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AAO’s Configure – fiber arrangement for AAOmega

AAOmega is one of the instruments of Anglo-Australian Observatory. It is a multi-purpose, bench mounted, fibre fed, double-beam spectrograph with two main observing modes: i. Multiple-object spectroscopy using the existing 2dF top, ii. Integral field spectroscopy at Cassegrain focus.

In order to use the multiple-object mode you need to know which fiber goes where. Configure is the program that solves for the best arrangement of the fibers (it is also used for 2df, FLAMES and 6df setups). Download the latest version (currently 7.9) from the configure ftp site.

Installing Configure is simple, since you just place the files in a desired directory and run the program! You can make of course all kinds of links and aliases.

But in order for Configure to run properly you need the latest files about the configuration and the status of fibers and system, updated each day with previous’ night configuration.

So, just go to the ftp site where the latest config files are stored and download these files (for AAOmega use):

tdFconstants400.sds <fibers’ configuration
tdFdistortion0.sds  <distortion map for plate 0
tdFdistortion1.sds  <distortion map for plate 1
tdFlinear0.sds  <linear astrometric coefficients for plate 0
tdFlinear1.sds <linear astrometric coefficients for plate 1

After downloading the files you just place them in the same directory and you are finished!