Thomas Rahab Lacroix | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Scheduling of Star Observations under Uncertain Conditions: A Comparison of Models and Solvers

We consider a scheduling problem for star observations using a telescope. Identical nights are available to observe stars that have been identified as of interest by astronomers. Each star yields a profit if it is observed; in that case, the observation must respect a visibility window and a minimum observation duration. The objective is to maximize the total profit of the observations that are actually performed. By interpreting nights as machines and stars as jobs to be processed, this problem is a classic scheduling setting of parallel machines. In the practical star-observation problem, the ability to observe depends on meteorological and atmospheric conditions, which are not known when the schedule is computed. A possible modeling is to consider that each night can be either perfect and everything is observable, either terrible and nothing is observable. The challenge is therefore to propose a ''high-quality'' schedule without knowing the actual number of nights (machines) that will ultimately be available. We focus here on evaluating the worst case within the robust optimization paradigm.

math.OC↗

arXiv2026

Scheduling Ground-Based Telescope Observations with Uncertain Nights

The observation of celestial objects is a fundamental activity in astronomy. Ground-based and space telescopes are used to gather electromagnetic radiation from space, allowing astronomers to study a wide range of celestial objects and phenomena, such as stars, planets, galaxies, and black holes. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) charges each night 83 kEUR (Milli et al. 2019), so the schedules of the telescopes are really important in order to optimize every second. Ground-based telescopes are affected by meteorological conditions, such as clouds, wind, and atmospheric turbulence. Accurate scheduling of observations in the presence of such uncertainties can significantly improve the efficiency of telescopes use and support from automated tools is highly desirable. In this paper, we study a mathematical approach for scheduling ground-based telescope observations under an uncertain number of clear nights due to uncertain weather and atmospheric conditions. The model considers multiple targets, uncertain number of nights, and various observing constraints. We demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of an approach based on stochastic optimization and reactive strategy comparing it against other methods.

math.OC↗

arXiv2025

Planification d'observations sur t{é}lescope avec nuits incertaines

The observation of celestial objects is a fundamental activity in astronomy. Ground-based and space telescopes are used to gather electromagnetic radiation from space, allowing astronomers to study a wide range of celestial objects and phenomena, such as stars, planets, galaxies, and black holes. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) charges each night 83 kEUR (Milli et al. 2019), so the schedules of the telescopes are really important in order to optimize every second. Ground-based telescopes are affected by meteorological conditions, such as clouds, wind, and atmospheric turbulence. Accurate scheduling of observations in the presence of such uncertainties can significantly improve the efficiency of telescopes use and support from automated tools is highly desirable. In this paper, we study a mathematical approach for scheduling ground-based telescope observations under an uncertain number of clear nights due to uncertain weather and atmospheric conditions. The model considers multiple targets, uncertain number of nights, and various observing constraints. We demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of an approach based on stochastic optimization and reactive strategy comparing it against other methods.

astro-ph.IM↗