Abstract

During the first few years of the Fermi mission, the default observation mode has been an all-sky survey that provides relatively uniform coverage of the entire sky every three hours. Over 95% of the data have been taken in this observation mode. However, the survey observing mode has some adjustability, and Fermi is also capable of inertially pointed observations, both of which allow increased coverage of selected parts of the sky. In this contribution, we will describe the types of observations that Fermi can make, their relative advantages and disadvantages, and provide guidelines for planning and evaluating non-standard observations.