Accommodations and Facilities
Participants will be accommodated in the
New Dormitory
and
Old Dormitory.
Rooms are typically doubles or triples with shared bathrooms.
Depending on availability and circumstances, a single
occupancy room and bathroom may be assigned.
Meals shall be provided in the
Diner.
Participants may be asked to assist with food preparation.
Activities shall be mainly undertaken at the
Main Building
(e.g. Lecture Hall, 36-inch Refractor enclosure, Nickel
Control Room),
Shane Telescope
(e.g. Library, CAT Control Room, Shane Control Room).
Men's and Women's restrooms are located within the Main
Building and the Shane Telescope. Additional toilets are
located elsewhere at the Shane Telescope, the Diner and
the Old Dormitory.
Personal Items
Accommodations on Mount Hamilton are spartan.
-
A basic supply of towels is provided.
However, some participants may wish to bring their
own personal towel(s), sufficient for your
stay on Mount Hamilton.
Be advised that there are no personal hygiene items
available for purchase on Mount Hamilton. For
completeness, participants are reminded to bring
sufficient supplies of:
-
toothbrush(es)
-
toothpaste
-
soap
-
shampoo
-
other personal/sanitary items, etc.
Believe it or not, participants have overlooked these
items in the past.
Walking
One activity is a walking tour of Lick
Observatory to introduce the telescopes, facilities, and
science being undertaken on Mount Hamilton.
Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes.
The walking tour involves climbing 100s of steps and a
total walk of over a mile.
Please notify us in advance if you require
any special mobility/access consideration(s).
After safety, science takes priority.
It may not be possible to enter certain areas, or remain
in certain areas for prolonged intervals, if doing so
compromises science operations (e.g.
delaying acquisition of calibration data;
distracting observers).
Additionally, please be advised that staff astronomers
remain on-call and may be required to provide support
for multiple programs and/or instruments.
Weather
The weather can be unpredictable.
For a forecast, before you depart for Mount Hamilton,
visit the following URL:
Weather Forecast for Mount Hamilton, California
Conditions on Mount Hamilton can be very dry.
Hence, participants should consider bringing supplies of:
-
Lip Balm / Lip salve
-
Skin Moisturizer / Lotion
-
Sun Protection / Sun Block / Sun Screen
Apparel
Even if the weather will be warm during the day
it can be surprisingly cold and windy at night.
Participants and observers
will be spending significant time outside or in
unheated telescope enclosures.
Dressing in layers is recommended.
For the cold: Bring a warm coat, hat, and
gloves.
For the strong sun: Bring a (broad-brimmed) hat.
Conserve Water
Water is a valuable and scarce resource, particularly
so at many observatories worldwide, located in remote
and/or desert environments, where in many cases water
has to be trucked-in at great expense.
Lick Observatory draws water from springs on the slopes
of Mount Hamilton and processes the water in an on-site
treatment plant. Mount Hamilton water ranks highly in
the State of California's regularly mandated water
quality assessments. It is safe to drink water from
faucets, spigots and fountains.
However, after multiple years of drought in California,
these supplies are a concern.
Be proactive in conserving water: close faucets
properly, take short (navy) showers, report leaks.
Flashlights
It is recommended to bring a flashlight since
participants will be walking
between buildings in the dark and flashlights provided
with the dorm keys are small (and not all sets of
keys have flashlights on the keychains).
Keep a flashlight and your keys on your person at all
times to avoid being locked-out of accommodations,
Diner and other facilities. Lost, damaged or unreturned
keys shall incur penalty replacement charges.
Electronics & Communications
Electronic Mail:
Participants/applicants should ensure that the account specified
when applying is capable of receiving messages from the domain:
ucolick.org. Verify spam folder settings.
Software Packages:
(Updated: 2023-10-14)
At a minimum, the
following packages/capabilities are expected to be
installed:
before arrival on Mount Hamilton:
-
Secure shell (ssh) and
secure copy (scp),
usually included by default with most operating
systems.
-
A windowing/window management system supporting
x-terminal operation e.g. via X11 usually
installed by default for Linux operating systems,
XQuartz for (Apple Macintosh operating
systems)
or
XMing/PuTTY or WSL for Windows.
There is a youtube tutorial on getting XMing/PuTTY
installed/working at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc_30pB82Gw
Instructions for installing WSL at:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/gui-apps
Dormitory rooms, telescope enclosures and scientific areas
have Wi-Fi access (Wi-Fi passwords shall be provided on
arrival).
The curriculum includes a practical data reduction session.
Participants are expected to have installed some industry
standard software on their computers in advance of the
workshop:
-
Python version 3.6 or higher,
with packages
numpy,
scipy,
astropy>=5.3,
matplotlib,
astroquery
and
astroscrappy
-
Note that astropy is outdated on conda
defaults channel, and must be installed from
conda-forge or using pip.
-
Alternatively, an environment file is available:
nickenv.yaml
Add a new conda environment using:
conda env create -f nickenv.yaml
-
SAOImage ds9 data visualization application.
It is highly recommended to use Anaconda (freely
available for Linux, MacOS, and Windows) for Python
installation, though not required. Python activities will
be provided in Jupyter Notebook and PDF formats.
Installing Jupyter Notebooks as part of your Anaconda
python installation will make some activities easier,
but is not required.
-
Optionally, participants may consider also
installing IRAF, the Image Reduction and Analysis
Facility.
For most, Anaconda will be the easiest way to install IRAF.
There is a learning curve to installing and using Anaconda
but once it is installed and started (participants will have
to manage that alone for the particular operating system in
use) the following sequence of commands should work for
setting up an environment that will work during the Workshop:
-
Create the conda environment for IRAF and Python 2.7
(IRAF install requires Python 2.7 rather than python 3)
and download and installing the basic packages:
conda config --add channels http://ssb.stsci.edu/astroconda
conda create -n iraf27 python=2.7 iraf-all pyraf-all stsci
-
Start the data reduction environment:
conda activate iraf27
Note: if using Anaconda2, rather than Anaconda3, the
command is:
source activate iraf27
conda install glob2
pip install astroscrappy
-
IRAF requires an extra step to setup its directory.
In a terminal window, change to your home directory
(cd) and
type mkiraf:
cd
mkiraf
mkiraf will prompt you for a terminal type.
It is highly recommended to select xgterm,
though gterm is also acceptable for most applications.
At this point your computer should be set with the basic
software for the data reduction activities.
For participants using macOS Catalina or higher,
the Anaconda
IRAF install will not work because IRAF requires some
32-bit applications and Catalina or higher only runs
64-bit
applications.
Hence, if you choose to install IRAF, we recommend using
the Gemini IRAF installation in a virtual machine.
Detailed directions are on-line at the following URL:
https://gemini-iraf-vm-tutorial.readthedocs.io/en/latest/installation.html
Alternatively, you can install IRAF without the Gemini virtual machine by
following the instructions at:
https://iraf-community.github.io/install.html
and
https://iraf-community.github.io/x11iraf.html
Mobile phone reception is unreliable on Mount Hamilton.
If you leave your phone powered-on, it is likely to run
down its battery searching for a signal within a few
hours. Ensure you bring the appropriate charging
device/cable.
Binoculars
For those who own a pair of binoculars, it may be
rewarding to bring them with you, to enhance your
enjoyment of the landscape, wildlife and night sky
while on Mount Hamilton.
Flora & Fauna
The summit of Mount Hamilton is a remote, rural setting
with abundant wildlife.
Take sensible precautions when moving around:
it is recommended to stay on hard-scaped areas and to
wear full-length pants and socks, thus reducing contact
with
poison oak,
deer ticks (which are vectors for several
diseases, including Lyme) and other hazards.
Snakes are not uncommon, the only dangerous
variety on Mount Hamilton being
rattlesnakes (with flat, diamond shaped, head and
ringed tail).
It is easy to confuse docile non-venomous gopher snakes
with rattlesnakes.
Thus, all snakes should be treated with caution.
Avoid walking too close to undergrowth and/or leaf litter,
where snakes may be nestling. Signs around Mount Hamilton
provide the following information:
RATTLESNAKES MAY BE FOUND IN THIS AREA.
THEY ARE IMPORTANT MEMBERS OF THE NATURAL COMMUNITY.
THEY WILL NOT ATTACK, BUT IF DISTURBED
OR CORNERED, THEY WILL DEFEND THEMSELVES.
GIVE THEM DISTANCE AND RESPECT.
Rodents are common in and around observatory
precincts, most often evident by their 1--3 mm long,
dark, ovoid faeces
-- particularly in hidden or secluded places.
Rodent debris should be disposed of carefully,
using tools, a facemask and gloves to minimise exposure
to severe diseases (such as Hantavirus, Weil's disease,
etc).
Larger mammals,
deer,
wild pigs
and
bobcats
are year-round residents on Mount Hamilton.
Likewise
foxes,
skunks,
and
raccoons,
which supplement their diet by accessing trash cans.
Occasionally, coyotes are seen.
As with all wild animals they can be aggressive when
cornered or followed.
Rabies is present in California.
Mammal faeces may contain several diseases
(e.g. raccoon worm).
Bears are absent from the Diablo Range of which Mt
Hamilton is the second highest peak.
Even more rarely, mountain lions (pumas/cougars)
are encountered.
Unless sick or starving, these big cats actively
avoid humans.
However, if you do encounter a mountain lion, DO NOT RUN
AWAY (which has the effect of triggering feline hunting
instincts).
Try to make yourself appear large (e.g. by opening your
jacket). If the cat does not move away, make some noise.
In extremis, try throwing stones at the animal.
Signs around Mount Hamilton
provide the following information:
IF YOU ENCOUNTER A MOUNTAIN LION:
MAKE YOURSELF LOOK BIG. STAY CALM, FACE THE LION AND RAISE
YOUR ARMS TO LOOK AS LARGE AS POSSIBLE.
GIVE IT A CHANCE TO LEAVE. BACK AWAY SLOWLY AND BE SURE TO
GIVE IT A WAY TO ESCAPE.
DO NOT RUN AWAY, WHICH MAY TRIGGER AN ATTACK FROM BEHIND.
SCOOP UP YOUNG CHILDREN SO THEY DO NOT PANIC.
IF APPROACHED, GET AGGRESSIVE. MOUNTIAN LION ATTACKS
SOMETIMES OCCUR BY AMBUSH, BUT OFTEN THE CAT IS SEEN AND
DECIDES TO STALK TOWARDS ITS INTENDED PREY.
WAVE YOUR ARMS, SHOUT, SCREAM.
THROW STICKS AND STONES. IF YELLING DOES NOT SCARE OFF THE
APPROACHING CAT, THROW STONES, STICKS, WHATEVER IS AT HAND.
FIGHT BACK. IF THE ANIMAL ATTACKS, FIGHT BACK WITH ANYTHING
YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON.
If you see a mountain lion, please report it to a staff member.
Bugs and arachnids are ubiquitous.
Those to be most aware of are scorpions, centipedes
and one variety of spider.
It is a good idea to bring slippers to wear in the
accommodations.
Check the inside of all footwear before wearing,
since scorpions and centipedes which tend to be
nocturnal can deliver painful stings and poisonous bites,
respectively.
Black widow spiders are comparatively
rare, preferring minimal disturbance,
generally sheltering in dark undisturbed
places such as rarely-used closets.
If left untreated, black widow bites can be fatal.
Workshop Participation DOES NOT Constitute Instrument Check-out
Regrettably, participation in the Observational Astronomy
Workshop DOES NOT constitute a check-out on any of the
facility instruments on Mount Hamilton. It only serves
as exposure to, and introduction to, a subset of the
Mount Hamilton instrument suite.
Check-outs are instrument specific. Hence, separate
check-outs are required for each instrument combination
(e.g. Shane+Kast, Nickel+CCD2, Shane+ShaneAO+ShARCS,
CAT+Hamilton). Local check-outs must be scheduled
separately in advance and require several hours of
interaction between observer(s) and Mount Hamilton
staff, including supervision of night time object
acquisitions.
Similarly, remote check-outs must be scheduled separately
in advance (and can only be considered following completion
of a local check-out). Remote check-outs typically require
a few minutes interaction between observer(s) and Mount
Hamilton staff and consist largely of assistance in
connecting communications, relaying information and
reminders, and assisting with configuring the instrument.
Attendance of family members (e.g. Spouses, Partners)
None of the available accommodation is suitable for family members.
This is primarily because all of the available rooms adjoin with
neighboring rooms and share bathroom facilities.
None of the available accommodations have in-room catering facilities.
If the Workshop were not so highly subscribed, we could consider accommodating partners.
In the typical case over-subscribed Workshops, this would mandate leaving
an adjacent room vacant, thus denying a place to 2 applicants.
Due to on-going recovery from the 2020 SCU wildfire and security issues,
the units we have suitable for accommodating partners are fully-occupied
by displaced staff and contractors.
The funding that enables delivery of these workshops is ring-fenced for
UC Graduate students. In consequence, even in the unliekly case of an
undersubscribed Workshop and suitable accommodations for partners were
available, non-UC affiliates would be charged for both accommodation
and catering. Present estimates exceed circa USD 1000.00 per person.
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