you will be told either 1) not to observe the burst OR 2) which telescope script to use to observe the burst and how many times to run the script. Obviously if you are told to run the script multiple times you may not be able to run the script more than once if a burst occurs too close to dawn or if the GRB is setting. Only run the observations multiple times if you can leave half an hour or more between runs. In the optimum case, where a burst occurs at the beginning of the night, observations should be spaced out as much as possible (but try to avoid observing at airmass > 2). Keep in mind that the most important thing to do is observe the burst as soon as possible. Multiple observations are good if we can get them, but they are a secondary goal.
| WHAT IS THE ERROR ON THE GRB POSITION? | |
|---|---|
| The GRB position has a SMALL error radius (error < 5 arcminutes) | The GRB position has a LARGE error radius (error > 5 arcminutes) |
Most of the necessary information you need will be given in the burst alert. Some information may have to be taken from the GCN. The newest GCN messages are listed at the top. Look for any GCN having to do with the current burst (remember that GRBs are named for the UT date on which they occur and will thus have names of the form "GRB YYMMDD"). Particularly look to the GCN to see if there have been Swift/BAT, XRT or UVOT detections of the burst. If a new source or afterglow has been reported within the GRB error radius then the reported coordinates (RA and DEC) given in the GCN will be used as as the SMARTS observation coordinates.
Observations should always be done with the best avaliable coordinates. Generally the GRB position is the least accurate (generally a few arcminutes) while afterglow positions have higher accuracy (generally a few arcseconds).