Last updated 2025-10-24 Polaris beta version.
Build an Observation
After adding at least one Target and at least one Technical Goal you will see the following summary page for Observations, which will be empty.
To build an Observation click the Add + button, which will bring up the new observation form.
In this screenshot we have yet to fill in the data. You must select the Type of Observation either Target or Calibration. If selecting Calibration you must also select the Intended Use of the calibration. There are several options here including Pointing, Bandpass, Focus, and Delay amongst others. The messages in red describe the necessary fields that are required to create an Observation after selecting its type and intended use where appropriate.
Each Observation must have at least one Target and multiple selections are allowed. Observations can only have one Technical Goal selected. Timing Windows are optional, and in general refer to some (external) observation that relates to your proposal in some way.
A Timing Window is a timing constraint on the Observation, and consists of start and end times that can be specified up to the minutes unit, an avoid toggle switch that changes the meaning of the window, to be explained presently, and an optional note to provide additional information if required. Typically, a Timing Window will specify when an external observation will be performed i.e., the avoid toggle is unset. However, with the avoid toggle set the window then specifies the range of times when the external observation will not be performed. You can add as many Timing Windows to an Observation as required by your needs. Please note that the start time must be at an earlier time than the end time, but that different Timing Windows may overlap. It is recommended to write optional notes to provide context for anyone reviewing your proposal. Notice that we assume all times are entered as UTC. Generally, most proposals will not be using this feature.
With the required information, Type, Target(s), and Technical Goals, entered, click Save to save the Observation to your Proposal. This will bring you back to the Observations summary page, that will now contain your newly built Observation.
As with Technical Goals you may Edit and Copy Observations to avoid having to repeat data entry for Observations that have similar attributes. Due to restrictions in the backend code you cannot change the Type of an existing Observation. If you wish to create an Observation with a different Type you must create a new Observation rather than copying one.
With an Observation now built both the Target and the Technical Goal to which it refers have their Delete button disabled. This prevents you from deleting either of these things while they are actively referred to by an Observation. In order to re-enable the Delete button on Targets and Technical Goals you must first delete all Observations that refer to them.
Next Steps
If you have yet to fill out the Justifications for your proposal please follow the guide at Justifications
To see how to submit your proposal for review please follow the guide at Submitting Proposals