FAST: a software suite for automatic weather and optical turbulence forecast on ground-based telescope sites

A. Turchi; E. Masciadri; L. Fini

doi:10.1117/12.3018842

25 July 2024 FAST: a software suite for automatic weather and optical turbulence forecast on ground-based telescope sites

A. Turchi, E. Masciadri, L. Fini

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13101, Software and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy VIII; 1310134 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3018842
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Conference Poster

Abstract

In this contribution we present the FAST, which is a comprehensive software suite that aims to streamline and automatically manage the forecast of atmospheric and astroclimatic parameters (provided respectively by Meso-Nh and Astro-Meso-Nh models) on large ground-based telescope installations. The forecast of the aforementioned parameters is becoming crucial for the operation of the large telescope installations which possess atmospheric-sensitive equipment equipped with Adaptive Optics (AO) systems. FAST performs automatically all the steps of an atmosphere forecast process: initialisation and forcing data, atmospheric simulation, postprocessing and managing of the outputs. The role of such service is useful both in optimizing beforehand AO instruments to the next atmospheric conditions and in planning telescope observations (especially in “service mode”) in order to maximize the scientific output. FAST was applied first to the ALTA Center project, which provides forecasts for the LBT telescope. Then it was extended to the more recent project FATE that is a similar forecast system applied to the VLT. Since its first version FAST evolved and it has been modified to fit with the different technical specifications of the different projects gaining in modularity. It is now able to provide forecasts on different timescales (from days to hours before) and to provide forecast during night and daytime. After several years of continuous development, we can say that FAST reached full maturity and it is now ready for applications to other projects/sites.

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

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A. Turchi, E. Masciadri, and L. Fini "FAST: a software suite for automatic weather and optical turbulence forecast on ground-based telescope sites", Proc. SPIE 13101, Software and Cyberinfrastructure for Astronomy VIII, 1310134 (25 July 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3018842

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