In this page, you will find all the manuals needed to prepare and analyze your observations with NaCo. Please be sure to download the one corresponding to the period in which the observations will take place.

All the manuals are in Adobe PDF format.

NaCo User's Manual

All the informations about the instrument itself, its modes and their characteristics. Full templates description can also be found in this manual.

• Period 104: NACO will be decommissioned at the end of P103.
  
• Period 103, Phase 1,2 user manual (v103). Values for minimum DIT in UCR/HB added.
  
• Period 102, Phase 2 user manual (v102). Several updates with respect to V101.
  
• Period 101, Phase 1,2  user manual (v101). Minor changes with respect to v99/100.
  
• Period 100, Phase 1,2  user manual (v100). No changes to previous version.
  
• Period 99, Phase 1,2 user manual (v99). All references to VM-only operation have been removed.
  
• Period 98, Phase 1,2 user manual (v98). No changes other than to add a note about the bad quadrant (lower left hand quadrant).
  
• Period 97, Phase 2. No changes with respect to phase 1 aside from the fact that since 14th December 2015 Q2 (lower left hand quadrant), one in every 8 columns has no signal and we suffer from a high background. See here for a 300s dark image and here for the fits file. Although the image appears not to be full frame this is a display effect.
  
• Period 97, Phase 1 user manual (v97). Please note that spectroscopy has been decommisioned.
  
• Period 96, Phase 1 user manual (v96). Please, beware of the offered observing modes (P96 is the right most column).
• Period 95, user manual (v94, valid for P95). Please, beware of the offered observing modes
• Period 94, user manual (v94). Please, beware of the offered observing modes 
• Period 93, Phase 2 user manual (v93). Please, beware of the offered observing modes 
• Period 93, Phase 1 user manual (v93). Please, beware of the offered observing modes 
• Period 92, Phase 1 user manual issue 1(v92).
• Period 91, Phase 2 user manual issue 1(v91).
• Period 91, Phase 1 user manual (v91).
• Period 90, Phase 2 user manual (v90).
• Period 90, Phase 1 user manual (v90(1)).
• Period 89, Phase 2 user manual (v89).
• Period 89, Phase 1 user manual (v89).
• Period 88, Phase 2 user manual (v88) and the associated 0.2 templates table
• Period 88, Phase 1 user manual (v88).
• Period 87, Phase 2 user manual (v87).
• Period 87, Phase 1 user manual (v87(1)).
• Period 86, Phase 2 user manual (v86.5).
• For Period 86, Phase 1 users should download the P86 0.0 version and the associated 0.2 templates table. APP and no AO modes will be further documented upon commissioning results and reports, hopefully for Phase 2. 
• For Period 85, Phase 1 and 2, users should download the P85 version and the associated table. The final SAMPol report is still missing unfortunately. The new manual has been updated to reflect the new calibration plan,to describe the seeing enhancer mode and the cube imaging in SM.
• For Period 84, Phase 1 and 2 should use the P83.5 version; the version will change name when the final SAMPol commissioning report will be delivered by the commissioning team.
• Period 83 and P82 to be used for Phase 1 preparation of proposals in the period [April2009-September 2009] and for Phase 2 preparation of observations [October 2008 - March 2009].
• Period 82 to be used for Phase 2 preparation of observations in the period [October 2008 - March 2009]. This manual was updated on July 28th to explain the new use of the Return to Origin? flag in some templates.
• Period 81 and 82, to be used for Phase 2 preparation of observations for the period [Apr. 2008 - Sep. 2008]. Can be used for Phase I preparation of P82 observations, with the exception of the new modes, which are still pending commissioning.

NaCo calibration plan

A variety of calibration frames are taken, archived and updated at regular intervals.This document gives detailed information on the calibration templates, systematic calibrations taken by Paranal Staff and others to be required (day and night time calibrations).

• Period 93-100, Phase 1/2 calibration plan (v93). Please, beware of the offered observing modes (P100 is the right most column).
• Period 89 Phase 2 calibration plan (issue 4), valid for P89 and onwards.
• Period 89 Phase 2 calibration plan (issue 3).
• Period 89 Phase 2 calibration plan (issue 2).
• Period 88 Phase 2 calibration plan, valid for P88.
• Period 87 calibration plan, to be used for preparation of Phase 2 P87 and Phase 1 P88.
• Period 84 calibration plan,used since preparation of Phase 2 P84 until Phase 2 P86.
• Period 83, to be used for preparation of Phase 2 P82 and Phase 1 P83.

NaCo Data Reduction Cookbook

The data reduction cookbook, 24 Dec. 2007, by N. Ageorges.