Help Page for Instrument Specific Query Forms

The ESO archive database contains all available FITS headers from 1998 onwards. The FITS header viewer can be invoked by clicking on the 'Header' link in the 'HDR' column of the query result page.

Specify the name of the astronomical object you want to search for and select the appropriate name resolver from the pull-down menu. Target identifiers may be resolved into coordinates by Simbad (default), NED, or matched against the OBJECT keyword value as specified in the data FITS header.

NED is an extragalactic database, hence galactic targets should be resolved by SIMBAD.

It is either the target designation (as given by the astronomer) for science exposures or the exposure Type for non-science frames.

This field allows to upload a file text file containing target names and/or coordinates. There must only be one target name or one pair of coordinates (separated by a TAB character) in each line. Lines starting with a # are comments and will be shown on the result page.

For the target names, the resolver specified in the resolver pull down menu will be used (e.g. SIMBAD). For the coordinates, the format (hours or degrees) that is specified in the format pull-down menu is used. In both cases, the entry in search box is used to search around the items.

Examples:

• M17
• 05:35:35.895      -05:20:33.78
• # This comment will show up on the result page

The search box can be used as an easy way to specify a range on RA and Dec. The range given here is applied to the coordinates returned from a SIMBAD search, or to the coordinates specified in the RA and Dec fields below. To directly use a range in RA and DEC (see below), leave the Search Box field empty. The values are taken to be in degrees, i.e. degree arcminutes arcseconds

Examples: 00 10 00

The right ascension of the target in hours or degrees, depending on the selected format. The values can be expressed as decimal (e.g., 8.2) or sexadecimal values where minutes and seconds are blank or colon separated (e.g., 8 12 or 8:12). If a Search Box is specified, the search will be in a box around the given coordinates. Ranges can be specified with " .. "

Examples:

• 00:47:12.702
• > 190.3
  if RA(deg) DEC(deg) is elected as Format
• 12:15 .. 12:30

The declination of the target in degrees. The values can be expressed as decimal (e.g., 8.2) or sexadecimal values where minutes and seconds are blank or colon separated (e.g., 8 12 or 8:12). If a Search Box is specified, the search will be in a box around the given coordinates. Ranges can be specified with " .. "

Examples:

• -25 17 17.8
• < 0
• 60 .. 80

Selects the format used in the RA field as well as the format used in the output.

The galactic latitude of the target in decimal degrees.

Examples:

• < 0
• 60 .. 80

The galactic longitude of the target in decimal degrees.

Examples:

• > 45
• 180 .. 270

The galactic ecliptic latitude of the target in decimal degrees.

Examples:

• > -45
• -45 .. 90

The ecliptic longitude of the target in decimal degrees.

Examples:

• > 45
• 180 .. 270

Enter here the date of the beginning of the night in DD MM YYYY or specify a range of nights in the Start and End fields. An ESO night starts at noon and finishes at noon the following day.

Enter the date of the first night in DD MM YYYY and select a time from the pull-down menu.

Enter the date of the last night in DD MM YYYY and select a time from the pull-down menu.

Read the documentation on the ESO programme identification code.

• Normal Programs (NP)
• Guaranteed Time Observations (GTO)
• Director's Discretionary Time (DDT)
• Target of Opportunity (ToO)
• Large Programs (LP)
• Short Programs
• Calibration Programs
• Monitoring Programs

Choose Service or Visitor mode from the pull-down menu.

Enter here the name of the Principal or Co-Investigator.
You may specify multiple names with the help of the OR operand, e.g. Smith OR Dupont.

Enter here words from the title of the proposal.
You may specify multiple words with the help of the OR operand, e.g. galaxy OR massive.

The Dataset ID is the name under which the data product is stored in the ESO Archive.
This unique identifier consists of an instrument prefix followed by a timestamp (e.g. INS.YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.sss).
The Dataset ID corresponds to the FITS keyword ARCFILE, without the extension.

Enter the OB Identification here, if known. It should be a unique numeric ID, assigned to the Observation Block by the Observation Handling System.

Target name specified in OB

The exposure time, in seconds. For infrared instruments, the exposure time is computed as DIT * NDIT. For LABOCA, the exposure time may be underestimated due to the continuous data taking setup, which records only exptime of the first subscan.

Sub-integration time (in seconds).

Number of sub-integrations.

Choose the observation Category from the list.

• ACQUISITION: Any scientific object
• CALIB : Any calibration source
• SCIENCE: Any scientific object

Choose the observation type from the pull down menu list.

Choose the observation technique from the pull down menu list.

Choose the instrument mode from the pull down menu list.

Name of the telescope.

Template ID

Total number of exposures within the template.

Number of requested exposure within the template

Starting time of template (UT).

ISAAC stacks are grouped by template start time. They include all the exposures taken within the same template run.

Scheduling container ID

Scheduling container type. See here for further details.