CASA Contributed Task: makeschedule

Download task files: Download task files: File:Task makeschedule.py, File:Makeschedule.xml

Task to create complete schedules for JVLA observations that can be imported as a scan lists into the OPT, including initial setup, observations of flux and banpass calibrators, pointing scans, and phase calibrators. The task can run either on a pre-defined 'pointing_file' in SCT format, or it can generate a mosaic either in equatorial (J2000.0) or galactic coordinates centered at a specific 'position'.

If many sources at different positions in the sky are observed, the program will pick the closest phase calibrator from 'phase_cals' and group sources related to each phase calibrator together. The task will then schedule the groups in the order of the list of phase calibrators given in 'phase_cals'. Phase calibrators with no associated targets will be ignored.

The task will try to optimize the sequence of pointings, by always selecting the closest remaining target source for optimization = 'simple'. The 'complex' optimization can reduce settling times and gain a few seconds on source, but it runs much slower (in particular for large mosaics with a few hundred pointings). This is only recomended for mosacis with very short time per pointing (e.g. 12 seconds).

Output files are:

  pointings.pst         -- File with pointing positions in SCT format to be read into the OPT.
  scan_list_xxLST.opt   -- Scan list to be imported to the OPT (import scans) for the specified LST start time.
  regions.reg           -- Region file for ds9