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Alternate Observing Update (1Mar96) (from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 45, March 1996) Two new observing services were announced in the June 1995 NOAO Newsletter: an autoFTP queue for quickly distributing newly observed data across the Internet, and a remote observing console that provides access to audio, video, and computer based information while duplicating the IRAF/ICE observing environment that is used at the KPNO telescopes. Since the start of the fall 1995 observing semester, six observing runs involving three separate observing proposals have benefited from using the autoFTP queue. Data from some of these runs were included in astronomical telegrams very soon after the runs were finished. If your observing program requires timely data analysis, or if you just want to streamline your observing operation, keep the autoFTP option in mind. One observing team made use of the remote observing facilities last semester. These are based on normal Internet rlogin access, as well as on the MBONE multicasting clients 'vat' and 'nv', which provide audio and video access over a normal Internet connection. These tools can be used with others such as CU-SeeMe to provide scientific or educational conferencing connections to remote locations. While bandwidth is an increasing concern on the Internet, you may be surprised how little bandwidth is actually required. During the spring 1996 semester, a staff team used IRAF/ICE remote observing over a five night period from the Kitt Peak 2.1-meter to the Coude Feed telescope in the same dome. These dual runs benefited from the simplified procedures and the reduced staffing that were permitted. This surely represents the shortest distance remote observing run in history! As you fill out the observing run preparation form for upcoming runs, please take a moment to read through the alternate observing mode information that will also have been included in your packet. Consider whether the described services, or variations of these, may be of use to you in getting your science done. Contact rseaman@noao.edu with any questions. Rob Seaman, Bruce Bohannan
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