Posted Sep 15, 2026
9/14/26: During summer shutdown 2026 restart, it was discovered that the PEPSI SX PFU side was suffering from severe vignetting despite attempts to realign with the M3 on-sky. The cause was tracked down to index-matching oil in between some of …
Posted Aug 31, 2026
Overview of SSD26 Telescope Activities
The SX and DX primary and tertiary mirrors were washed during SSD26.
The observing computers were upgraded to AlmaLinux 9. This upgrade introduces new procedures for remote desktop access. Users should refer to the Remote …
Posted Aug 28, 2026
8/28/26: Due to last minute staffing commitments, the TMS system will not be available until approximately late September. However the LBCs can still be used although more frequent re-collimations will be necessary.
9/15/26: TMS system has been reinstalled, science release …
Posted Aug 27, 2026
8/9/26: The PEPSI chamber pressure dropped down and began following atmospheric pressure. The issue was traced to a proportional valve that was always open and exhausting air to the outlets at the top of the chamber. Replacement parts have been …
Posted Apr 09, 2026
MODS Controller Upgrade – MODS1 released for shared-risk observations
update: Apr 28th
MODS1 is now released for shared-risk observations. The release of MODS2 is being held back by an issue with the slitmask cassette which is being investigated.
Unlike with …
Posted Mar 27, 2026
LUCI1 Detector Focus Repaired, Returned for Operations (May 4, 2026)
LUCI1 has been released for SL/ESM science. Verification sets showed that the passive flexure tables from Sept 2025 looked good, with the spots remaining within ~2 pixels over the full …
