K Sensitivity

  • Suggested starting exposure times in K-band mode for an H-magnitude=5 is 45 seconds when observing with a coronagraph.

  • When Observing in High Resolution K-band mode request the AO188 operator to remove the ADC.

The zero-point of each channel in K-band mode is given below, the max zero-point is K = 13.5 mag.

K Zero Point

The curve below shows the 2-read saturation limit with no coronagraph. The maximum allowable magnitude to avoid saturation is K = 5.5 mag.

2 Read Saturation Limit, Unocculted K

NOTE: Throughput of SCExAO rebuild and AO performance on any particular night will affect these numbers. Strehl ratios of 60-80% were estimated when this data was taken