Title: Sky Quality Meter measurements in a colour changing
world
Authors: Sánchez de Miguel, A.; Zamorano, M. Aubé J.;
Kocifaj, M.; Roby, J.; Tapia, C.
Publication: eprint arXiv:1701.05019
Publication Date: 01/2017
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for
Astrophysics
Comment: Accepted on MNRAS: ref. MN-16-1235-MJ.R2 Accepted
2017 January 17. Received 2017 January 12; in
original form 2016 April 15
Bibliographic Code: 2017arXiv170105019S
Abstract
The Sky Quality Meter (SQM) has become the most common device to track
the evolution of the brightness of the sky from polluted regions to
first class astronomical observatories. A vast database of SQM
measurements already exists for many places in the world. Unfortunately,
the SQM operates over a wide spectral band and its spectral response
interacts with the sky's spectrum in a complex manner. This is why the
optical signals are difficult to interpret when the data are recorded in
regions with different sources of artificial light. The brightness of
the night sky is linked in a complex way to ground-based light emissions
while taking into account atmospheric-induced optical distortion as well
as spectral transformation from the underlying ground surfaces. While
the spectral modulation of the sky's radiance has been recognized, it
still remains poorly characterized and quantified. The impact of the
SQM's spectral characteristics on the sky brightness measurements is
here analysed for different light sources, including low and high
pressure sodium lamps, PC-amber and white LEDs, metal halide, and
mercury lamps. We show that a routine conversion of radiance to
magnitude is difficult or rather impossible because the average
wavelength depends on actual atmospheric and environment conditions, the
spectrum of the source, and device specific properties. We correlate SQM
readings with both the Johnson astronomical photometry bands and the
human system of visual perception, assuming different lighting
technologies. These findings have direct implications for the processing
of SQM data and for its improvement and/or remediation.
Title: Automatic Rotational Sky Quality Meter (R-SQM)
Design and Software for Astronomical Observatories
Authors: Dogan, E.; Ozbaldan, E. E.; Shameoni, Niaei M.;
Yesilyaprak, C.
Affiliation: AA(Atatürk University Application and Research
Center for Astrophysics (ATASAM), 25240, Erzurum,
Turkey
)
Publication: IV Workshop on Robotic Autonomous Observatories
(Eds. María Dolores Caballero-García, Shasi B.
Pandey, David Hiriart & Alberto J. Castro-Tirado)
Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica (Serie
de Conferencias) Vol. 48, pp. 31-32 (2016) (RMxAC
Homepage)
Publication Date: 12/2016
Origin: RMXAA
Keywords: atmospheric effects, telescopes
Abstract Copyright: (C) 2016; Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad
Nacional Autónoma de México
Bibliographic Code: 2016RMxAC..48...31D
Abstract
We have presented the new design of Sky Quality Meter (SQM) device that
is an automatic rotational model of sky quality meter (R-SQM) carried
out by DAG (Eastern Anatolia Observatory) Technical Team. R-SQM is
required for determining the long-term changes of sky quality of an
astronomical observatory and consists of four SQM devices mounted on a
rotating shaft with different angles for scanning all sky. This system
is controlled by a Raspberry Pi control card and a step motor with its
driver and a special software.
Title: Rapid approach to the quantitative determination of
nocturnal ground irradiance in populated
territories: a clear-sky case
Authors: Kocifaj, Miroslav; Petržala, Jaromír
Affiliation: AA(ICA, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská Road
9, 845 03 Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Department of
Experimental Physics, Faculty of Mathematics,
Physics, and Informatics, Comenius University,
Mlynská dolina, 842 48 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
), AB(ICA, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská Road 9, 845 03 Bratislava, Slovak Republic)
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 462, Issue 3, p.2739-2746 (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 11/2016
Origin: OUP
Astronomy Keywords: light pollution
Abstract Copyright: 2016 The Authors Published by Oxford University
Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stw1671
Bibliographic Code: 2016MNRAS.462.2739K
Abstract
A zero-order approach to the solving of the radiative transfer equation
and a method for obtaining the horizontal diffuse irradiance at
night-time are both developed and intended for wide use in numerical
predictions of nocturnal ground irradiance in populated territories.
Downward diffuse radiative fluxes are computed with a two-stream
approximation, and the data products obtained are useful for scientists
who require rapid estimations of illumination levels during the night.
The rapid technique presented here is especially important when the
entire set of calculations is to be repeated for different lighting
technologies and/or radiant intensity distributions with the aim of
identifying high-level illuminance/irradiance, the spectral composition
of scattered light or other optical properties of diffuse light at the
ground level. The model allows for the computation of diffuse horizontal
irradiance due to light emissions from ground-based sources with
arbitrary spectral compositions. The optical response of a night sky is
investigated using the ratio of downward to upward irradiance,
R⊥, λ(0). We show that R⊥,
λ(0) generally peaks at short wavelengths, thus suggesting
that, e.g., the blue light of an LED lamp would make the sky even more
bluish. However, this effect can be largely suppressed or even removed
with the spectral sensitivity function of the average human eye
superimposed on to the lamp spectrum. Basically, blue light scattering
dominates at short optical distances, while red light is transmitted for
longer distances and illuminates distant places. Computations are
performed for unshielded as well as fully shielded lights, while the
spectral function R⊥, λ(0) is tabulated to make
possible the modelling of various artificial lights, including those not
presented here.
Title: Sky brightness and twilight measurements at
Jogyakarta city, Indonesia
Authors: Herdiwijaya, Dhani
Affiliation: AA(Astronomy Research Division and Bosscha
Observatory, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Ganesha 10,
Bandung, Indonesia 40132)
Publication: Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 771,
Issue 1, article id. 012033 (2016).
Publication Date: 11/2016
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/771/1/012033
Bibliographic Code: 2016JPhCS.771a2033H
Abstract
The sky brightness measurements were performed using a portable
photometer. A pocket-sized and low-cost photometer has 20 degree area
measurement, and spectral ranges between 320-720 nm with output directly
in magnitudes per arc second square (mass) unit. The sky brightness with
3 seconds temporal resolutions was recorded at Jogyakarta city (110°
25’ E; 70° 52’ S; elevation 100 m) within 136 days in
years from 2014 to 2016. The darkest night could reach 22.61 mpass only
in several seconds, with mean value 18.8±0.7 mpass and
temperature variation 23.1±1.2 C. The difference of mean sky
brightness between before and after midnight was about -0.76 mpass or
2.0 times brighter. Moreover, the sky brightness and temperature
fluctuations were more stable in after midnight than in before midnight.
It is suggested that city light pollution affects those variations, and
subsequently duration of twilight. By comparing twilight brightness for
several places, we also suggest a 17° solar dip or about 66 minutes
before sunrise for new time of Fajr prayer.
Title: The Assembled Solar Eclipse Package (ASEP) in Bangka
Indonesia during the total solar eclipse on March 9,
2016
Authors: Puji Asmoro, Cahyo; Wijaya, Agus Fany Chandra;
Dwi Ardi, Nanang; Abdurrohman, Arman;
Aria Utama, Judhistira; Sutiadi, Asep; Hikmat;
Ramlan Ramalis, Taufik; Suyardi, Bintang
Affiliation: AA(Earth and Space Laboratory, Physics Department,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
No 229 Bandung 40154
), AB(Earth and Space Laboratory, Physics Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No 229 Bandung 40154), AC(Earth and Space Laboratory, Physics Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No 229 Bandung 40154), AD(Earth and Space Laboratory, Physics Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No 229 Bandung 40154), AE(Earth and Space Laboratory, Physics Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No 229 Bandung 40154), AF(Earth and Space Laboratory, Physics Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No 229 Bandung 40154), AG(Earth and Space Laboratory, Physics Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No 229 Bandung 40154), AH(Earth and Space Laboratory, Physics Department, Universitas Pen!
didikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No 229 Bandung 40154), AI(Kementrian Komunikasi dan Informatika (KOMINFO), Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No 9 Jakarta 10110)
Publication: Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 771,
Issue 1, article id. 012020 (2016).
Publication Date: 11/2016
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/771/1/012020
Bibliographic Code: 2016JPhCS.771a2020P
Abstract
The Assembled Solar Eclipse Package (ASEP) is not only an integrated
apparatus constructed to obtain imaging data during solar eclipse, but
also it involved sky brightness and live streaming requirement. Main
four parts of ASEP are composed by two imaging data recorders, one high
definition video streaming camera, and a sky quality meter instrument
(SQM) linked by a personal computer and motorized mounting. The parts
are common instruments which are used for education or personal use. The
first part is used to capture corona and prominence image during
totality. For the second part, video is powerful data in order to
educate public through web streaming lively. The last part, SQM is used
to confirm our imaging data during obscuration. The perfect prominence
picture was obtained by one of the data capture using William-Optics
F=388mm with Nikon DSLR D3100. In addition, the diamond ring and corona
were recorded by the second imaging tool using Sky Watcher F=910mm with
Canon DSLR 60D. The third instrument is the Sony HXR MC5 streaming set
to be able to broadcast to public domain area via official website. From
the SQM, the value of the darkness during totality is quiet similar as a
dawn condition. Finally, ASEP was entirely successful and be able to
fulfil our competency as educational researcher in university.
Title: The sky brightness measurement during the 2016 solar
eclipse in Ternate
Authors: Pramudya, Yudhiakto; Arkanuddin, Muchlas
Affiliation: AA(Program Studi Magister Pendidikan Fisika
Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Jl. Pramuka 42, Yogyakarta
55161, Indonesia; Pusat Studi Astronomi Universitas
Ahmad Dahlan, Jl. Gondosuli 1, Yogyakarta 55166,
Indonesia), AB(Program Studi Magister Pendidikan
Fisika Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Jl. Pramuka 42,
Yogyakarta 55161, Indonesia; Pusat Studi Astronomi
Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Jl. Gondosuli 1,
Yogyakarta 55166, Indonesia)
Publication: Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 771,
Issue 1, article id. 012013 (2016).
Publication Date: 11/2016
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/771/1/012013
Bibliographic Code: 2016JPhCS.771a2013P
Abstract
Obscuration of the Sun by the Moon during total solar eclipse generates
the changing of the sky brightness. Sky Quality Meter (SQM) was employed
to measure the sky brightness during the 2016 total solar eclipse. The
sky was still bright at the first contact time. It is shown by the SQM
value of zero. Approaching the second contact time, the SQM value is
rising up started at the value of 5.92 mpsas. The curvature profile of
the SQM measurementvalue is similar to the curvature profile of the SQM
measurement at the dawn and dusk. However, the flatness part of the
curvature is much shorter than night time value of SQM. The maximum of
SQM measurement value is lower than the SQM measurement value during the
night in Ternate. It is 12.47 mpsas and happened at the maximum phase of
the eclipse. It was confirmed by the fact that at the time of totality,
the sky close to the horizon was still bright. There is a discrepancy
between the predicted and actual second and third contact and maximum
eclipse time. By assigning the maximum of SQM measurement value as the
reference value of maximum eclipse time, the actual second and third
time can be calculated. The shape of curvature between the actual second
and third contact time is symmetry.
Title: Zenith sky brightness and celestial objects
visibility during total solar eclipse on March 9,
2016 at Terentang Beach Bangka Island
Authors: Wijaya, A. F. C.; Asmoro, C. P.;
Rochman, A. A.; Ramalis, T. R.; Utama, J. A.;
Ardi, N. D.; Amsor; Nugraha, M. G.;
Saepuzaman, D.; Sutiadi, A.; Nurfiani, D.
Affiliation: AA(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia),
AB(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia),
AC(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia),
AD(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia),
AE(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia),
AF(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia),
AG(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia),
AH(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia),
AI(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia),
AJ(Department of Physics Education, Faculty of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education,
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi
229 Bandung 40154 Jawa Barat Indonesia), AK(Earth
Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore)
Publication: Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 771,
Issue 1, article id. 012012 (2016).
Publication Date: 11/2016
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/771/1/012012
Bibliographic Code: 2016JPhCS.771a2012W
Abstract
This paper endeavor to describe sky brightness measurements which was
carried out by a team of total solar eclipse observers (TOGEMA) on
9th March 2016. The observations took place at Tarentang
Beach, Bangka Island and it utilized the SQM-LU instrument (Sky Quality
Meter- USB Connector) with 1 second time interval data. During total
phase that lasted about 1 minute 52 seconds, the instrument recorded the
brightness of the sky of 12.88 mag/["]2 as the dimmest value.
This value is approximately 500 times brighter than the dimmest night
sky conditions at the same location, obtained on the previous
observation. It was found that the brightest sky that could be measured
by SQM-LU during Total Solar Eclipse (TSE) 2016 was 5.91
mag/["]2. The activity with digital camera also captured the
appearance of Venus and Mercury. The appearance of Venus (-3.71 mag)
confirmed naked eye limited magnitude theory. This may explain the
inability of observers to perceive Mercury (0.46 mag) using naked eye
during the total phase of solar eclipse.
Title: Night sky brightness measurement at PERMATApintar
observatory
Authors: Azhar, A. D.; Gopir, G.;
Kamil, W. M. A. Wan Mohd; Mohamad, N. S.;
Azmi, N. Che
Affiliation: AA(School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and
Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600
UKM Bangi, Malaysia), AB(School of Applied Physics,
Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Malaysia),
AC(School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and
Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600
UKM Bangi, Malaysia), AD(PERMATApintar National
Gifted Centre, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600
UKM Bangi, Malaysia), AE(PERMATApintar National
Gifted Centre, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600
UKM Bangi, Malaysia)
Publication: AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 1784, Issue 1,
id.040003 (AIPC Homepage)
Publication Date: 11/2016
Origin: AIP
Abstract Copyright: 2016: Author(s)
DOI: 10.1063/1.4966789
Bibliographic Code: 2016AIPC.1784d0003A
Abstract
One of the quality parameter of an astronomical site testing is sky
brightness. We measure the night sky brightness over PERMATApintar
Observatory to obtain the first preliminary sky brightness reading. The
measurement is done by using an Unihedron Sky Quality Meter (SQM-LU)
with a position pointing zenith. Six measurements have been done during
the period of January to March 2016. The measurement is taken between
approximately 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on each of the night. The best (darken)
night sky brightness reading is 19.54 mag/arcsec2 obtained on
March 11th, 2016. The preliminary average reading of sky
brightness is 17.20 mag/arcsec2. Comparison with previous
similar measurement for the same type of area (suburban area) shows that
our data is within the range of the sky brightness for suburban area,
which is 19.5 to 20.7 mag/arcsec2.
Title: Optical Observing Conditions at Delingha Station
Authors: Tian, J. F.; Deng, L. C.; Zhang, X. B.;
Lu, X. M.; Sun, J. J.; Liu, Q. L.; Zhou, Q.;
Yan, Z. Z.; Xin, Y.; Wang, K.; Jiang, X. J.;
Luo, Z. Q.; Yang, J.
Affiliation: AA(Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National
Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China ; University of
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China),
AB(Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National
Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China), AC(Key Laboratory
of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical
Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,
100012, China), AD(Key Laboratory of Optical
Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100012,
China), AE(Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China),
AF(Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China), AG(Purple
Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Nanjing, 210008, China), AH(Key Laboratory of
Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical
Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,
100012, China; University of Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100049, China), AI(Key Laboratory
of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical
Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,
100012, China), AJ(Key Laboratory of Optical
Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China;
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
100049, China), AK(Key Laboratory of Optical
Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100012,
China), AL(Physics and Space Science College, China
West Normal University, Nanchong 637002, China),
AM(Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China)
Publication: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Pacific,
Volume 128, Issue 968, pp. 105003 (2016). (PASP
Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2016
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1538-3873/128/968/105003
Bibliographic Code: 2016PASP..128j5003T
Abstract
SONG is a global ground-based network of 1m telescopes for stellar
time-domain science, an international collaboration involving many
countries across the world. In order to enable a favorable duty cycle,
the SONG network plans to create a homogeneous distribution of four
nodes in each of the northern and southern hemispheres. An expected
possibility was building one of the northern nodes in East Asia,
preferably on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. During the last decade, a
great deal of effort has been invested in searching for a high-quality
site for ground-based astronomy in China, since this has been one of the
major concerns for the development of Chinese astronomy. A number of
sites on the plateau have been in operation for many years, but most of
them are used only for radio astronomy, as well as small optical
telescopes that are used for applied astronomy. Several potential sites
for large optical instruments have been identified by the plateau site
survey, but so far none of them have been adequately quantitatively
characterized. Here we present results from a detailed multi-year study
of the Delingha site, which was eventually selected for the SONG-China
node. We also describe the site-monitoring system that will allow an
isolated SONG and 50BiN node to operate safely in an automated mode.
Title: Urban artificial light emission function determined
experimentally using night sky images
Authors: Solano Lamphar, Héctor Antonio; Kocifaj, Miroslav
Affiliation: AA(Cátedras CONACYT, Instituto de Investigaciones
Dr. José María Luis Mora, Centro Interdisciplinario
de Estudios Metropolitanos (CentroMet), Plaza
Valentín Gómez Farías #12 San Juan Mixcoac, México
D.F. 03730, Mexico), AB(ICA, Slovak Academy of
Sciences, Dúbravská Road 9, 845 03 Bratislava,
Slovakia)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 181, p. 87-95. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2016
Origin: ELSEVIER
Keywords: Light pollution, Scattering, Atmospheric effects,
Artificial light, Numerical modeling
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2016.04.027
Bibliographic Code: 2016JQSRT.181...87S
Abstract
To date, diverse approximations have been developed to interpret the
radiance of a night sky due to light emissions from ground-based light
sources. The radiant intensity distribution as a function of zenith
angle is one of the most unknown properties because of the collective
effects of all artificial, private and public lights. The emission
function (EF) is, however, a key property in modeling the skyglow under
arbitrary conditions, and thus it is equally required by modelers, light
pollution researchers, and also experimentalists who are using
specialized devices to study the diffuse light of a night sky.
In this paper, we present the second generation of a dedicated measuring
system intended for routine monitoring of a night sky in any region. The
experimental technology we have developed is used to interpret clear sky
radiance data recorded at a set of discrete distances from a town (or
city) with the aim to infer the fraction of upwardly emitted light (F),
that is a parameter scaling the bulk EF. The retrieval of the direct
upward emissions has been improved by introducing a weighting factor
that is used to eliminate imperfections of experimental data and thus to
make the computation of F more stable when processing the radiance data
taken at two adjacent measuring points. The field experiments made in
three Mexican cities are analyzed and the differences found are
discussed.
Title: Indoor calibration of Sky Quality Meters: Linearity,
spectral responsivity and uncertainty analysis
Authors: Pravettoni, M.; Strepparava, D.;
Cereghetti, N.; Klett, S.; Andretta, M.; Steiger, M.
Affiliation: AA(University of Applied Sciences and Arts of
Southern Switzerland, CH-6952 Canobbio,
Switzerland), AB(University of Applied Sciences and
Arts of Southern Switzerland, CH-6952 Canobbio,
Switzerland), AC(University of Applied Sciences and
Arts of Southern Switzerland, CH-6952 Canobbio,
Switzerland), AD(Dark-Sky Switzerland, Sezione
Ticino, CH-6998 Termine, Switzerland), AE(Repubblica
e Cantone Ticino, Ufficio del Monitoraggio
Ambientale, CH-6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland),
AF(Repubblica e Cantone Ticino, Ufficio del
Monitoraggio Ambientale, CH-6500 Bellinzona,
Switzerland)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 181, p. 74-86. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2016
Origin: ELSEVIER
Keywords: Light pollution, Night sky brightness, Photometry,
Calibration, Spectral responsivity, Solar simulators
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2016.03.015
Bibliographic Code: 2016JQSRT.181...74P
Abstract
The indoor calibration of brightness sensors requires extremely low
values of irradiance in the most accurate and reproducible way. In this
work the testing equipment of an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory for
electrical testing, qualification and type approval of solar
photovoltaic modules was modified in order to test the linearity of the
instruments from few mW/cm2 down to fractions of
nW/cm2, corresponding to levels of simulated brightness from
6 to 19 mag/arcsec2. Sixteen Sky Quality Meter (SQM) produced
by Unihedron, a Canadian manufacturer, were tested, also assessing the
impact of the ageing of their protective glasses on the calibration
coefficients and the drift of the instruments. The instruments are in
operation on measurement points and observatories at different sites and
altitudes in Southern Switzerland, within the framework of OASI, the
Environmental Observatory of Southern Switzerland. The authors present
the results of the calibration campaign: linearity; brightness
calibration, with and without protective glasses; transmittance
measurement of the glasses; and spectral responsivity of the devices. A
detailed uncertainty analysis is also provided, according to the ISO
17025 standard.
Title: High resolution map of light pollution over Poland
Authors: Netzel, Henryka; Netzel, Paweł
Affiliation: AA(Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw,
Poland), AB(Space Informatics Lab, University of
Cincinnati, OH, USA)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 181, p. 67-73. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2016
Origin: ELSEVIER
Keywords: Light pollution, Modeling, GIS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2016.03.014
Bibliographic Code: 2016JQSRT.181...67N
Abstract
In 1976 Berry introduced a simple mathematical equation to calculate
artificial night sky brightness at zenith. In the original model cities,
considered as points with given population, are only sources of light
emission. In contrary to Berry's model, we assumed that all terrain
surface can be a source of light. Emission of light depends on percent
of built up area in a given cell. We based on Berry's model. Using field
measurements and high-resolution data we obtained the map of night sky
brightness over Poland in 100-m resolution. High resolution input data,
combined with a very simple model, makes it possible to obtain detailed
structures of the night sky brightness without complicating the
calculations.
Title: Testing sky brightness models against radial
dependency: A dense two dimensional survey around
the city of Madrid, Spain
Authors: Zamorano, J.; Sánchez de Miguel, A.; Ocaña, F.;
Pila-Díez, B.; Gómez Castaño, J.; Pascual, S.;
Tapia, C.; Gallego, J.; Fernández, A.; Nievas, M.
Affiliation: AA(Dept. Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera,
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad
Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain; >These authors
contributed equally to this work), AB(Dept.
Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad
Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040
Madrid, Spain; >These authors contributed equally to
this work), AC(Dept. Astrofísica y CC. de la
Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad
Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain; >These authors
contributed equally to this work), AD(Dept.
Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad
Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040
Madrid, Spain; >These authors contributed equally to
this work), AE(Dept. Astrofísica y CC. de la
Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad
Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain; >These authors
contributed equally to this work), AF(Dept.
Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad
Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040
Madrid, Spain; >These authors contributed equally to
this work), AG(Dept. Astrofísica y CC. de la
Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad
Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain; >These authors
contributed equally to this work), AH(Dept.
Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad
Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040
Madrid, Spain; >These authors contributed equally to
this work), AI(Dept. Astrofísica y CC. de la
Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad
Universitaria, 28040 Madrid, Spain; >These authors
contributed equally to this work), AJ(Dept.
Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad
Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040
Madrid, Spain; >These authors contributed equally to
this work)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 181, p. 52-66. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2016
Origin: ELSEVIER
Keywords: Light pollution, Techniques: photometric, Remote
sensing, Artificial sky glow
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2016.02.029
Bibliographic Code: 2016JQSRT.181...52Z
Abstract
We present a study of the night sky brightness around the extended
metropolitan area of Madrid using Sky Quality Meter (SQM) photometers.
The map is the first to cover the spatial distribution of the sky
brightness in the centre of the Iberian peninsula. These surveys are
necessary to test the light pollution models that predict night sky
brightness as a function of the location and brightness of the sources
of light pollution and the scattering of light in the atmosphere. We
describe the data-retrieval methodology, which includes an automated
procedure to measure from a moving vehicle in order to speed up the data
collection, providing a denser and wider survey than previous works with
similar time frames. We compare the night sky brightness map to the
nocturnal radiance measured from space by the DMSP satellite. We find
that (i) a single source model is not enough to explain the radial
evolution of the night sky brightness, despite the predominance of
Madrid in size and population and (ii) that the orography of the region
should be taken into account when deriving geo-specific models from
general first-principles models. We show the tight relationship between
these two luminance measures. This finding sets up an alternative
roadmap to extended studies over the globe that will not require the
local deployment of photometers or trained personnel.
Title: Qualifying lighting remodelling in a Hungarian city
based on light pollution effects
Authors: Kolláth, Z.; Dömény, A.; Kolláth, K.; Nagy, B.
Affiliation: AA(University of West Hungary, Savaria Campus,
Institute of Mathematics and Physics, Szombathely,
Hungary), AB(University of West Hungary, Savaria
Campus, Institute of Mathematics and Physics,
Szombathely, Hungary), AC(University of West
Hungary, Savaria Campus, Institute of Mathematics
and Physics, Szombathely, Hungary), AD(University of
West Hungary, Savaria Campus, Institute of
Mathematics and Physics, Szombathely, Hungary)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 181, p. 46-51. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2016
Origin: ELSEVIER
Keywords: Light pollution, Radiative transfer, Light
scattering, Skyglow photometry
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2016.02.025
Bibliographic Code: 2016JQSRT.181...46K
Abstract
The public lighting system has been remodelled in several Hungarian
cities. In some cases the majority of the old luminaries were fitted
with high pressure sodium lamps and they were replaced with white LED
lighting with a typical correlated colour temperature of about 4500 K.
Therefore, these remodelling works provide a testbed for methods in
measurements and modelling. We measured the luminance of the light domes
of selected cities by DSLR photometry before and after the remodelling.
Thanks to the full cut off design of the new lighting fixtures we
obtained a slight decrease even in the blue part of the sky dome spectra
of a tested city. However, we have to note that this positive change is
the result of the bad geometry (large ULR) of the previous lighting
system. Based on Monte Carlo radiative transfer calculations we provide
a comparison of different indicators that can be used to qualify the
remodelling, and to predict the possible changes in light pollution.
Title: Photometric indicators of visual night sky quality
derived from all-sky brightness maps
Authors: Duriscoe, Dan M.
Affiliation: AA(U.S. National Park Service, Natural Sounds and
Night Skies Division, 351 Pacu Lane, Bishop, CA
93514, USA)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 181, p. 33-45. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2016
Origin: ELSEVIER
Keywords: Night sky brightness, Broadband photometry, Image
processing, Numerical methods
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2016.02.022
Bibliographic Code: 2016JQSRT.181...33D
Abstract
Wide angle or fisheye cameras provide a high resolution record of
artificial sky glow, which results from the scattering of escaped
anthropogenic light by the atmosphere, over the sky vault in the
moonless nocturnal environment. Analysis of this record yields important
indicators of the extent and severity of light pollution. The following
indicators were derived through numerical analysis of all-sky brightness
maps: zenithal, average all-sky, median, brightest, and darkest sky
brightness. In addition, horizontal and vertical illuminance, resulting
from sky brightness were computed. A natural reference condition to
which the anthropogenic component may be compared is proposed for each
indicator, based upon an iterative analysis of a high resolution natural
sky model. All-sky brightness data, calibrated in the V band by
photometry of standard stars and converted to luminance, from 406
separate data sets were included in an exploratory analysis. Of these,
six locations representing a wide range of severity of impact from
artificial sky brightness were selected as examples and examined in
detail. All-sky average brightness is the most unbiased indicator of
impact to the environment, and is more sensitive and accurate in areas
of slight to moderate light pollution impact than zenith brightness.
Maximum vertical illuminance provides an excellent indicator of impacts
to wilderness character, as does measures of the brightest portions of
the sky. Zenith brightness, the workhorse of field campaigns, is
compared to the other indicators and found to correlate well with
horizontal illuminance, especially at relatively bright sites. The
median sky brightness describes a brightness threshold for the upper
half of the sky, of importance to telescopic optical astronomy. Numeric
indicators, in concert with all-sky brightness maps, provide a complete
assessment of visual sky quality at a site.
Title: Evaluating the summer night sky brightness at a
research field site on Lake Stechlin in northeastern
Germany
Authors: Jechow, Andreas; Hölker, Franz;
Kolláth, Zoltán; Gessner, Mark O.;
Kyba, Christopher C. M.
Affiliation: AA(Ecohydrology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater
Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm
310, 12587 Berlin, Germany), AB(Ecohydrology,
Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland
Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin,
Germany), AC(University of West Hungary, Savaria
Campus, Szombathely, Hungary), AD(Experimental
Limnology, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology
and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Alte Fischerhütte 2,
16775 Stechlin, Germany), AE(Ecohydrology, Leibniz
Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
(IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 181, p. 24-32. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2016
Origin: ELSEVIER
Keywords: Light pollution, Radiometry, Photometry
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2016.02.005
Bibliographic Code: 2016JQSRT.181...24J
Abstract
We report luminance measurements of the summer night sky at a field site
on a freshwater lake in northeastern Germany (Lake Stechlin) to evaluate
the amount of artificial skyglow from nearby and distant towns in the
context of a planned study on light pollution. The site is located about
70 km north of Berlin in a rural area possibly belonging to one of the
darkest regions in Germany. Continuous monitoring of the zenith sky
luminance between June and September 2015 was conducted utilizing a Sky
Quality Meter. With this device, typical values for clear nights in the
range of 21.5-21.7 magSQM/arcsec2 were measured,
which is on the order of the natural sky brightness during starry
nights. On overcast nights, values down to 22.84
magSQM/arcsec2 were obtained, which is about one
third as bright as on clear nights. The luminance measured on clear
nights as well as the darkening with the presence of clouds indicates
that there is very little influence of artificial skyglow on the zenith
sky brightness at this location. Furthermore, fish-eye lens sky imaging
luminance photometry was performed with a digital single-lens reflex
camera on a clear night in the absence of moonlight. The photographs
unravel several distant towns as possible sources of light pollution on
the horizon. However, the low level of artificial skyglow makes the
field site at Lake Stechlin an excellent location to study the effects
of skyglow on a lake ecosystem in a controlled fashion.
Title: The spectral amplification effect of clouds to the
night sky radiance in Madrid
Authors: Aubé, M.; Kocifaj, M.; Zamorano, J.;
Solano Lamphar, H. A.; Sanchez de Miguel, A.
Affiliation: AA(Cégep de Sherbrooke, 475 rue du Cégep,
Sherbrooke, Canada J1E 4K1), AB(ICA, Slovak Academy
of Sciences, Dúbravská Road 9, 84503 Bratislava,
Slovakia), AC(Dep. Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain),
AD(CentroMet (Cátedras CONACYT), Insurgentes Sur
1602, Col. Crédito Constructor Del. Benito Juárez,
C.P. 03940 Ciudad de México, D.F., Mexico), AE(Cégep
de Sherbrooke, 475 rue du Cégep, Sherbrooke, Canada
J1E 4K1)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 181, p. 11-23. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2016
Origin: ELSEVIER
Keywords: Sky brightness measurements, Cloud amplification
factor, Spectrum, Artificial light at night
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2016.01.032
Bibliographic Code: 2016JQSRT.181...11A
Abstract
Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) may have various environmental impacts
ranging from compromising the visibility of astronomical objects to the
perturbation of circadian cycles in animals and humans. In the past much
research has been carried out to study the impact of ALAN on the
radiance of the night sky during clear sky conditions. This was mainly
justified by the need for a better understanding of the behavior of ALAN
propagation into the environment in order to protect world-class
astronomical facilities. More recently, alongside to the threat to the
natural starry sky, many issues have emerged from the biological science
community. It has been shown that, nearby or inside cities, the presence
of cloud cover generally acts as an amplifier for artificial sky
radiance while clouds behave as attenuators for remote observers. In
this paper we show the spectral behavior of the zenith sky radiance
amplification factor exerted by clouds inside a city. We compare in-situ
measurements made with the spectrometer SAND-4 with a numerical model
applied to the specific geographical context of the Universidad
Complutense de Madrid in Spain.
Title: Mount control system of the ASTRI SST-2M prototype
for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
Authors: Antolini, Elisa; Tosti, Gino; Tanci, Claudio;
Bagaglia, Marco; Canestrari, Rodolfo;
Cascone, Enrico; Gambini, Giorgio;
Nucciarelli, Giuliano; Pareschi, Giovanni;
Scuderi, Salvo; Stringhetti, Luca;
Busatta, Andrea; Giacomel, Stefano;
Marchiori, Gianpietro; Manfrin, Cristiana;
Marcuzzi, Enrico; Di Michele, Daniele;
Grigolon, Carlo; Guarise, Paolo
Affiliation: AA(Univ. of Perugia (Italy)), AB(Univ. of Perugia
(Italy)), AC(Univ. of Perugia (Italy)), AD(Univ. of
Perugia (Italy)), AE(INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico
di Brera (Italy)), AF(INAF - Osservatorio
Astronomico di Capodimonte (Italy)), AG(Univ. of
Perugia (Italy)), AH(Univ. of Perugia (Italy)),
AI(INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera
(Italy)), AJ(INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di
Catania (Italy)), AK(INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico
di Brera (Italy)), AL(EIE Group s.r.l. (Italy)),
AM(EIE Group s.r.l. (Italy)), AN(EIE Group s.r.l.
(Italy)), AO(EIE Group s.r.l. (Italy)), AP(EIE Group
s.r.l. (Italy)), AQ(Beckhoff Automation s.r.l.
(Italy)), AR(Beckhoff Automation s.r.l. (Italy)),
AS(Beckhoff Automation s.r.l. (Italy))
Publication: Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 9913, id. 99131J
20 pp. (2016). (SPIE Homepage)
Publication Date: 08/2016
Origin: SPIE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016: SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is
permitted for personal use only.
Comment: ISBN: 9781510602052
DOI: 10.1117/12.2230898
Bibliographic Code: 2016SPIE.9913E..1JA
Abstract
The ASTRI SST-2M telescope is an end-to-end prototype proposed for the
Small Size class of Telescopes (SST) of the future Cherenkov Telescope
Array (CTA). The prototype is installed in Italy at the INAF observing
station located at Serra La Nave on Mount Etna (Sicily) and it was
inaugurated in September 2014. This paper presents the software and
hardware architecture and development of the system dedicated to the
control of the mount, health, safety and monitoring systems of the ASTRI
SST-2M telescope prototype. The mount control system installed on the
ASTRI SST-2M telescope prototype makes use of standard and widely
deployed industrial hardware and software. State of the art of the
control and automation industries was selected in order to fulfill the
mount related functional and safety requirements with assembly
compactness, high reliability, and reduced maintenance. The software
package was implemented with the Beckhoff TwinCAT version 3 environment
for the software Programmable Logical Controller (PLC), while the
control electronics have been chosen in order to maximize the
homogeneity and the real time performance of the system. The integration
with the high level controller (Telescope Control System) has been
carried out by choosing the open platform communications Unified
Architecture (UA) protocol, supporting rich data model while offering
compatibility with the PLC platform. In this contribution we show how
the ASTRI approach for the design and implementation of the mount
control system has made the ASTRI SST-2M prototype a standalone
intelligent machine, able to fulfill requirements and easy to be
integrated in an array configuration such as the future ASTRI mini-array
proposed to be installed at the southern site of the Cherenkov Telescope
Array (CTA).
Title: DAG: a new observatory and a prospective observing
site for other potential telescopes
Authors: Yeşilyaprak, Cahit; Yerli, Sinan K.;
Keskin, Onur; Güçsav, B. Bülent
Affiliation: AA(Atatürk Üniv. (Turkey)), AB(Orta Doğu Teknik
Üniv. (Turkey)), AC(FMV Işık Univ. (Turkey)),
AD(Atatürk Üniv. (Turkey))
Publication: Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 9910, id. 99102U 6
pp. (2016). (SPIE Homepage)
Publication Date: 07/2016
Origin: SPIE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016: SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is
permitted for personal use only.
Comment: ISBN: 9781510601994
DOI: 10.1117/12.2234383
Bibliographic Code: 2016SPIE.9910E..2UY
Abstract
DAG (Eastern Anatolia Observatory is read as "Doğu Anadolu
Gözlemevi" in Turkish) is the newest and largest observatory of
Turkey, constructed at an altitude of 3150 m in Konaklı/Erzurum
provenience, with an optical and nearinfrared telescope (4 m in
diameter) and its robust observing site infrastructure. This national
project consists of three main phases: DAG (Telescope, Enclosure,
Buildings and Infrastructures), FPI (Focal Plane Instruments and
Adaptive Optics) and MCP (Mirror Coating Plant). All these three phases
are supported by the Ministry of Development of Turkey and funding is
awarded to Atatürk University. Telescope, enclosure and building
tenders were completed in 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively. The final
design of telescope, enclosure and building and almost all main
infrastructure components of DAG site have been completed; mainly: road
work, geological and atmospheric surveys, electric and fiber cabling,
water line, generator system, cable car to summit. This poster explains
recent developments of DAG project and talks about the future possible
collaborations for various telescopes which can be constructed at the
site.
Title: Night Sky Quality Measurements at the ATA50
Telescope
Authors: Er, Hüseyin; Nasiroglu, Ilham; Guney, Yavuz
Publication: 41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly, abstracts from the
meeting that was to be held 30 July - 7 August at
the Istanbul Congress Center (ICC), Turkey, but was
cancelled. See
http://cospar2016.tubitak.gov.tr/en/, Abstract
D2.5-16-16.
Publication Date: 07/2016
Origin: ADS
Bibliographic Code: 2016cosp...41E.535E
Abstract
One of the most important factor affecting the quality of the sky in
astronomy is the light pollution (luminance of the night sky). Light
pollution, also affects humans and wildlife in many ways. This effect
occurs by using the light source of outdoor lighting in the wrong way.
Light pollution can be reduced by lighting only what is actually needed,
when and where it is needed. In generally, SQM (Sky Quality Meter- Clear
Sky Detector) is used to measure this light effect. In this work we
present night sky brightness measurements performed at the Atatürk
University Astrophysics Research Telescope (ATA50) and the surrounding
area, Erzurum, TURKEY. We also discussed the physical impacts of light
pollution on science, humans and wildlife.
Title: A New Algorithm for Detection of Cloudiness and Moon
Affect Area
Authors: Dindar, Murat; Helhel, Selcuk; Ünal Akdemir, Kemal
Publication: 41st COSPAR Scientific Assembly, abstracts from the
meeting that was to be held 30 July - 7 August at
the Istanbul Congress Center (ICC), Turkey, but was
cancelled. See
http://cospar2016.tubitak.gov.tr/en/, Abstract
C0.2-47-16.
Publication Date: 07/2016
Origin: ADS
Bibliographic Code: 2016cosp...41E.470D
Abstract
Cloud detection is a crucial issue for observatories already operating
and during phase of the site selection. Sky Quality Meter (SQM) devices
mostly use to determine parameters of the quality of sky such as
cloudiness, light flux. But, those parameters do not give us exact
information about the cloudiness and moon affects. In this study we
improved a new cloudiness and moon affects area detection algorithm. The
algorithm is based on image processing methods and different approaches
applied to both day time and night time images to calculate the sky
coverage. The new algorithm also implemented with Matlab by using the
images taken by all sky camera located at TÜBİTAK National
Observatory and results were given.
Title: The new world atlas of artificial night sky
brightness
Authors: Falchi, F.; Cinzano, P.; Duriscoe, D.;
Kyba, C. C. M.; Elvidge, C. D.; Baugh, K.;
Portnov, B. A.; Rybnikova, N. A.; Furgoni, R.
Publication: Science Advances, vol. 2, issue 6, pp.
e1600377-e1600377
Publication Date: 06/2016
Origin: CROSSREF
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600377
Bibliographic Code: 2016SciA....2E0377F
Abstract
Artificial lights raise night sky luminance, creating the most visible
effect of light pollution-artificial skyglow. Despite the increasing
interest among scientists in fields such as ecology, astronomy, health
care, and land-use planning, light pollution lacks a current
quantification of its magnitude on a global scale. To overcome this, we
present the world atlas of artificial sky luminance, computed with our
light pollution propagation software using new high-resolution satellite
data and new precision sky brightness measurements. This atlas shows
that more than 80% of the world and more than 99% of the U.S. and
European populations live under light-polluted skies. The Milky Way is
hidden from more than one-third of humanity, including 60% of Europeans
and nearly 80% of North Americans. Moreover, 23% of the world's land
surfaces between 75{\deg}N and 60{\deg}S, 88% of Europe, and almost half
of the United States experience light-polluted nights.
Title: Selection of astrophysical/astronomical/solar sites
at the Argentina East Andes range taking into
account atmospheric components
Authors: Piacentini, R. D.; García, B.;
Micheletti, M. I.; Salum, G.; Freire, M.;
Maya, J.; Mancilla, A.; Crinó, E.;
Mandat, D.; Pech, M.; Bulik, T.
Affiliation: AA(LESyC, IMAE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas,
Ingeniería y Agrimensura, Univ. Nacional de Rosario,
Rosario, Argentina), AB(Instituto en Tecnologías de
Detección y Astropartículas (CONICET-CNEA-UNSAM),
Mendoza, Argentina), AC(Area Física de la Atmósfera,
Radiación Solar y Astropartículas, Instituto de
Física Rosario (CONICET-Univ. Nacional de Rosario),
Rosario, Argentina), AD(Area Física de la Atmósfera,
Radiación Solar y Astropartículas, Instituto de
Física Rosario (CONICET-Univ. Nacional de Rosario),
Rosario, Argentina), AE(Area Física de la Atmósfera,
Radiación Solar y Astropartículas, Instituto de
Física Rosario (CONICET-Univ. Nacional de Rosario),
Rosario, Argentina), AF(Instituto en Tecnologías de
Detección y Astropartículas (CONICET-CNEA-UNSAM),
Mendoza, Argentina), AG(Instituto en Tecnologías de
Detección y Astropartículas (CONICET-CNEA-UNSAM),
Mendoza, Argentina), AH(Facultad de Ciencias
Fisico-Matemáticas, UNSan Luis, San Luis,
Argentina), AI(Institute of Physics of Academy of
Science of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic),
AJ(RCPTM, Joint Laboratory of Optics of Palacky
University and Institute of Physics of AS CR,
Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Czech
Republic), AK(Astronomical Observatory, University
of Warsaw, Aleje Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw,
Poland)
Publication: Advances in Space Research, Volume 57, Issue 12, p.
2559-2574. (AdSpR Homepage)
Publication Date: 06/2016
Origin: ELSEVIER
Keywords: Astrophysical, Astronomical, Solar: sites,
Argentina-Andes: atmospheric components
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2016 COSPAR
DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2016.03.027
Bibliographic Code: 2016AdSpR..57.2559P
Abstract
In the present work we analyze sites in the Argentinian high Andes
mountains as possible places for astrophysical/astronomical/solar
observatories. They are located at: San Antonio de los Cobres (SAC) and
El Leoncito/CASLEO region: sites 1 and 2. We consider the following
atmospheric components that affect, in different and specific wavelength
ranges, the detection of photons of astronomical/astrophysical/solar
origin: ozone, microscopic particles, precipitable water and clouds. We
also determined the atmospheric radiative transmittance in a day near
the summer solstice at noon, in order to confirm the clearness of the
sky in the proposed sites at SAC and El Leoncito. Consequently, all the
collected and analyzed data in the present work, indicate that the
proposed sites are very promising to host
astrophysical/astronomical/solar observatories. Some atmospheric
components, like aerosols, play a significant role in the attenuation of
light (Cherencov and/or fluorescence) detected in cosmic rays (particles
or gamma photons) astrophysical observatories, while others, like ozone
have to be considered in astronomical/solar light detection.
Title: Astroclimatic Characterization of Vallecitos: A
Candidate Site for the Cherenkov Telescope Array at
San Pedro Mártir
Authors: Tovmassian, Gagik; Hernandez, Mercedes-Stephania;
Ochoa, Jose Luis; Ernenwein, Jean-Pierre;
Mandat, Dusan; Pech, Miroslav;
Plauchu Frayn, Ilse; Colorado, Enrique;
Murillo, Jose Manuel; Ceseña, Urania;
Garcia, Benjamin; Lee, William H.;
Bulik, Tomasz; Garczarczyk, Markus;
Fruck, Christian; Costantini, Heide;
Cieslar, Marek; Aune, Taylor;
Vincent, Stephane; Carr, John; Serre, Natalia;
Janecek, Petr; Haefner, Dennis
Affiliation: AA(Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ensenada, México
), AB(Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ensenada, México), AC(Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ensenada, México), AD(Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM UMR 7346, F-13288 Marseille, France), AE(RCPTM, Joint Laboratory of Optics of Palacky University and Institute of Physics CAS, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic), AF(RCPTM, Joint Laboratory of Optics of Palacky University and Institute of Physics CAS, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic), AG(Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ensenada, México), AH(Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ensenada, México), AI(Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ensenada, México), AJ(Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ensenada, México), AK(Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ensenada, México), AL(Instituto de Astronomía, UNAM, Ensenada, !
México), AM(Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory, Warsaw, Poland), AN(Max Planck Institute of Physics, Munich, Germany), AO(Max Planck Institute of Physics, Munich, Germany), AP(Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM UMR 7346, F-13288 Marseille, France), AQ(Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory, Warsaw, Poland), AR(Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA), AS(Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen, Germany), AT(Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM UMR 7346, F-13288 Marseille, France), AU(LSW/ZAH, U Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany), AV(Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic), AW(Mobile Rocket Base, German Aerospace Center (DLR), D-82234 Wessling, Germany)
Publication: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Pacific,
Volume 128, Issue 961, pp. 035004 (2016). (PASP
Homepage)
Publication Date: 03/2016
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1538-3873/128/961/035004
Bibliographic Code: 2016PASP..128c5004T
Abstract
We conducted an 18 month long study of the weather conditions of the
Vallecitos, a proposed site in México to harbor the northern
array of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). It is located in Sierra de
San Pedro Mártir (SPM) a few kilometers away from Observatorio
Astronómico Nacional. The study is based on data collected by the
ATMOSCOPE, a multi-sensor instrument measuring the weather and sky
conditions, which was commissioned and built by the CTA Consortium.
Additionally, we compare the weather conditions of the optical
observatory at SPM to the Vallecitos regarding temperature, humidity,
and wind distributions. It appears that the excellent conditions at the
optical observatory benefit from the presence of microclimate
established in the Vallecitos.
Title: Astronomical Observing Conditions at Xinglong
Observatory from 2007 to 2014
Authors: Zhang, Ji-Cheng; Ge, Liang; Lu, Xiao-Meng;
Cao, Zi-Huang; Chen, Xu; Mao, Yong-Na;
Jiang, Xiao-Jun
Affiliation: AA(), AB(), AC(), AD(), AE(), AF(), AG()
Publication: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Pacific,
Volume 127, Issue 958, pp. 1292 (2015). (PASP
Homepage)
Publication Date: 12/2015
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1086/684369
Bibliographic Code: 2015PASP..127.1292Z
Abstract
Xinglong Observatory of the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese
Academy of Sciences (NAOC), is one of the major optical observatories in
China, which hosts nine optical telescopes including the Large Sky Area
Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) and the 2.16 m
reflector. Scientific research from these telescopes is focused on
stars, galaxies, and exoplanets using multicolor photometry and
spectroscopic observations. Therefore, it is important to provide the
observing conditions of the site, in detail, to the astronomers for an
efficient use of these facilities. In this article, we present the
characterization of observing conditions at Xinglong Observatory based
on the monitoring of meteorology, seeing and sky brightness during the
period from 2007 to 2014. Results suggest that Xinglong Observatory is
still a good site for astronomical observations. Our analysis of the
observing conditions at Xinglong Observatory can be used as a reference
to the observers on targets selection, observing strategy, and telescope
operation.
Title: Retrieval of Garstang's emission function from
all-sky camera images
Authors: Kocifaj, Miroslav;
Solano Lamphar, Héctor Antonio; Kundracik, František
Affiliation: AA(ICA, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská Road
9, 845 03 Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Faculty of
Mathematics, Physics, and Informatics, Comenius
University, Mlynská dolina, 842 48 Bratislava,
Slovak Republic
), AB(ICA, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská Road 9, 845 03 Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Cátedras CONACYT, Instituto de Investigaciones Dr. José María Luis Mora, Programa Interdisciplinario de Estudios Metropolitanos (CentroMet), Plaza Valentín Gómez Farías #12, San Juan Mixcoac, 03730 México, D.F., Mexico), AC(Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and Informatics, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina, 842 48 Bratislava, Slovak Republic)
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 453, Issue 1, p.819-827 (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2015
Origin: OUP
Astronomy Keywords: scattering, atmospheric effects, light pollution,
methods: data analysis, methods: numerical, methods:
observational
Abstract Copyright: The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University
Press on behalf of The Royal Astronomical Society.
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stv1645
Bibliographic Code: 2015MNRAS.453..819K
Abstract
The emission function from ground-based light sources predetermines the
skyglow features to a large extent, while most mathematical models that
are used to predict the night sky brightness require the information on
this function. The radiant intensity distribution on a clear sky is
experimentally determined as a function of zenith angle using the
theoretical approach published only recently in MNRAS, 439, 3405-3413.
We have made the experiments in two localities in Slovakia and Mexico by
means of two digital single lens reflex professional cameras operating
with different lenses that limit the system's field-of-view to either
180º or 167º. The purpose of using two cameras was to identify
variances between two different apertures. Images are taken at different
distances from an artificial light source (a city) with intention to
determine the ratio of zenith radiance relative to horizontal
irradiance. Subsequently, the information on the fraction of the light
radiated directly into the upward hemisphere (F) is extracted. The
results show that inexpensive devices can properly identify the upward
emissions with adequate reliability as long as the clear sky radiance
distribution is dominated by a largest ground-based light source. Highly
unstable turbidity conditions can also make the parameter F difficult to
find or even impossible to retrieve. The measurements at low elevation
angles should be avoided due to a potentially parasitic effect of direct
light emissions from luminaires surrounding the measuring site.
Title: Globe at Night - Sky Brightness Monitoring Network
Authors: Cheung, Sze Leung; Pun, Jason Chun Shing;
SO, Chu-wing; Shibata, Yukiko;
Walker, Constance Elaine; Agata, Hidehiko
Affiliation: AA(IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach), AB(The
University of Hong Kong), AC(The University of Hong
Kong), AD(National Astronomical Observatory of
Japan), AE(National Optical Astronomy Observatory),
AF(National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)
Publication: IAU General Assembly, Meeting #29, id.2257516
Publication Date: 08/2015
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2015: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2015IAUGA..2257516C
Abstract
The Global at Night - Sky Brightness Monitoring Network (GaN-MN) is an
international project for long-term monitoring of night sky conditions
around the world. The GaN-MN consists of fixed monitoring stations each
equipped with a Sky Quality Meter - Lensed Ethernet (SQM-LE), which is a
specialized light sensor for night sky brightness (NSB) measurement. NSB
data are continuously collected at high sampling frequency throughout
the night, and these data will be instantly made available to the
general public to provide a real-time snapshot of the global light
pollution condition. A single data collection methodology, including
data sampling frequency, data selection criteria, device design and
calibration, and schemes for data quality control, was adopted to ensure
uniformity in the data collected. This is essential for a systematic and
global study of the level of light pollution. The data collected will
also provide the scientific backbone in our efforts to contribute to
dark sky conservation through education to the general public and policy
makers. The GaN-MN project is endorsed by the IAU IYL Executive
Committee Working Group as a major Cosmic Light program in the
International Year of Light.
Title: Light Pollution Surveys around the Seoul Capital
Area: Results from 2009 and 2014
Authors: Yu, Jinhee; An, Sung-Ho; Bae, Hyun-Jin;
Roh, Eunji; Chiang, Howoo; Kim, Jinhyub;
Kim, Seongjoong; Park, Songyoun
Affiliation: AA(Yonsei University), AB(Yonsei University),
AC(Yonsei University), AD(Yonsei University),
AE(Yonsei University), AF(Yonsei University),
AG(Yonsei University), AH(Seoul National University)
Publication: IAU General Assembly, Meeting #29, id.2255081
Publication Date: 08/2015
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2015: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2015IAUGA..2255081Y
Abstract
We conducted a series of light pollution surveys in the periods of
2009/2010 and 2014/2015 at ~130 sites within the Seoul Capital Area of
South Korea. We quantitatively measured the night sky brightness in the
unit of mag/arcsec2 with the ‘SQM (Sky Quality
Meter)-L’ by considering the following conditions: 1) fully dark
sky after astronomical twilight, 2) good weather with the cloud amount
less than 10%, and 3) ensure no contaminations from nearby street lights
to the measured value. We find that the night sky is getting darker from
the center of Seoul to the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do by a factor of ~40.
In both surveys, for example, the brightest site is Namsan Elementary
School (Jung-gu, Seoul: 16.3 and 16.5 mag/arcsec2 in
2009/2010 and 2014/2015, respectively), located nearly at the middle of
Seoul. Also, the darkest site is Goseong-ri (Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do:
20.1 and 20.6 mag/arcsec2 in 2009/2010 and 2014/2015,
respectively), situated ~50 km northeast of the brightest site. In
addition, the night sky brightness in 2014/2015 is on average darker by
~0.4 mag/arcsec2 compared to the brightness in 2009/2010,
which indicates the reduced light pollution in the Seoul Capital Area.
In this contribution, we will present the maps of the night sky
brightness in the capital region of Korea from both surveys, and discuss
the possible reasons for the changes in night sky brightness within 5
years.
Title: Night sky photometry with amateur-grade digital
cameras
Authors: Mrozek, Tomasz; Gronkiewicz, Dominik;
Kolomanski, Sylwester; Steslicki, Marek
Affiliation: AA(Space Research Centre PAS), AB(University of
Wroclaw), AC(University of Wroclaw), AD(Space
Research Centre PAS)
Publication: IAU General Assembly, Meeting #29, id.2254846
Publication Date: 08/2015
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2015: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2015IAUGA..2254846M
Abstract
Measurements of night sky brightness can give us valuable information on
light pollution. The more the measurements we have the better is our
knowledge on the spatial distribution of the pollution on local and
global scale.High accuracy professional photometry of night sky can be
performed with dedicated instruments. The main drawbacks of this method
are high price and low mobility. This limits an amount of observers and
therefore amount of photometric data that can be collected. In order to
overcome the problem of limited amount of data we can involve amateur
astronomers in photometry of night sky. However, to achieve this goal we
need a method that utilizes equipment which is usually used by amateur
astronomers, e.g digital cameras.We propose a method that enables good
accuracy photometry of night sky with a use of digital compact or DSLR
cameras. In the method reduction of observations and standarization to
Johnson UBV system are performed. We tested several cameras and compared
results to Sky Quality Meter (SQM) measurements. The overall consistency
for results is within 0.2 mag.
Title: Low-cost photometers and open source software for
Light Pollution research
Authors: Zamorano, Jaime; Nievas, Miguel;
Sánchez de Miguel, Alejandro; Tapia, Carlos;
García, Cristóbal; Pascual, Sergio;
Ocaña, Francisco; Gallego, Jesús
Affiliation: AA(Universidad Complutense de Madrid),
AB(Universidad Complutense de Madrid),
AC(Universidad Complutense de Madrid),
AD(Universidad Complutense de Madrid), AE(Agrupación
Astronómica de Madrid), AF(Universidad Complutense
de Madrid), AG(Universidad Complutense de Madrid),
AH(Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
Publication: IAU General Assembly, Meeting #29, id.2254626
Publication Date: 08/2015
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2015: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2015IAUGA..2254626Z
Abstract
Astronomical observatories have been measuring the brightness of the sky
(NSB) using the methods of astronomical photometry with telescopes,
photoelectric photometers and CCD cameras. The observations are disperse
and sporadic. This is why some dedicated devices (including all-sky
cameras) have been designed to automatically monitor the sky brightness
at the observatories.These sophisticated and expensive instruments are
restricted to research groups since they are out of reach for the
interested citizens who wish to make a contribution to light pollution
research. Most of them are using sky photometers (sky quality meter,
SQM) a commercial photometer, designed to measure NSB in a photometric
band that mimics the human eye response, that provide reliable data at
an affordable budget.We are designing and building low cost devices to
measure night sky brightness that could be widely distributed. The final
designs will be calibrated and distributed to the community as open
hardware. The researchers and also the interested people could acquire
the parts and replicate the photometers from the instructions provided.
Among the new features for these photometers we plan to add the
capability to automatically send data to a repository located in a
server, the autonomous operation with solar panels and batteries in
remote places and the ability to measure in different spectral bands.We
also present open source software for NSB research. PySQM, designed for
SQM photometers, records the NSB data in the IDA-IAU standard data
format and also builds the plots along the night. PyASB analyses all-sky
images to determine photometric parameters and to build all-sky NSB maps
Title: Early Performance and Results from the Globe at
Night - Sky Brightness Monitoring Network
Authors: Shibata, Yukiko; Cheung, Sze Leung;
Pun, Jason Chun Shing; SO, Chu-wing;
Walker, Constance Elaine; Agata, Hidehiko
Affiliation: AA(National Astronomical Observatory of Japan),
AB(IAU), AC(The University of Hong Kong), AD(The
University of Hong Kong), AE(National Optical
Astronomy Observatory), AF(National Astronomical
Observatory of Japan)
Publication: IAU General Assembly, Meeting #29, id.2249097
Publication Date: 08/2015
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2015: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2015IAUGA..2249097S
Abstract
The Global at Night - Sky Brightness Monitoring Network (GaN-MN) is an
international project for long-term monitoring of night sky conditions
around the world. The GaN-MN consists of fixed monitoring stations each
equipped with a Sky Quality Meter - Lensed Ethernet (SQM-LE), which is a
specialized light sensor for night sky brightness (NSB) measurement. NSB
data are continuously collected at high sampling frequency throughout
the night, and these data will be instantly made available to the
general public to provide a real-time snapshot of the global light
pollution condition. The huge NSB database accumulated also provides the
basis for studies of the temporal and geographical variations of light
pollution and its correlation with various natural and artificial
factors. In order to ensure the quality of data collected between the
monitoring sites, detailed guidelines of setting and location selection
are defined, and a user workshop was held in Tokyo, Japan to introduce
and discuss the installation procedures and data analysis for
participants. In this presentation, the user workshop and early
performance of the GaN-MN will be reported. The GaN-MN project is
endorsed by the IAU Executive Committee Working Group as a major Cosmic
Light program in the International Year of Light.
Title: The new World Atlas of Artificial Sky Brightness
Authors: Falchi, Fabio; Cinzano, Pierantonio;
Kyba, Christopher C. M.; Portnov, Boris A.
Affiliation: AA(ISTIL - Light Pollution Science and Technology
Institute), AB(ISTIL - Light Pollution Science and
Technology Institute), AC(Leibniz-Institute of
Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries),
AD(University of Haifa)
Publication: IAU General Assembly, Meeting #29, id.2247038
Publication Date: 08/2015
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2015: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2015IAUGA..2247038F
Abstract
I present the main steps toward the completion of the new World Atlas of
Artificial Sky Brightness (WA II) and some results. The computational
technique has been updated, in comparison to the first World Atlas, to
take into account both sources and sites elevation. The elevation data
are from USGS GTOPO30 global digital elevation model, with the same
pixel size as the WA II maps. The upward emission function used to
compute the Atlas is a three parameters function. The parameters can be
constrained to the database of Earth based night sky brightness
measurements. In this way we can use the better fitting upward function
for the final map’s calibration. We maintained constant atmosphere
parameters over the entire Earth, identical to those used for the first
Atlas (Garstang atmospheric clarity coefficient k=1, equivalent to a
vertical extinction at sea level of 0.33 magnitude in the V band). This
was done in order to avoid introducing a local bias due to different
conditions that may confound the light pollution propagation effects.
The radiance data used are those from Visible Infrared Imaging
Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day-Night Band (DNB) on board the Suomi NPP
satellite. The use of this newly available radiance data allows for an
increased real resolution, even while maintaining the same 30"x30"
lat-lon pixel size. Anyway, a higher resolution is really appreciable
only in the immediate proximity of sources of light pollution (e.g.
inside a big city). The VIIRS DNB data used for the input data were
chosen from the months ranging from May to September in order to avoid
introducing bias from the variable snow coverage in mid to high northern
latitudes. In the southern hemisphere this problem is far less
pronounced. The WA II takes advantage of the now enormous database of
Earth based sky brightness measurements obtained mainly with Sky Quality
Meters, but also with CCD measurements.
Title: Communicating awareness of light pollution with the
schools in Nepal
Authors: Acharya, Jayanta
Affiliation: AA(Balmikee Campus)
Publication: IAU General Assembly, Meeting #29, id.2224225
Publication Date: 08/2015
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2015: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2015IAUGA..2224225A
Abstract
Nepal is also highly polluted by the lights and other dusts partials,
but lacks the formal education of light pollutions and effect of light
for astronomy observations. When we get Sky Quality Meter (SQM) last
year (2014) we have installed it in Kathmandu.This paper will highlight
about installation SQM in Nepal, measurement of brightness of the night
sky in magnitudes per square arc second. Research work of light
pollution of Kathmandu will be more in focus. Highlight of the Astronomy
programs by different Schools in Nepal along with the background of
coverage of Astronomy education in the syllables of different education
level. The various procedure , technique and idea used in providing the
space education through different activities and program to school
studentsThe paper will also deal with the Importance of light and use of
artificial light. Beside it will also highlight the possibility of
development of various observatories in Nepal because of its tremendous
topography increasing the Astro tourism in Nepal.Hence the paper would
focus on the light pollution of the city like Kathmandu and light system
in Nepal and Astronomy education to its implementation along with its
outreach to Nepalese society.
Title: Estimating all-sky night brightness maps from finite
sets of SQM measurements
Authors: Tilve Rúa, V.; Ling, J. F.; Bará, S.;
Sánchez de Miguel, A.; Nievas, M.; Zamorano, J.
Affiliation: AA(Obs. Astr. ``R. M. Aller'', Dept. de. Matemática
Aplicada, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela,
15782 Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain; Centro
de Estudios de Física del Cosmos de Arag& acute;on
(CEFCA), Plaza San Juan 1-2, E44001 Teruel, Spain),
AB(Obs. Astr. ``R. M. Aller'', Dept. de. Matemática
Aplicada, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela,
15782 Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain),
AC(Área de Óptica, Departamento de Física Aplicada,
Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782
Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain), AD(Dept. de
Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Fac. de Ciencias
Físicas, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain),
AE(Dept. de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear,
Fac. de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Complutense,
Madrid, Spain), AF(Dept. de Astrofísica y CC. de la
Atmósfera, Fac. de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad
Complutense, Madrid, Spain)
Publication: Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics VIII, Proceedings
of the XI Scientific Meeting of the Spanish
Astronomical Society held on September 8-12, 2014,
in Teruel, Spain, ISBN 978-84-606-8760-3. A. J.
Cenarro, F. Figueras, C. Hernández-Monteagudo, J.
Trujillo Bueno, and L. Valdivielso (eds.), p.
874-874
Publication Date: 05/2015
Origin: AUTHOR
Bibliographic Code: 2015hsa8.conf..874T
Abstract
The all-sky night brightness distributions recorded at observing sites
with moderate to high levels of light pollution can be efficiently
described by polynomial series or relatively low order. This opens the
way for estimating these continuous distributions from discrete sets of
measurements made in different directions of the sky with photometric
detectors of low spatial resolution as, e.g. the Sky Quality Meter,
SQM^{TM} (10° HWHM). Modal estimations of the night sky brightness
can be obtained by expanding their equal-area projection maps as a
series of orthonormal functions, in particular Zernike polynomials, and
fitting the unknown modal coefficients to the measurements provided by
the detector. Least squares and minimum variance estimators can be
easily developed once the linear functional relationship between the
measurements and the actual sky brightness distribution is established.
Title: Instrumentation for comparing night sky quality and
atmospheric conditions of CTA site candidates
Authors: Fruck, C.; Gaug, M.; Ernenwein, J.-P.;
Mandát, D.; Schweizer, T.; Häfner, D.;
Bulik, T.; Cieslar, M.; Costantini, H.;
Dominik, M.; Ebr, J.; Garczarczyk, M.;
Lorentz, E.; Pareschi, G.; Pech, M.;
Puerto-Giménez, I.; Teshima, M.
Affiliation: AA(Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Föhringer Ring 6,
80805 München, Germany
), AB(Física de les Radiacions, Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain ; CERES, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona-IEEC, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain), AC(Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM UMR 7346, 13288 Marseille, France), AD(Institute of Physics of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Joint Laboratory of Optics, 17. listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic), AE(Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 München, Germany), AF(Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 München, Germany), AG(Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw, Aleje Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland), AH(Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw, Aleje Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland), AI(Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2!
P3, CPPM UMR 7346, 13288 Marseille, France), AJ(Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw, Aleje Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland), AK(Institute of Physics of Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, Praha, Czech Republic), AL(Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Platanenallee 6, Zeuthen, Germany), AM(Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 München, Germany; Física de les Radiacions, Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain ; CERES, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona-IEEC, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain ; Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/IN2P3, CPPM UMR 7346, 13288 Marseille, France; Institute of Physics of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Joint Laboratory of Optics, 17. listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic; Astronomical Observatory, University of Warsaw, Aleje Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland; Institute of Physics of Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Na!
Slovance 2, Praha, Czech Republic; Deutsches Elektronen-Synch!
rotron, Platanenallee 6, Zeuthen, Germany; INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Milano, Italy ; Institut de Fisica d'Altes Energies (IFAE), E-08193, Barcelona, Spain), AN(INAF—Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Milano, Italy), AO(Institute of Physics of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, Joint Laboratory of Optics, 17. listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic), AP(Institut de Fisica d'Altes Energies (IFAE), E-08193, Barcelona, Spain), AQ(Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 München, Germany)
Publication: Journal of Instrumentation, Volume 10, Issue 04,
article id. P04012 (2015).
Publication Date: 04/2015
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/10/04/P04012
Bibliographic Code: 2015JInst..10P4012F
Abstract
Many atmospheric and climatic criteria have to be taken into account for
the selection of a suitable site for the next generation of imaging
air-shower Cherenkov telescopes, the ``Cherenkov Telescope Array'' CTA.
Such data are not available with sufficient precision, thus a comparison
of the proposed sites and final decision based on a comprehensive
characterization is impossible. Identical cross-calibrated instruments
have been developed which allow for precise comparison between sites,
the cross-validation of existing data, and the ground-validation of
satellite data. The site characterization work package of the CTA
consortium opted to construct and deploy 9 copies of an autonomous
multi-purpose weather sensor, incorporating an infrared cloud sensor, a
newly developed sensor for measuring the light of the night sky, and an
All-Sky-Camera, the whole referred to as Autonomous Tool for Measuring
Observatory Site COnditions PrEcisely (ATMOSCOPE). We present here the
hardware that was combined into the ATMOSCOPE and characterize its
performance.
Title: NIXNOX project: Sites in Spain where citizens can
enjoy dark starry skies
Authors: Zamorano, J.; de Miguel, A. Sánchez;
Alfaro, E.; Martínez-Delgado, D.; Ocaña, F.;
Castaño, J. Gómez; Nievas, M.
Affiliation: AA(Depto. Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera,
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de
Físicas, Ciudad Universitaria 28040 Madrid, Spain),
AB(Depto. Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera,
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de
Físicas, Ciudad Universitaria 28040 Madrid, Spain),
AC(Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC),
Granada, Spain), AD(Max Plank Intitut für
Astronomie, Heidelberg, Germany
), AE(Depto. Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Físicas, Ciudad Universitaria 28040 Madrid, Spain), AF(Depto. Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Físicas, Ciudad Universitaria 28040 Madrid, Spain), AG(Depto. Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Físicas, Ciudad Universitaria 28040 Madrid, Spain)
Publication: Highlights of Astronomy, Volume 16, pp. 739-739
Publication Date: 03/2015
Origin: CUP
Keywords: Light Pollution, Night Sky Brightness, Photometry,
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2015: Copyright © International Astronomical
Union 2015
DOI: 10.1017/S1743921314013222
Bibliographic Code: 2015HiA....16..739Z
Abstract
The NIXNOX project, sponsored by the Spanish Astronomical Society, is a
Pro-Am collaboration with the aim of finding sites with dark skies. All
sky data of the night sky brightness is being obtained by amateur
astronomers with Sky Quality Meter (SQM) photometers. We are not looking
for remote locations because the places should be easily accessible by
people with children. Our goal is to motivate citizens to observe the
night sky. NIXNOX will provide information to answer the question: where
can I go to observe the stars with my family?
Title: On the relation between zenith sky brightness and
horizontal illuminance
Authors: Kocifaj, M.; Posch, Th.; Solano Lamphar, H. A.
Affiliation: AA(Department of Experimental Physics, Faculty of
Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius
University, Mlynská dolina, 842 48 Bratislava,
Slovak Republic; ICA, Slovak Academy of Sciences,
Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 03 Bratislava, Slovak
Republic
), AB(Universität Wien, Institut für Astrophysik, Türkenschanzstrasse 17, A-1180 Wien, Austria), AC(Instituto de Investigaciones Lumínicas, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico; Cátedras CONACYT, Instituto de investigaciones Dr José María Luis Mora, Programa Interdisciplinario de Estudios Metropolitanos, Plaza Valentín Gómez Farías #12 Col. San Juan Mixcoac México D.F. C.P 03730)
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 446, Issue 3, p.2895-2901 (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 01/2015
Origin: OUP
Astronomy Keywords: scattering, atmospheric effects, light pollution,
methods: numerical
Abstract Copyright: 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University
Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stu2265
Bibliographic Code: 2015MNRAS.446.2895K
Abstract
The effects of artificial light at night are an emergent research topic
for astronomers, physicists, engineers and biologists around the world.
This leads to a need for measurements of the night sky brightness (=
diffuse luminance of the night sky) and nocturnal illuminance.
Currently, the most sensitive light meters measure the zenith sky
brightness in magV/arcsec2 or - less frequently -
in cd m-2. However, the horizontal illuminance resulting only
from the night sky is an important source of information that is
difficult to obtain with common instruments. Here we present a set of
approximations to convert the zenith luminance into horizontal
illuminance. Three different approximations are presented for three
idealized atmospheric conditions: homogeneous sky brightness, an
isotropically scattering atmosphere and a turbid atmosphere. We also
apply the resulting conversion formulae to experimental data on night
sky luminance, obtained during the past three years.
Title: Evaluation of the Sky Brightness at Two Argentinian
Astronomical Sites
Authors: Aubé, M.; Fortin, N.; Turcotte, S.;
García, B.; Mancilla, A.; Maya, J.
Affiliation: AA(), AB(), AC(), AD(), AE(), AF()
Publication: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Pacific,
Volume 126, Issue 945, pp. 1068 (2014). (PASP
Homepage)
Publication Date: 11/2014
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1086/679227
Bibliographic Code: 2014PASP..126.1068A
Abstract
Not Available
Title: Particulate matter as an amplifier for astronomical
light pollution
Authors: Ściężor, T.; Kubala, M.
Affiliation: AA(Cracow University of Technology, Faculty of the
Environmental Engineering, Warszawska 24, P-31-155
Kraków, Poland
), AB(Cracow University of Technology, Faculty of the Environmental Engineering, Warszawska 24, P-31-155 Kraków, Poland)
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 444, Issue 3, p.2487-2493 (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 11/2014
Origin: OUP
Astronomy Keywords: atmospheric effects, light pollution, methods: data
analysis, site testing
Abstract Copyright: 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University
Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stu1577
Bibliographic Code: 2014MNRAS.444.2487S
Abstract
In this paper, we state that the main factor that influences seasonal
changes in the brightness of the cloudless, moonless, light-polluted
night sky is primarily particulate matter, emitted mainly from
low-emission sources, especially in winter. This effect is particularly
noticeable in Cracow and its surroundings, one of the places in Europe
that is most polluted by particulate matter. Measurements taken over a
period of one year have allowed us to show a linear relationship between
the concentration of particulate matter and the brightness of the clear,
cloudless night sky. We have also found similar correlations in other,
industrialized areas of Poland, as well as at the Mount Suhora
Astronomical Observatory. We believe that the factor described here
should be taken into account when planning the construction of new
astronomical observatories, especially those located near large urban
areas.
Title: LCOGT network observatory operations
Authors: Pickles, Andrew; Hjelstrom, Annie;
Boroson, Todd; Burleson, Ben; Conway, Patrick;
De Vera, Jon; Elphick, Mark; Haworth, Brian;
Rosing, Wayne; Saunders, Eric; Thomas, Doug;
White, Gary; Willis, Mark; Walker, Zach
Affiliation: AA(Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (United
States)), AB(Las Cumbres Observatory Global
Telescope (United States)), AC(Las Cumbres
Observatory Global Telescope (United States)),
AD(Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (United
States)), AE(Las Cumbres Observatory Global
Telescope (United States)), AF(Las Cumbres
Observatory Global Telescope (United States)),
AG(Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (United
States)), AH(Las Cumbres Observatory Global
Telescope (United States)), AI(Las Cumbres
Observatory Global Telescope (United States)),
AJ(Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (United
States)), AK(Las Cumbres Observatory Global
Telescope (United States)), AL(Las Cumbres
Observatory Global Telescope (United States)),
AM(Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (United
States)), AN(Las Cumbres Observatory Global
Telescope (United States))
Publication: Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 9149, id. 914912
13 pp. (2014). (SPIE Homepage)
Publication Date: 08/2014
Origin: SPIE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2014: SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is
permitted for personal use only.
Comment: ISBN: 9780819496171
DOI: 10.1117/12.2055215
Bibliographic Code: 2014SPIE.9149E..12P
Abstract
We describe the operational capabilities of the Las Cumbres Observatory
Global Telescope Network. We summarize our hardware and software for
maintaining and monitoring network health. We focus on methodologies to
utilize the automated system to monitor availability of sites,
instruments and telescopes, to monitor performance, permit automatic
recovery, and provide automatic error reporting. The same jTCS control
system is used on telescopes of apertures 0.4m, 0.8m, 1m and 2m, and for
multiple instruments on each. We describe our network operational model,
including workloads, and illustrate our current tools, and operational
performance indicators, including telemetry and metrics reporting from
on-site reductions. The system was conceived and designed to establish
effective, reliable autonomous operations, with automatic monitoring and
recovery - minimizing human intervention while maintaining quality. We
illustrate how far we have been able to achieve that.
Title: Human contrast threshold and astronomical visibility
Authors: Crumey, Andrew
Affiliation: AA(Department of Humanities, Northumbria University,
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK
)
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 442, Issue 3, p.2600-2619 (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 08/2014
Origin: OUP
Astronomy Keywords: history and philosophy of astronomy, sociology of
astronomy, light pollution, telescopes
Abstract Copyright: 2014 The Author Published by Oxford University Press
on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stu992
Bibliographic Code: 2014MNRAS.442.2600C
Abstract
The standard visibility model in light-pollution studies is the formula
of Hecht, as used e.g. by Schaefer. However, it is applicable only to
point sources and is shown to be of limited accuracy. A new visibility
model is presented for uniform achromatic targets of any size against
background luminances ranging from zero to full daylight, produced by a
systematic procedure applicable to any appropriate data set (e.g.
Blackwell's), and based on a simple but previously unrecognized
empirical relation between contrast threshold and adaptation luminance.
The scotopic luminance correction for variable spectral radiance (colour
index) is calculated. For point sources, the model is more accurate than
Hecht's formula and is verified using telescopic data collected at Mount
Wilson in 1947, enabling the sky brightness at that time to be
determined. The result is darker than the calculation by Garstang,
implying that light pollution grew more rapidly in subsequent decades
than has been supposed. The model is applied to the nebular observations
of William Herschel, enabling his visual performance to be quantified.
Proposals are made regarding sky quality indicators for public use.
Title: SST-GATE telescope: an innovative dual-mirror
prototype for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
Authors: Dumas, Delphine; Huet, Jean-Michel;
Dournaux, Jean-Laurent; Laporte, Philippe;
Amans, Jean-Philippe; Fasola, Gilles;
Zech, Andreas; Rulten, Cameron; Sol, Hélène;
Blake, Simon; Schmoll, Jurgen
Affiliation: AA(Observatoire de Paris à Meudon, CNRS, Univ. Paris
Diderot (France)), AB(Observatoire de Paris à
Meudon, CNRS, Univ. Paris Diderot (France)),
AC(Observatoire de Paris à Meudon, CNRS, Univ. Paris
Diderot (France)), AD(Observatoire de Paris à
Meudon, CNRS, Univ. Paris Diderot (France)),
AE(Observatoire de Paris à Meudon, CNRS, Univ. Paris
Diderot (France)), AF(Observatoire de Paris à
Meudon, CNRS, Univ. Paris Diderot (France)),
AG(Observatoire de Paris à Meudon, CNRS, Univ. Paris
Diderot (France)), AH(Observatoire de Paris à
Meudon, CNRS, Univ. Paris Diderot (France)),
AI(Observatoire de Paris à Meudon, CNRS, Univ. Paris
Diderot (France)), AJ(Durham Univ. (United
Kingdom)), AK(Durham Univ. (United Kingdom))
Publication: Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 9145, id. 91452Y
15 pp. (2014). (SPIE Homepage)
Publication Date: 07/2014
Origin: SPIE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2014: SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is
permitted for personal use only.
Comment: ISBN: 9780819496133
DOI: 10.1117/12.2055083
Bibliographic Code: 2014SPIE.9145E..2YD
Abstract
The Observatoire de Paris is involved in the Cherenkov Telescope Array
(CTA) project by designing and constructing on the site of Meudon a
Small Size Telescope prototype, named SST-GATE, in collaboration with
the CHEC team (Compact High Energy Camera) which is providing the
camera. The telescope structure is based on the Schwarzschild- Couder
optical design which has never been adopted before in the design of a
ground-based telescope. This concept allows a larger field of view and
cheaper and smaller telescope and camera design with improved
performance compared to the Davies-Cotton design traditionally used in
very high energy gamma-ray telescopes. The SST-GATE telescope has been
designed with the prime objectives of being light, versatile and simple
to assemble with a minimal maintenance cost. This papers aims at
reviewing the SST-GATE telescope structure from mechanics to optics
along with the control command architecture; several innovative
developments implemented within the design are discussed. Updates of the
project status and perspectives are made.
Title: Status of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Project
Authors: Schlenstedt, Stefan
Affiliation: AA(Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (Germany))
Publication: Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 9145, id. 91450K
12 pp. (2014). (SPIE Homepage)
Publication Date: 07/2014
Origin: SPIE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2014: SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is
permitted for personal use only.
Comment: ISBN: 9780819496133
DOI: 10.1117/12.2055400
Bibliographic Code: 2014SPIE.9145E..0KS
Abstract
CTA, the Cherenkov Telescope Array, is the next generation ground-based
observatory for gamma-ray astronomy in the energy range from 20 GeV to
300 TeV. The CTA project is finishing its preparatory phase, and the
pre-production phase will start in 2014. The expected performance of CTA
has been assessed using very detailed simulations. The science cases for
CTA were established and the key physics programs are defined. A report
on the design and prototypes of the different telescopes will be given.
Plans for array control, data acquisition and data management are well
advanced and will be presented here. Several site candidates for CTA on
the Southern and Northern have been evaluated, and a site decision will
be taken in 2014.
Title: Contributions of artificial lighting sources on
light pollution in Hong Kong measured through a
night sky brightness monitoring network
Authors: Pun, Chun Shing Jason; So, Chu Wing;
Leung, Wai Yan; Wong, Chung Fai
Affiliation: AA(Department of Physics, The University of Hong
Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong), AB(Department of
Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong
Kong), AC(Department of Physics, The University of
Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong), AD(Department of
Physics, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong
Kong 0000-0003-0832-2023)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 139, p. 90-108. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 05/2014
Origin: ELSEVIER
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2013.12.014
Bibliographic Code: 2014JQSRT.139...90P
Abstract
Light pollution is a form of environmental degradation in which
excessive artificial outdoor lighting, such as street lamps, neon signs,
and illuminated signboards, affects the natural environment and the
ecosystem. Poorly designed outdoor lighting not only wastes energy,
money, and valuable Earth resources, but also robs us of our beautiful
night sky. Effects of light pollution on the night sky can be evaluated
by the skyglow caused by these artificial lighting sources, through
measurements of the night sky brightness (NSB). The Hong Kong Night Sky
Brightness Monitoring Network (NSN) was established to monitor in detail
the conditions of light pollution in Hong Kong. Monitoring stations were
set up throughout the city covering a wide range of urban and rural
settings to continuously measure the variations of the NSB. Over 4.6
million night sky measurements were collected from 18 distinct locations
between May 2010 and March 2013. This huge dataset, over two thousand
times larger than our previous survey [1], forms the backbone for
studies of the temporal and geographical variations of this
environmental parameter and its correlation with various natural and
artificial factors. The concepts and methodology of the NSN were
presented here, together with an analysis of the overall night sky
conditions in Hong Kong. The average NSB in Hong Kong, excluding data
affected by the Moon, was 16.8 mag arcsec-2, or 82 times
brighter than the dark site standard established by the International
Astronomical Union (IAU) [2]. The urban night sky was on average 15
times brighter than that in a rural location, firmly establishing the
effects of artificial lighting sources on the night sky.
Title: New device for monitoring the colors of the night
Authors: Spoelstra, Henk
Affiliation: AA(Lumineux Consult, Landgraafstraat 96, 6845 ED
Arnhem, The Netherlands 0000-0001-7647-8949)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 139, p. 82-89. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 05/2014
Origin: ELSEVIER
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2014.01.001
Bibliographic Code: 2014JQSRT.139...82S
Abstract
The introduction of LED lighting in the outdoor environment may increase
the amount of blue light in the night sky color spectrum. This can cause
more light pollution due to Rayleigh scattering of the shorter
wavelengths. Blue light may also have an impact on circadian rhythm of
humans due to the suppression of melatonin. At present no long-term data
sets of the color spectrum of the night sky are available. In order to
facilitate the monitoring of levels and variations in the night sky
spectrum, a low cost multi-filter instrument has been developed. Design
considerations are described as well as the choice of suitable filters,
which are critical - especially in the green wavelength band from 500 to
600 nm. Filters from the optical industry were chosen for this band
because available astronomical filters exclude some or all of the low
and high-pressure sodium lines from lamps, which are important in light
pollution research. Correction factors are calculated to correct for the
detector response and filter transmissions. Results at a suburban
monitoring station showed that the light levels between 500 and 600 nm
are dominant during clear and cloudy skies. The relative contribution of
blue light increases with a clear moonless night sky. The change in
color spectrum of the night sky under moonlit skies is more complex and
is still under study.
Title: The night sky brightness at Potsdam-Babelsberg
including overcast and moonlit conditions
Authors: Puschnig, Johannes; Schwope, Axel;
Posch, Thomas; Schwarz, Robert
Affiliation: AA(University of Stockholm, Universitetsvägen 10,
SE-11418 Stockholm, Sweden), AB(Leibniz Institut für
Astrophysik, An der Sternwarte 16, D-14482 Potsdam,
Germany), AC(Universität Wien, Institut für
Astrophysik, Türkenschanzstraße 17, A-1180 Wien,
Austria), AD(Leibniz Institut für Astrophysik, An
der Sternwarte 16, D-14482 Potsdam, Germany)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 139, p. 76-81. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 05/2014
Origin: ELSEVIER
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2013.12.011
Bibliographic Code: 2014JQSRT.139...76P
Abstract
We analyze the results of 2 years (2011-2012) of night sky photometry
performed at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in
Potsdam-Babelsberg. This institute is located 23 km to the southwest of
the center of Berlin. Our measurements have been performed with a Sky
Quality Meter. We find night sky brightness values ranging from 16.5 to
20.3 magSQM arcsec-2; the latter value corresponds
to 4.8 times the natural zenithal night sky brightness. We focus on the
influence of clouds and of the moon on the night sky brightness. It
turns out that Potsdam-Babelsberg, despite its proximity to Berlin,
still shows a significant correlation of the night sky brightness with
the lunar phases. However, the light-pollution-enhancing effect of
clouds dominates the night sky brightness by far: overcast nights (up to
16.5 magSQM arcsec-2) are much brighter than clear
full moon nights (18-18.5 magSQM arcsec-2).
Title: Night sky photometry and spectroscopy performed at
the Vienna University Observatory
Authors: Puschnig, Johannes; Posch, Thomas;
Uttenthaler, Stefan
Affiliation: AA(Universität Wien, Institut für Astrophysik,
Türkenschanzstraße 17, A-1180 Wien, Austria),
AB(Universität Wien, Institut für Astrophysik,
Türkenschanzstraße 17, A-1180 Wien, Austria),
AC(Universität Wien, Institut für Astrophysik,
Türkenschanzstraße 17, A-1180 Wien, Austria)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 139, p. 64-75. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 05/2014
Origin: ELSEVIER
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2013.08.019
Bibliographic Code: 2014JQSRT.139...64P
Abstract
We present night sky brightness measurements performed at the Vienna
University Observatory and at the Leopold-Figl-Observatorium für
Astrophysik, which is located about 35 km to the southwest of Vienna.
The measurements have been performed with Sky Quality Meters made by
Unihedron. They cover a time span of roughly one year and have been
carried out every night, yielding a luminance value every 7 s and thus
delivering a large amount of data. In this paper, the level of skyglow
in Vienna, which ranges from 15 to 19.25 magSQM
arcsec-2 is presented for the very first time in a systematic
way. We discuss the influence of different environmental conditions on
the night sky brightness and implications for human vision. We show that
the circalunar rhythm of night sky brightness is almost extinguished at
our observatory due to light pollution.
Additionally, we present spectra of the night sky in Vienna, taken with
a 0.8 m telescope. The goal of these spectroscopic measurements was to
identify the main types of light sources and the spectral lines which
cause the skyglow in Vienna. It turned out that fluorescent lamps are
responsible for the strongest lines of the night sky above Vienna (e.g.
lines at 546 nm and at 611 nm).
Title: On the feasibility of inversion methods based on
models of urban sky glow
Authors: Kolláth, Z.; Kránicz, B.
Affiliation: AA(University of West Hungary, Savaria Campus,
Szombathely, Hungary), AB(University of Pannonia,
Veszprém, Hungary)
Publication: Journal of Quantitative Spectroscopy and Radiative
Transfer, Volume 139, p. 27-34. (JQSRT Homepage)
Publication Date: 05/2014
Origin: ELSEVIER
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2014 Elsevier Ltd
DOI: 10.1016/j.jqsrt.2014.01.008
Bibliographic Code: 2014JQSRT.139...27K
Abstract
Multi-wavelength imaging luminance photometry of sky glow provides a
huge amount of information on light pollution. However, the
understanding of the measured data involves the combination of different
processes and data of radiation transfer, atmospheric physics and
atmospheric constitution. State-of-the-art numerical radiation transfer
models provide the possibility to define an inverse problem to obtain
information on the emission intensity distribution of a city and perhaps
the physical properties of the atmosphere. We provide numerical tests on
the solvability and feasibility of such procedures.
Title: Analysis of Seven Years of Globe at Night Data
Authors: Birriel, J. J.; Walker, C. E.; Thornsberry, C. R.
Affiliation: AA(Morehead State University), AB(National Optical
Astronomical Observatory), AC(Morehead State
University); AB(National Optical Astronomical
Observatory)
Publication: The Journal of the American Association of Variable
Star Observers, vol. 42, no. 1, p. 219
Publication Date: 05/2014
Origin: AAVSO
Abstract Copyright: (c)2014: The American Association of Variable Star
Observers
Bibliographic Code: 2014JAVSO..42..219B
Abstract
The Globe at Night (GaN) project website contains seven years of
night-sky brightness data contributed by citizen scientists. We perform
a statistical analysis of naked-eye limiting magnitudes (NELMs) and find
that over the period from 2006 to 2012 global averages of NELMs have
remained essentially constant. Observations in which participants
reported both NELM and Unihedron Sky Quality Meter (SQM) measurements
are compared to a theoretical expression relating night sky surface
brightness and NELM: the overall agreement between observed and
predicted NELM values based on the reported SQM measurements supports
the reliability of GaN data.
Title: The Site of the ASTRI SST-2M Telescope Prototype:
Atmospheric Monitoring and Auxiliary Instrumentation
Authors: Leto, G.; Maccarone, M. C.; Bellassai, G.;
Bruno, P.; Fiorini, M.; Grillo, A.;
Martinetti, E.; La Rosa, G.; Segreto, A.;
Sottile, G.; Stringhetti, L.;
for the ASTRI Collaboration
Publication: eprint arXiv:1402.3515
Publication Date: 02/2014
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for
Astrophysics
Comment: 4 pages. Proceedings of the Atmospheric Monitoring
for High-Energy Astroparticle Detectors (AtmoHEAD)
Conference, Saclay (France), June 10-12, 2013
Bibliographic Code: 2014arXiv1402.3515L
Abstract
ASTRI is a Flagship Project led by the Italian National Institute of
Astrophysics, INAF. The main objective of the ASTRI project is to
develop a prototype of the Small Size class Telescope for the Cherenkov
Telescope Array (CTA) in a dual-mirror configuration (SST-2M). The ASTRI
SST-2M is an end-to-end prototype that will be fully developed by the
ASTRI Collaboration from the optics design and manufacturing to the
focal plane camera, from the structure of the mount to all the needed
software. The ASTRI SST-2M prototype will be placed at the INAF "M.G.
Fracastoro" observing station in Serra La Nave on the Etna Mountain near
Catania, Italy. The technological solutions adopted will be tested on
field: observations of the Crab Nebula and of other sources will be
essential part of the science verification phase, with the aim to assess
the achievement of the scientific requirements. In the following we
present the Serra La Nave site together with all the auxiliary
instruments needed for atmospheric monitoring and characterization,
calibration and science verification of the ASTRI SST-2M prototype.
Title: Light pollution versus meteor observation—an
imminent extinction?
Authors: Atanackov, Jure
Affiliation: AA(Astronomical Society Cygnus, Trebinjska 2,
SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
)
Publication: Proceedings of the International Meteor Conference,
Poznan, Poland, 22-25 August 2013. Eds.: Gyssens,
M.; Roggemans, P.; Zoladek, P. International Meteor
Organization, ISBN 978-2-87355-025-7, pp. 211-213
Publication Date: 01/2014
Origin: WGN
Bibliographic Code: 2014pim3.conf..211A
Abstract
There has been an enormous increase in light pollution over the past two
decades. In few fields in astronomy do observers feel the impact of
light pollution as much as in visual meteor observations. Based on
experience with young people starting out in meteor astronomy, I feel
there is a strong connection between the quality of the night sky and
the probability that a person will retain interest in visual meteor
observations and possibly later advance to other techniques. With
increasing light pollution, fewer people become interested in meteor
observations. Meteor observers are also in the unique position to
provide hard data for long term light pollution trend research. I
discuss some possibilities on how to obtain such data that may
ultimately help preserve or improve night sky quality and with it meteor
astronomy.
Title: Characterizing and Quantifying Time Dependent Night
Sky Brightness In and Around Tucson, Arizona
Authors: Nydegger, Rachel
Affiliation: AA(Utah State University; National Optical Astronomy
Observatory)
Publication: American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #223,
id.258.02
Publication Date: 01/2014
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2014: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2014AAS...22325802N
Abstract
As part of a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program with
the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), I (with mentor Dr.
Constance Walker of NOAO) characterized light pollution in and near
Tucson, Arizona using eight Sky Quality Meters (SQMs). In order to
analyze the data in a consistent way for comparison, we created a
standard procedure for reduction and analysis using python and MATLAB.
The series of python scripts remove faulty data and examine specifically
anthropogenic light pollution by excluding contributions made by the
sun, moon, and the Milky Way. We then use MATLAB codes to illustrate how
the light pollution changes in relation to time, distance from the city,
and airglow. Data are then analyzed by a recently developed sky
brightness model created by Dan Duriscoe of the National Park Service.
To quantify the measurements taken by SQMs, we tested the wavelength
sensitivity of the devices used for the data collection. The findings
from the laboratory testing have prompted innovations for the SQMs as
well as given a sense of how data gathered by these devices should be
treated.
Title: Moon night sky brightness simulation for the
Xinglong station
Authors: Yao, Song; Zhang, Hao-Tong; Yuan, Hai-Long;
Zhao, Yong-Heng; Dong, Yi-Qiao; Bai, Zhong-Rui;
Deng, Li-Cai; Lei, Ya-Juan
Affiliation: AA(Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National
Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100012, China ; Graduate
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
100049, China), AB(Key Laboratory of Optical
Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012, China),
AC(Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National
Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100012, China), AD(Key Laboratory
of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical
Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
100012, China), AE(Key Laboratory of Optical
Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012, China),
AF(Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National
Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100012, China), AG(Key Laboratory
of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical
Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing
100012, China), AH(Key Laboratory of Optical
Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012, China)
Publication: Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 13,
Issue 10, article id. 1255-1268 (2013).
Publication Date: 10/2013
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1674-4527/13/10/013
Bibliographic Code: 2013RAA....13.1255Y
Abstract
Using a sky brightness monitor at the Xinglong station of National
Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, we collected
data from 22 dark clear nights and 90 moon nights. We first measured the
sky brightness variation with time for dark nights and found a clear
correlation between sky brightness and human activity. Then with a
modified sky brightness model of moon nights and data from these nights,
we derived the typical value for several important parameters in the
model. With these results, we calculated the sky brightness distribution
under a given moon condition for the Xinglong station. Furthermore, we
simulated the sky brightness distribution of a moon night for a
telescope with a 5° field of view (such as LAMOST). These
simulations will be helpful for determining the limiting magnitude and
exposure time, as well as planning the survey for LAMOST during moon
nights.
Title: A new astronomical method for determining the
brightness of the night sky and its application to
study long-term changes in the level of light
pollution
Authors: Ściężor, T.
Affiliation: AA()
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 435, Issue 1, p.303-310 (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2013
Origin: OUP
Astronomy Keywords: light pollution, methods: data analysis, methods:
observational, site testing, comets: general
Abstract Copyright: 2013 The Author Published by Oxford University Press
on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stt1297
Bibliographic Code: 2013MNRAS.435..303S
Abstract
In this paper, I present a new method that has been developed for
determining the brightness of a cloudless night sky, on the basis of
widely available amateur observations of comets. The tests show the
correctness of the method, which makes it possible to determine the
level of light pollution, defined as the brightness of the artificial
sky glow, through the use of the archival observations of comets. The
use of data bases of comet observations in Poland in the period
1994-2009 has led to a positive verification of the known model map of
the brightness of the night sky. Also, it has been possible to find
changes in the level of light pollution in this period, at the selected
observation sites.
Title: Man Versus Machine: Eye Estimates in the Age of
Digital Imaging
Authors: Osborn, Wayne
Publication: eprint arXiv:1310.0540
Publication Date: 10/2013
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for
Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar
Astrophysics
Comment: Presented at the "40 Years of Variable Stars: A
Celebration of Contributions by Horace A. Smith"
conference (arXiv:1310.0149). 11 pages, 8 figures
Bibliographic Code: 2013arXiv1310.0540O
Abstract
Astronomical observing has been greatly simplified by the development
and implementation of digital imaging techniques and remote observing.
Aperture photometry of CCD data permits photometric measurements to be
made routinely with uncertainties of a few hundredths of a magnitude or
better. The question of whether there is still a place in modern
observational astronomy for simple eye estimates of brightness is
considered. Examples of recent uses of eye estimates are presented.
Suggestions for when eye estimates should be avoided and when they are
still worthwhile are offered. The reactions to these suggestions by the
conference audience are summarized.
Title: The Site of the ASTRI SST-2M Telescope Prototype
Authors: Maccarone, Maria Concetta; Leto, Giuseppe;
Bruno, Pietro; Fiorini, Mauro;
Grillo, Alessandro; Segreto, Alberto;
Stringhetti, Luca; for The ASTRI Collaboration
Publication: eprint arXiv:1307.5139
Publication Date: 07/2013
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for
Astrophysics, Astrophysics - High Energy
Astrophysical Phenomena, Physics - Instrumentation
and Detectors
Comment: In Proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray
Conference (ICRC2013), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). All
ASTRI contributions at arXiv:1307.4639
Bibliographic Code: 2013arXiv1307.5139M
Abstract
ASTRI is a Flagship Project financed by the Italian Ministry of
Education, University and Research, and led by the Italian National
Institute of Astrophysics, INAF. Primary goal of the ASTRI project is
the design and production of an end-to-end prototype of Small Size
Telescope for the CTA (Cherenkov Telescope Array) in a dual-mirror
configuration (SST-2M) equipped with a camera at the focal plane
composed by an array of Silicon Photo-Multipliers and devoted to the
investigation of the highest gamma-ray energy band. The ASTRI SST-2M
prototype will be placed at the INAF M.G. Fracastoro observing station
in Serra La Nave on the Etna Mountain near Catania, Italy. After the
verification tests, devoted to probe the technological solutions
adopted, the ASTRI SST-2M prototype will perform scientific observations
on the Crab Nebula and on some of the brightest TeV sources. Here we
present the Serra La Nave site, its meteorological and weather
conditions, the sky darkness and visibility, and the complex of
auxiliary instrumentation that will be used on site to support the
calibration and science verification phase as well as the regular data
reconstruction and analysis of the ASTRI SST-2M prototype.
Title: Characterization of the candidate site for the
Cherenkov Telescope Array at the Observatorio del
Teide
Authors: Puerto-Giménez, Irene; Gaug, Markus;
Barrena, Rafael; Castro, Julio; Doro, Michele;
Font, Lluís; Nievas Rosillo, Miguel;
Zamorano, Jaime; CTA Consortium, for the
Publication: eprint arXiv:1307.4989
Publication Date: 07/2013
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for
Astrophysics
Comment: In Proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray
Conference (ICRC2013), ID0609, Rio de Janeiro
(Brazil). All CTA contributions at arXiv:1307.2232
Bibliographic Code: 2013arXiv1307.4989P
Abstract
The Spanish partners of the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) have
selected a candidate site for the Northern installation of CTA, at 3 km
from the Observatorio del Teide (OT), in the Canary Island of Tenerife.
As the OT is a very well-characterized astronomical site. We focus here
on differences between the publicly accessible measurements from the OT
observatory and those obtained with instruments deployed at the
candidate site. We find that the winds are generally softer at the
candidate site, and the level of background light comparable to the
Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (ORM) at La Palma in the B-band,
while it is only slightly higher in the V-band.
Title: Night Sky Background Analysis for the Cherenkov
Telescope Array using the Atmoscope instrument
Authors: Gaug, Markus; CTA Consortium, for the
Publication: eprint arXiv:1307.3053
Publication Date: 07/2013
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for
Astrophysics
Comment: In Proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray
Conference (ICRC2013), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil),
ID0658. All CTA contributions at arXiv:1307.2232
Bibliographic Code: 2013arXiv1307.3053G
Abstract
The site selection group for the future Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA)
has deployed sensitive light sensors at 9 candidate sites, 5 of them in
the Southern and 4 in the Northern hemisphere. The sensors are equipped
with a PIN diode and a calibrated V-filter, and a blue/UV filter
matching the spectral response of the photomultipliers to be employed in
the CTA cameras. All sensor installations, denominated "Atmoscopes",
have been cross-calibrated before deployment, and their sensitivity is
monitored every two to five months. We show that a thoroughly developed
model of the integral contribution of starlight to the overall light
measure serves as an additional cross-calibration for each device during
each night, reducing the systematic uncertainty of this measurement to
less than 15%. The starlight can then be subtracted from the
measurements, and the residuals compared among the different sites. We
show that in most cases a decomposition into the contributions from
zodiacal light, airglow and anthropogenic light pollution is possible.
Title: The night sky brightness at Potsdam-Babelsberg
Authors: Puschnig, Johannes; Schwope, Axel;
Posch, Thomas; Schwarz, Robert
Publication: eprint arXiv:1307.2038
Publication Date: 07/2013
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for
Astrophysics
Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures
Bibliographic Code: 2013arXiv1307.2038P
Abstract
We analyze the results of a 2 years (2011--2012) time series of night
sky photometry performed at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics in
Potsdam (AIP). This observatory is located on top of a hill
("Babelsberg"), 22\,km to the southwest of the center of Berlin. The
measurements have been performed with a Unihedron Sky Quality Meter. We
find night sky brightness values ranging from 16.5 to 20.3 mag$_{\rm
SQM}$ arcsec$^{-2}$; the latter (best) value corresponds to 4.7 times
the natural zenithal night sky brightness. We discuss the influence of
clouds, of the Moon and other factors on the night sky brightness. With
respect to the influence of the Moon, it turns out that
Potsdam-Babelsberg, despite its proximity to Berlin, still shows a
circalunar periodicity of the night sky brightness, although it is much
weaker than naturally. The light-pollution-enhancing effect of clouds
dominates the night sky brightness by far. Overcast nights with light
pollution (up to 16.5 mag$_{\rm SQM}$ arcsec$^{-2}$) are brighter than
clear full moon nights ($\approx$ 18.5 mag$_{\rm SQM}$ arcsec$^{-2}$) in
roughly the same proportion as the latter compared to clear nights with
light pollution (20.3 mag$_{\rm SQM}$ arcsec$^{-2}$).
Title: NIXNOX project: Enjoy the dark skies of Spain
Authors: Zamorano, J.; Sánchez de Miguel, A.;
Alfaro, E.; Martínez-Delgado, D.; Ocaña, F.;
Nievas, M.; Gómez Castaño, J.
Affiliation: AA(Departamento de Astrofísica y CC. de la
Atmosfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM),
Spain) AB(Departamento de Astrofísica y CC. de la
Atmosfera, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) ,
Spain) AC(Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía
(IAA-CSIC), Granada, Spain) AD(Max Plank Institut fu
̈r Astronomie, Heidelberg, Germany) AF(Departamento
de Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmosfera, Universidad
Complutense de Madrid (UCM) , Spain) AG(Departamento
de Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmosfera, Universidad
Complutense de Madrid (UCM) , Spain) AH(Departamento
de Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmosfera, Universidad
Complutense de Madrid (UCM) , Spain)
Publication: Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics VII, Proceedings
of the X Scientific Meeting of the Spanish
Astronomical Society (SEA), held in Valencia, July 9
- 13, 2012, Eds.: J.C. Guirado, L.M. Lara, V.
Quilis, and J. Gorgas., pp.962-970
Publication Date: 05/2013
Origin: AUTHOR
Bibliographic Code: 2013hsa7.conf..962Z
Abstract
The NIXNOX project, sponsored by the Spanish Astronomical Society, is a
Pro-Am collabo- ration with the aim of finding sites with dark skies.
All sky data of the night sky brightness is being obtained by amateur
astronomers with Sky Quality Meter (SQM) photometers. We are not looking
for remote locations because the places should be easily accessible by
people with children. Our goal is to motivate citizens to observe the
night sky. NIXNOX will provide information to answer the question: where
can I go to observe the stars with my family?
Title: Characterizing Sky Brightness Throughout the Night
in and around Tucson Arizona
Authors: Jensen, Linsey J.; Walker, C. E.
Affiliation: AA(National Optical Astronomy Observatory; Utah
State University), AB(National Optical Astronomy
Observatory)
Publication: American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #221,
id.156.04
Publication Date: 01/2013
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2013: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2013AAS...22115604J
Abstract
Five data-logging Sky Quality Meters were situated in and around Tucson
Arizona while another three were placed on nearby mountaintops for about
six weeks. The data from these instruments were used to understand how
the sky brightness changes throughout the night in different locations
around Tucson. As expected, the sky brightness of the mountains was
dominated by natural light while the sky brightness of the city was
dominated by artificial light. Unexpected results were that the sky got
brighter during the course of the night on the mountains. This puzzle
was solved using All-Sky Camera data. The night sky brightness was
measured at one site with two separate instruments: a Sky Quality Meter
and a Night Sky Brightness Monitor. The trend of changing brightness was
in agreement with each other, but there was an unexpected offset between
the values. Jensen was supported by the NOAO/KPNO Research Experiences
for Undergraduates (REU) Program which is funded by the National Science
Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program and the
Department of Defense ASSURE program through Scientific Program Order
No. 13 (AST-0754223) of the Cooperative Agreement No. AST-0132798
between the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy
(AURA)and the NSF.
Title: The propagation of light pollution in the atmosphere
Authors: Cinzano, P.; Falchi, F.
Affiliation: AA(Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologia
dell'Inquinamento Luminoso (ISTIL), Via Roma 13
I-36016 Thiene, Italy), AB(Istituto di Scienza e
Tecnologia dell'Inquinamento Luminoso (ISTIL), Via
Roma 13 I-36016 Thiene, Italy; CieloBuio,
Coordinamento per la Protezione del Cielo Notturno,
Osservatorio Astronomico 'G. V. Schiaparelli', Via
A. Del Sarto 3 21100 Varese, Italy)
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 427, Issue 4, pp. 3337-3357. (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 12/2012
Origin: WILEY
Astronomy Keywords: radiative transfer, scattering, atmospheric effects,
light pollution, site testing
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21884.x
Bibliographic Code: 2012MNRAS.427.3337C
Abstract
Recent methods to map artificial night-sky brightness and stellar
visibility across large territories or their distribution over the
entire sky at any site are based on computation of the propagation of
light pollution with Garstang models, a simplified solution of the
radiative transfer problem in the atmosphere that allows fast
computation by reducing it to a ray-tracing approach. They are accurate
for a clear atmosphere, when a two-scattering approximation is
acceptable, which is the most common situation. We present here
up-to-date extended Garstang models (EGM), which provide a more general
numerical solution for the radiative transfer problem applied to the
propagation of light pollution in the atmosphere. We also present the
LPTRAN software package, an application of EGM to high-resolution
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan
System (OLS) satellite measurements of artificial light emission and to
GTOPO30 (Global 30 Arcsecond) digital elevation data, which provides an
up-to-date method to predict the artificial brightness distribution of
the night sky at any site in the world at any visible wavelength for a
broad range of atmospheric situations and the artificial radiation
density in the atmosphere across the territory. EGM account for (i)
multiple scattering, (ii) wavelengths from 250 nm to infrared, (iii) the
Earth's curvature and its screening effects, (iv) site and source
elevation, (v) many kinds of atmosphere with the possibility of custom
set-up (e.g. including thermal inversion layers), (vi) a mix of
different boundary-layer aerosols and tropospheric aerosols, with the
possibility of custom set-up, (vii) up to five aerosol layers in the
upper atmosphere, including fresh and aged volcanic dust and meteoric
dust, (viii) variations of the scattering phase function with elevation,
(ix) continuum and line gas absorption from many species, ozone
included, (x) up to five cloud layers, (xi) wavelength-dependent
bidirectional reflectance of the ground surface from National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Moderate-Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data, main models or custom data
(snow included) and (xii) geographically variable upward light-emission
function given as a three-parameter function or a Legendre polynomial
series. Atmospheric scattering properties or light-pollution propagation
functions from other sources can also be applied. A more general
solution allows us to account also for (xiii) mountain screening, (xiv)
geographical gradients of atmospheric conditions, including localized
clouds and (xv) geographic distribution of ground surfaces, but suffers
from too heavy computational requirements. Comparisons between
predictions of classic Garstang models and EGM show close agreement for
a US62 standard clear atmosphere and typical upward emission function.
Title: Measuring and Characterizing Sky Brightness over the
Nighttime in Tucson and Surrounding Observatory
Mountaintops
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Jensen, L.; Pompea, S. M.
Affiliation: AA(Natl Optical Astronomy Observ, Tucson, AZ, USA;
), AB(Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA; ), AC(Natl Optical Astronomy Observ, Tucson, AZ, USA; )
Publication: American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2012,
abstract #ED43A-0723
Publication Date: 12/2012
Origin: AGU
Keywords: 0800 EDUCATION
Bibliographic Code: 2012AGUFMED43A0723W
Abstract
Research interns are using 6 Sky Quality Meters (SQM) around Tucson and
4 more on nearby observatory mountaintops to measure the night sky
brightness and characterize its behavior over the entire night over the
summer and during the academic school year. The "SQM" devices are
inexpensive, yet reliable, computer-free devices, automatically log
data, and have housing to protect them from weather. The students
download the data onto a computer every few weeks. Two devices are at a
central location on the roof of the National Optical Astronomy
Observatory (NOAO) and the others are 9 miles N, E, S and W. Four more
devices are on observatory mountaintops, namely Mount Lemmon, Mount
Hopkins and 2 on Kitt Peak. For the pair of devices at NOAO and on Kitt
Peak, one is in the housing unit and the other is exposed to the night
sky to track the lossiness of the glass in the housing unit. The SQM is
next to the sophisticated and more expensive "Night Sky Brightness
Monitor" (NSBM) on Mount Lemmon, Mount Hopkins and, in the future, Kitt
Peak. The student interns compare the SQM to the NSBM data on the
mountaintops, weather data (temperature and humidity), internal
temperature of the SQM, the all-sky camera that is up on Kitt Peak and
the SQM results from Tucson. Weather stations already exist very close
to all of the locations (usually within a mile or a few feet). We
discuss the students' analysis of the data and conclusions as well as
the challenges and successes of the program and its plans for expansion.
Title: The development of an innovative
ecophotonics/illumination engineering education
program for grades 6-12
Authors: Walker, Constance E.; Pompea, Stephen M.;
Sparks, Robert T.
Affiliation: AA(National Optical Astronomy Observatory (United
States)), AB(National Optical Astronomy Observatory
(United States)), AC(National Optical Astronomy
Observatory (United States))
Publication: Optics Education and Outreach II. Proceedings of the
SPIE, Volume 8481, article id. 84810E, 11 pp.
(2012). (SPIE Homepage)
Publication Date: 10/2012
Origin: SPIE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2012: SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is
permitted for personal use only.
Comment: ISBN: 9780819491985
DOI: 10.1117/12.930273
Bibliographic Code: 2012SPIE.8481E..0EW
Abstract
Not Available
Title: Characterizing near-infrared sky brightness in the
Canadian high arctic
Authors: Sivanandam, Suresh; Graham, James R.;
Abraham, Roberto; Tekatch, Anthony;
Steinbring, Eric; Ngan, Wayne; Welch, Doug L.;
Law, Nicholas M.
Affiliation: AA(Univ. of Toronto (Canada)), AB(Univ. of Toronto
(Canada)), AC(Univ. of Toronto (Canada)),
AD(Unihedron Inc. (Canada)), AE(National Research
Council Canada (Canada)), AF(Univ. of Toronto
(Canada)), AG(McMaster Univ. (Canada)), AH(Univ. of
Toronto (Canada))
Publication: Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for
Astronomy IV. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 8446,
article id. 844643, 12 pp. (2012). (SPIE Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2012
Origin: SPIE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2012: SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is
permitted for personal use only.
Comment: ISBN: 9780819491473
DOI: 10.1117/12.926251
Bibliographic Code: 2012SPIE.8446E..43S
Abstract
We present the first measurements of the near-infrared (NIR),
specifically the J-band, sky background in the Canadian High Arctic.
There has been considerable recent interest in the development of an
astronomical observatory in Ellesmere Island; initial site testing has
shown promise for a world-class site. Encouragement for our study came
from sky background measurements on the high Antarctic glacial plateau
in winter that showed markedly lower NIR emission when compared to good
mid-latitude astronomical sites due to reduced emission from the Meinel
bands, i.e. hydroxyl radical (OH) airglow lines. This is possibly a
Polar effect and may also be present in the High Arctic. To test this
hypothesis, we carried out an experiment which measured the the J-band
sky brightness in the High Arctic during winter. We constructed a
zenith-pointing, J-band photometer, and installed it at the Polar
Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) near Eureka, Nunavut
(latitude: 80° N). We present the design of our ruggedized
photometer and our results from our short PEARL observing campaign in
February 2012. Taken over a period of four days, our measurements
indicate that the J-band sky brightness varies between 15.5-15.9 mag
arcsec2 with a measurement uncertainty of 0.15 mag. The
uncertainty is entirely dominated by systematic errors present in our
radiometric calibration. On our best night, we measured a fairly
consistent sky brightness of 15.8 +/- 0.15 mag arcsec2. This
is not corrected for atmospheric extinction, which is typically < 0.1
mag in the J-band on a good night. The measured sky brightness is
comparable to an excellent mid-latitude site, but is not as dark as
claimed by the Antarctic measurements. We discuss possible explanations
of why we do not see as dark skies as in the Antarctic. Future
winter-long sky brightness measurements are anticipated to obtain the
necessary statistics to make a proper comparison with the Antarctic
measurements.
Title: Red is the new black: how the colour of urban
skyglow varies with cloud cover
Authors: Kyba, C. C. M.; Ruhtz, T.; Fischer, J.; Hölker, F.
Affiliation: AA(Institute for Space Sciences, Freie Universität
Berlin, Carl-Heinrich-Becker-Weg 6-10 D-12165
Berlin, Germany; Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater
Ecology and Inland Fisheries, D-12587 Berlin,
Germany), AB(Institute for Space Sciences, Freie
Universität Berlin, Carl-Heinrich-Becker-Weg 6-10
D-12165 Berlin, Germany), AC(Institute for Space
Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin,
Carl-Heinrich-Becker-Weg 6-10 D-12165 Berlin,
Germany), AD(Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology
and Inland Fisheries, D-12587 Berlin, Germany)
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 425, Issue 1, pp. 701-708. (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 09/2012
Origin: WILEY
Keywords: radiative transfer, atmospheric effects,
instrumentation: detectors, light pollution
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21559.x
Bibliographic Code: 2012MNRAS.425..701K
Abstract
The development of street lamps based on solid-state lighting technology
is likely to introduce a major change in the colour of urban skyglow
(one form of light pollution). We demonstrate the need for long-term
monitoring of this trend by reviewing the influences it is likely to
have on disparate fields. We describe a prototype detector which is able
to monitor these changes, and could be produced at a cost low enough to
allow extremely widespread use. Using the detector, we observed the
differences in skyglow radiance in red, green and blue channels. We find
that clouds increase the radiance of red light by a factor of 17.6,
which is much larger than that for blue (7.1). We also find that the
gradual decrease in sky radiance observed on clear nights in Berlin
appears to be most pronounced at longer wavelengths.
Title: Morning twilight measured at Bandung and Jombang
Authors: Arumaningtyas, Eka Puspita; Raharto, Moedji;
Herdiwijaya, Dhani
Affiliation: AA(Astronomy magister program, Indonesia),
AB(Astronomy magister program, IndonesiaResearch
division, Astronomy Department Faculty Mathematics
and Natural Science Institute Technology of Bandung
Jl. Ganesha no. 10 Bandung West Java, Indonesia),
AC(Astronomy magister program, IndonesiaResearch
division, Astronomy Department Faculty Mathematics
and Natural Science Institute Technology of Bandung
Jl. Ganesha no. 10 Bandung West Java, Indonesia)
Publication: International Conference on Physics and its
Applications: (ICPAP 2011). AIP Conference
Proceedings, Volume 1454. AIP Conference
Proceedings, Volume 1454, Issue 1, p.29-31 (AIPC
Homepage)
Publication Date: 06/2012
Origin: AIP
Keywords: atmospheric optics, atmospheric techniques, sky
brightness
Abstract Copyright: 2012: American Institute of Physics
DOI: 10.1063/1.4730680
Bibliographic Code: 2012AIPC.1454...29A
Abstract
Twilight divided into three categories namely, astronomical twilight,
nautical twilight, and civil twilight. The three types of twilight can
occur either in the evening or early morning. According to the U.S.
Naval Observatory the three types distinguished by the depression
(altitude of the sun below the horizon) for the evening or the morning
twilight, -180, -120, and -60. Sky brightness measurements usually
intended to determine the quality of the sky at some observation site or
to determine the quality of the atmosphere by light pollution. Sky
brightness data could be use for practical purposes such as to determine
prayer times (Morning Prayer). This study describes the measurement of
sky brightness using a light meter Sky Quality Meter. The measurements
indicate the presence of different values and patterns in the twilight
sky brightness. This variability highly determined by the weather
conditions. Sky brightness shows a constant value shortly after the
evening astronomical twilight and before morning astronomical twilight.
Before the evening astronomical twilight and after morning astronomical
twilight sky brightness showing continue changing.
Title: Measuring and mapping the night sky brightness of
Perth, Western Australia
Authors: Biggs, James D.; Fouché, Tiffany; Bilki, Frank;
Zadnik, Marjan G.
Affiliation: AA(Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy, Department
of Imaging and Applied Physics, Curtin University,
Bentley 6102, WA, Australia; Perth Observatory, 337
Walnut Road, Bickley 6076, WA, Australia),
AB(Department of Imaging and Applied Physics, Curtin
University, Bentley 6102, WA, Australia),
AC(Micromine, Nedlands 6009, WA, Australia),
AD(Department of Imaging and Applied Physics, Curtin
University, Bentley 6102, WA, Australia)
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 421, Issue 2, pp. 1450-1464. (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 04/2012
Origin: WILEY
Astronomy Keywords: scattering, atmospheric effects, light pollution,
techniques: photometric
Abstract Copyright: © 2012 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society © 2012 RAS
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.20416.x
Bibliographic Code: 2012MNRAS.421.1450B
Abstract
In order to study the light pollution produced in the city of Perth,
Western Australia, we have used a hand-held sky brightness meter to
measure the night sky brightness across the city. The data acquired
facilitated the creation of a contour map of night sky brightness across
the 2400 km2 area of the city - the first such map to be
produced for a city. Importantly, this map was created using a
methodology borrowed from the field of geophysics - the well proven and
rigorous techniques of geostatistical analysis and modelling.
A major finding of this study is the effect of land use on night sky
brightness. By overlaying the night sky brightness map on to a suitably
processed Landsat satellite image of Perth we found that locations near
commercial and/or light industrial areas have a brighter night sky,
whereas locations used for agriculture or having high vegetation
coverage have a fainter night sky than surrounding areas. Urban areas
have intermediate amounts of vegetation and are intermediate in
brightness compared with the above-mentioned land uses. Regions with a
higher density of major highways also appear to contribute to increased
night sky brightness.
When corrected for the effects of direct illumination from high
buildings, we found that the night sky brightness in the central
business district (CBD) is very close to that expected for a city of
Perth's population from modelling work and observations obtained in
earlier studies. Given that our night sky brightness measurements in
Perth over 2009 and 2010 are commensurate with that measured in Canadian
cities over 30 years earlier implies that the various lighting systems
employed in Perth (and probably most other cities) have not been
optimised to minimize light pollution over that time.
We also found that night sky brightness diminished with distance with an
exponent of approximately -0.25 ± 0.02 from 3.5 to 10 km from the
Perth CBD, a region characterized by urban and commercial land use. For
distances from 10 out to about 40 km from the CBD the radial variation
of night sky brightness steepens to have an exponent value of
approximately -1.8 ± 0.2. This steepening is associated with land
use because vegetation cover increases with further distance from the
CBD.
Title: A method for conducting dark sky surveys and light
pollution monitoring with the contribution of
amateur astronomers and students
Authors: Papalambrou, A.
Affiliation: AA(University of Patras / Orion)
Publication: 10th Hellenic Astronomical Conference, Proceedings
of the conference held at Ioannina, Greece, 5-8
September 2011. Edited by Iossif Papadakis and
Anastasios Anastasiadis., pp.31-32
Publication Date: 01/2012
Origin: AUTHOR
Abstract Copyright: Hellenic Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2012hell.conf...31P
Abstract
This work presents a methodology for conducting dark sky surveys using
easily available and inexpensive equipment in place of sophisticated
instruments for photometry and spectrometry which can be expensive and
not always mobile. The instrument is a portable photometer called Sky
Quality Meter. It is endorsed by the International Dark sky Association
and has been used in similar surveys around the world. Small scale dark
sky surveys were conducted by the author in the region of Achaia and
mount Hymettus in Attica using the Sky Quality Meter in order to test
its efficiency and usability. It was concluded that this instrument is
suitable for dark sky surveys and accurate enough for serious work in
light pollution monitoring. Moreover, based on the measured data and
gathered experience, a model is proposed on how this instrument can be
used to conduct a country-wide dark sky survey with the participation of
Tertiary and Secondary education institutes as well as amateur
astronomers.
Title: Light Pollution Around Tucson, AZ And Its Effect On
The Spatial Distribution Of Lesser Long-nosed Bats
Authors: Fersch, Alisa; Walker, C.
Affiliation: AA(National Optical Astronomy Observatory),
AB(National Optical Astronomy Observatory)
Publication: American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #219,
id.141.04
Publication Date: 01/2012
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2012: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2012AAS...21914104F
Abstract
Light pollution is a well-known problem for astronomers. It is also
gaining attention as an ecological issue. The federally endangered
Lesser Long-Nosed Bat (Leptonycteris cursoae) resides for part of the
year near Tucson, Arizona. It is possible that this species tends to
avoid light. Excess artificial light would therefore interfere with the
bats’ flight patterns and foraging habits. In order to test this
hypothesis, we quantified night sky brightness with data from the
citizen-science campaign GLOBE at Night. Using direct measurements taken
with a Sky Quality Meter (SQM), we created a contour map of the
artificial night sky brightness around Tucson. When this map is compared
to the approximate flight paths of the lesser long-nosed bat, we can see
that the bats do appear to be avoiding the brightest area of Tucson. We
also used logistic regression to analyze what combination of ecological
variables (ecoregion, vegetation cover, landform and light) best
describes the observed spatial distribution of lesser long-nosed bats.
Of the models that were tested, light alone was not a good predictor of
the bat presence or absence. However, light in addition to vegetation
and ecoregion was the best model. This information can be useful for
making decisions about lighting codes in areas of the city that the bats
tend to traverse. The contour map of light pollution in Tucson will be
useful for both future astronomy and ecology studies and can also be
used for public outreach about light pollution.
Fersch was supported by the NOAO/KPNO Research Experiences for
Undergraduates (REU) Program which is funded by the National Science
Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program and the
Department of Defense ASSURE program through Scientific Program Order
No. 13 (AST-0754223) of the Cooperative Agreement No. AST-0132798
between the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
and the NSF.
Title: Proto-Typing Research Aimed for Secondary School
Students and Teachers
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Fersch, A.; Barringer, D.;
Pompea, S. M.
Affiliation: AA(Natl Optical Astronomy Observ, Tucson, AZ, USA;
), AB(Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA; ), AC(Union College, Schenectady, NY, USA; ), AD(Natl Optical Astronomy Observ, Tucson, AZ, USA; )
Publication: American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011,
abstract #ED53C-0798
Publication Date: 12/2011
Origin: AGU
Keywords: 0426 BIOGEOSCIENCES / Biosphere/atmosphere
interactions, 0805 EDUCATION / Elementary and
secondary education, 0810 EDUCATION / Post-secondary
education, 0830 EDUCATION / Teacher training
Bibliographic Code: 2011AGUFMED53C0798W
Abstract
In workshops on GLOBE at Night, teacher professional development has
begun on using night sky brightness data and bat telemetry data to do
scientific research in the classroom. The study looks at the effects of
light pollution on the flight paths of threatened and endangered
(T&E) bats between their day roosts and night foraging areas. A
jump-start in getting secondary school students involved was the
BioBlitz event in Tucson, Arizona in October 2011. During the 24-hour
event, night Sky Quality Meter (SQM) data was taken across the Saguaro
National Park West, through Tucson and across the Saguaro National Park
East. The program had its beginning with a pair of Research Experiences
for Undergraduates (REU) students and their advisor. Through the
collaboration of the National Science Foundation's REU program, the
National Optical Astronomy Observatory's GLOBE at Night program and the
U.S. Arizona Game and Fish Department (AzGFD), two REU students along
with their advisor used data from the GLOBE at Night project and
telemetry tracking data of lesser long-nosed bats to study the effects
of light pollution on the flight paths of the bats between their day
roosts and night foraging areas around the city of Tucson, AZ. During
the summer of 2010, the first REU student used the visual limiting
magnitude data from GLOBE at Night and, with the assistance of the
AzGFD, ran compositional analyses with respect to the bats' flight paths
to determine whether the bats were selecting for or against flight
through regions of particular night sky brightness levels. The bats
selected for the regions in which the limiting sky magnitudes fell
between the ranges of 2.8-3.0 to 3.6-3.8 and 4.4-4.6 to 5.0-5.2,
suggesting that the lesser long-nosed bat can tolerate a fair degree of
urbanization. Three areas of systematic uncertainty were identified of
which 2 could be addressed the following summer. Due to a relatively
large uncertainty in each individually measured visual limiting
magnitude, Sky Quality Meter (SQM) measurements were subsequently used
as a more objective source of data. In addition, the area over which the
data was taken was expanded to redress spurious edge effects in making
contour maps. During the summer of 2011, the second REU student took
more SQM data and, with the SQM database from GLOBE at Night and the
assistance of the AzGFD, performed a logistic regression analysis with
respect to the bats' flight paths to determine whether the bats
preferred or avoided flight through regions of particular night sky
brightness levels. During the presentation, we will provide more on the
analysis and conclusions of the research, as well as the extension of
the program to secondary students and teachers. Should the conclusion be
that the bats are preferentially staying in darker areas, a next step
for students and teachers would include helping to maintain a dark
corridor where the T&E lesser long nosed bats travel between roosts
and foraging areas. Should this prototype project succeed, it will be
used as a template for other REU and secondary school research projects
on endangered animals across the U.S. affected by light pollution.
Teacher professional development will play a big role in the program's
future success.
Title: GLOBE at Night: a Worldwide Citizen-Science Program
to Increase Awareness of Light Pollution by
Measuring Night Sky Brightness
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Pompea, S. M.
Affiliation: AA(Natl Optical Astronomy Observ, Tucson, AZ, USA;
), AB(Natl Optical Astronomy Observ, Tucson, AZ, USA; )
Publication: American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011,
abstract #ED41D-07
Publication Date: 12/2011
Origin: AGU
Keywords: 0800 EDUCATION, 0805 EDUCATION / Elementary and
secondary education, 0815 EDUCATION / Informal
education, 0830 EDUCATION / Teacher training
Bibliographic Code: 2011AGUFMED41D..07W
Abstract
The emphasis in the international citizen-science, star-hunting
campaign, GLOBE at Night, is in bringing awareness to the public on
issues of light pollution. Light pollution threatens not only
observatory sites and our "right to starlight", but can affect energy
consumption, wildlife and health. GLOBE at Night has successfully
reached a few 100,000 citizen-scientists. What has contributed to its
success? Foundational resources are available to facilitate the public's
participation in promoting dark skies awareness. The GLOBE at Night
website explains clearly the simple-to-participate-in 5 step program and
offers background information and interactive games on key concepts. To
promote the campaign via popular social media, GLOBE at Night created
Facebook and Twitter pages. The program has been expanded to include
trainings of the general public, but especially educators in schools,
museums and science centers, in unique ways. Education kits for dark
skies awareness have been distributed at the training workshops. The kit
includes material for a light shielding demonstration, a digital Sky
Quality Meter and "Dark Skies Rangers" activities. The activities are on
how unshielded light wastes energy, how light pollution affects wildlife
and how one can participate in a citizen-science star-hunt like GLOBE at
Night. To increase participation in the 2011 campaign, children and
adults submitted their sky brightness measurements in real time with
smart phones or tablets using the web application at
www.globeatnight.org/webapp/. With smart phones and tablets, the
location, date and time register automatically. For those without smart
mobile devices, user-friendly tools on the GLOBE at Night report page
were reconfigured to determine latitude and longitude more easily and
accurately. As a proto-type for taking multiple measurements, people in
Tucson found it easy to adopt a street and take measurements every mile
for the length of the street. The grid of measurements canvassed the
town, allowing for comparisons of light levels over time (hours, days,
years) or searching for dark sky oases or light polluted areas. The
increase to 2 campaigns in 2011 re-enforces these studies. The intent is
to offer the program year-round for seasonal studies. The data can also
be used to compare with datasets on wildlife, health, and energy
consumption. Recently, NOAO and the Arizona Game and Fish Department
have started a project with GLOBE at Night data and bat telemetry to
examine a dark skies corridor in Tucson where the endangered bats fly.
In addition, a 2nd new Web application (www.globeatnight.org/mapapp/)
allows for mapping GLOBE at Night data points within a specified
distance around a city or an area of choice. The resulting maps are
bookmarkable and shareable. The presentation will highlight the
education and outreach value of the program's resources and outcomes,
lessons learned, successes and pitfalls in communicating awareness with
the public and attracting young people to study science.
Title: Astronomy Outreach in Cuba: Trip Two
Authors: Chapman, David M. F.
Publication: Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada,
Vol. 105, No. 5, p.195
Publication Date: 10/2011
Origin: JRASC
Bibliographic Code: 2011JRASC.105..195C
Abstract
Not Available
Title: Astronomy Meets the Environmental Sciences: Using
GLOBE at Night Data
Authors: Barringer, D.; Walker, C. E.; Pompea, S. M.;
Sparks, R. T.
Publication: Earth and Space Science: Making Connections in
Education and Public Outreach. Proceedings of a
conference held at the University of Colorado,
Boulder, Colorado, USA 31 July-4 August 2010. Edited
by Joseph B. Jensen, James G. Manning, and Michael
G. Gibbs. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of
the Pacific, 2011., p.373
Publication Date: 09/2011
Origin: ASP
Bibliographic Code: 2011ASPC..443..373B
Abstract
The GLOBE at Night database now contains over 52,000 observations from
the five annual two-week campaigns. It can be used as a resource to
explore various issues related to light pollution and our environment.
Students can compare data over time to look for changes and trends. For
example, they can compare the data to population density or with
nighttime photography and spectroscopy of lights. The data can be used
in a lighting survey, to search for dark sky oases or to monitor
ordinance compliance. Students can study effects of light pollution on
animals, plants, human health, safety, security, energy consumption, and
cost. As an example, we used data from the GLOBE at Night project and
telemetry tracking data of lesser long-nosed bats obtained by the
Arizona Game and Fish Department to study the effects of light pollution
on the flight paths of the bats between their day roosts and night
foraging areas around the city of Tucson, AZ. With the visual limiting
magnitude data from GLOBE at Night, we ran a compositional analysis with
respect to the bats' flight paths to determine whether the bats were
selecting for or against flight through regions of particular night sky
brightness levels. We found that the bats selected for the regions in
which the limiting sky magnitudes fell between the ranges of 2.8-3.0 to
3.6-3.8 and 4.4-4.6 to 5.0-5.2, suggesting that the lesser long-nosed
bat can tolerate a fair degree of urbanization. We also compared this
result to contour maps created with digital Sky Quality Meter (<a
href='http://www.unihedron.com'>http://www.unihedron.com</a>)
data.
Title: Sustainable Astronomy
Authors: Blaha, C.; Goetz, J.; Johnson, T.
Publication: Earth and Space Science: Making Connections in
Education and Public Outreach. Proceedings of a
conference held at the University of Colorado,
Boulder, Colorado, USA 31 July-4 August 2010. Edited
by Joseph B. Jensen, James G. Manning, and Michael
G. Gibbs. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of
the Pacific, 2011., p.219
Publication Date: 09/2011
Origin: ASP
Bibliographic Code: 2011ASPC..443..219B
Abstract
Through our International Year of Astronomy outreach effort, we
established a sustainable astronomy program and curriculum in the
Northfield, Minnesota community. Carleton College offers monthly open
houses at Goodsell Observatory and donated its recently "retire"
observing equipment to local schools. While public evenings continue to
be popular, the donated equipment was underutilized due to a lack of
trained student observing assistants. With sponsorship from NASA's IYA
Student Ambassador program, the sustainable astronomy project began in
2009 to generate greater interest in astronomy and train middle school
and high school students as observing assistants. Carleton physics
majors developed curricular materials and instituted regular outreach
programs for grades 6-12. The Northfield High School Astronomy Club was
created, and Carleton undergraduates taught high school students how to
use telescopes and do CCD imaging. During the summer of 2009, Carleton
students began the Young Astronomers Summer Experience (YASE) program
for middle school students and offered a two-week, astronomy-rich
observing and imaging experience at Goodsell Observatory. In concert
with NASA's Summer of Innovation initiative, the YASE program was
offered again in 2010 and engaged a new group of local middle school
students in hands-on scientific experiments and observing opportunities.
Members of the high school astronomy club now volunteer as observing
assistants in the community and graduates of the YASE programs are eager
to continue observing as members of a public service astronomy club when
they enter the Northfield High School. These projects are training
future scientists and will sustain the public's interest in astronomy
long after the end of IYA 2009.
Title: Night-sky brightness monitoring in Hong Kong - a
city-wide light pollution assessment
Authors: Pun, Chun Shing Jason; Wing So, Chu
Publication: eprint arXiv:1106.3842
Publication Date: 06/2011
Origin: ARXIV
Keywords: Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for
Astrophysics
Comment: 33 pages, 13 figures, Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment, in press; Environmental Monitoring and
Assessment 184 (2012) 2537-2557;
doi:10.1007/s10661-011-2136-1
Bibliographic Code: 2011arXiv1106.3842P
Abstract
Results of the first comprehensive light pollution survey in Hong Kong
are presented. The night-sky brightness was measured and monitored
around the city using a portable light sensing device called the Sky
Quality Meter over a 15-month period beginning in March 2008. A total of
1,957 data sets were taken at 199 distinct locations, including urban
and rural sites covering all 18 Administrative Districts of Hong Kong.
The survey shows that the environmental light pollution problem in Hong
Kong is severe - the urban night-skies (sky brightness at 15.0 mag per
arcsec square) are on average ~100 times brighter than at the darkest
rural sites (20.1 mag per arcsec square), indicating that the high
lighting densities in the densely populated residential and commercial
areas lead to light pollution. In the worst polluted urban location
studied, the night-sky at 13.2 mag per arcsec square can be over 500
times brighter than the darkest sites in Hong Kong. The observed
night-sky brightness is found to be affected by human factors such as
land utilization and population density of the observation sites,
together with meteorological and/or environmental factors. Moreover,
earlier night-skies (at 9:30pm local time) are generally brighter than
later time (at 11:30pm), which can be attributed to some public and
commercial lightings being turned off later at night. On the other hand,
no concrete relationship between the observed sky brightness and air
pollutant concentrations could be established with the limited survey
sampling. Results from this survey will serve as an important database
for the public to assess whether new rules and regulations are necessary
to control the use of outdoor lightings in Hong Kong.
Title: The Sky Brightness Data Archive (SBDA)
Authors: Craine, Eric R.; Craine, Erin M.; Craine, Brian L.
Publication: The Society for Astronomical Sciences 30th Annual
Symposium on Telescope Science. Held May 24-26,
2011 at Big Bear Lake, CA. Published by the Society
for Astronomical Sciences, pp.45-52
Publication Date: 05/2011
Origin: SAS
Bibliographic Code: 2011SASS...30...45C
Abstract
Although many astronomers have long been sensitive to issues of light
pollution and deteriorating sky quality it is only in recent years that
such interest has extended to other groups including, among others,
ecologists, health professionals, and urban planners. Issues of light
pollution and loss of dark skies are starting to appear in the
scientific literature in the context of health and behavior impacts on
both human and animal life. Nonetheless, a common deficiency in most
such studies is the absence of historical or baseline data against which
to compare sky brightness trends and temporal changes. To address this
deficiency we have begun to collect a variety of types of quantitative
sky brightness data for insertion in an international sky brightness
archive that can be accessed for research projects which are dependent
upon an understanding of the nature of local light pollution issues. To
aid this process we have developed a mobile sky brightness meter which
automatically logs sky brightness and observation location. The device
can be stationary for long periods of time or can be easily transported
for continuous sky brightness measurement from ground vehicles, boats,
or aircraft. The sampling rate is typically about 0.25Hz. We present
here examples of different modes of sky brightness measurement, various
means of displaying and analyzing such data, ways to interpret natural
astronomical phenomena apparent in the data, and suggest a number of
complementary scientific projects that may capture the interest of both
professional and amateur scientists. Finally, we discuss the status of
the archive and ways that potential contributors may submit their
observations for publication in the archive.
Title: Campaign of sky brightness and extinction
measurements using a portable CCD camera
Authors: Falchi, Fabio
Affiliation: AA(Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologia
dell'Inquinamento Luminoso, Via Roma 13, I-36106
Thiene, Italy)
Publication: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society,
Volume 412, Issue 1, pp. 33-48. (MNRAS Homepage)
Publication Date: 03/2011
Origin: WILEY
Astronomy Keywords: light pollution, site testing, techniques:
photometric
Abstract Copyright: © 2010 The Author Monthly Notices of the Royal
Astronomical Society © 2010 RAS
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17845.x
Bibliographic Code: 2011MNRAS.412...33F
Abstract
In this paper, we present the results of a 12-yr campaign devoted to
monitoring the sky brightness affected by different levels of light
pollution. Different sites characterized by different altitudes and
atmospheric transparency have been considered. The standard photometric
Johnson B and V bands were used. An extinction measurement was performed
for each site and each night, along with a calibration of the
instrument. These measurements have allowed us to build sky brightness
maps of the hemisphere above each observing site; each map contains up
to 200 data points spread around the sky. We have found a stop in zenith
sky brightness growth at the two sites where a time series exists. Using
zenith sky brightness measurements taken with and without extensive snow
coverage, we weighted the importance of direct versus indirect flux in
producing sky glow at several sites.
Title: Effects Of Light Pollution On The Movements Of
Leptonycteris Curasoae Yerbabuenae In The Tucson
Area
Authors: Barringer, Daniel; Walker, C.
Affiliation: AA(Union College), AB(National Optical Astronomy
Observatory)
Publication: American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #217,
id.349.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical
Society, Vol. 43, 2011
Publication Date: 01/2011
Origin: AAS
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2011: American Astronomical Society
Bibliographic Code: 2011AAS...21734907B
Abstract
We used data from the GLOBE at Night project and telemetry tracking data
of lesser long-nosed bats obtained by the Arizona Game and Fish
Department to study the effects of light pollution on the flight paths
of the bats between their day roosts and night foraging areas around the
city of Tucson, AZ. With the visual limiting magnitude data from GLOBE
at Night, we ran a compositional analysis with respect to the
bats’ flight paths to determine whether the bats were selecting
for or against flight through regions of particular night sky brightness
levels. We found that the bats selected for the regions in which the
limiting sky magnitudes fell between the ranges of 2.8-3.0 to 3.6-3.8
and 4.4-4.6 to 5.0-5.2, suggesting that the lesser long-nosed bat can
tolerate a fair degree of urbanization. We also compared this result to
contour maps created with digital Sky Quality Meter data. In this
presentation, we present the results from our compositional analysis
with respect to the habits of the lesser long-nosed bat. For more
information, please visit www.globeatnight.org.
Title: A Simple, Portable Apparatus to Measure Night Sky
Brightness at Various Zenith Angles
Authors: Birriel, J.; Adkins, J. K.
Affiliation: AA(Morehead State University), AB(Morehead State
University)
Publication: The Journal of the American Association of Variable
Star Observers, vol. 38, nr. 2, p. 221
Publication Date: 12/2010
Origin: AAVSO
Abstract Copyright: (c)2010: The American Association of Variable Star
Observers
Bibliographic Code: 2010JAVSO..38..221B
Abstract
We describe a simple apparatus for making measurements of night sky
brightness as a function of zenith and azimuth using "off-the-shelf"
equipment: a Unihedron Sky Quality Meter with Lens, a protractor with
plumb-line, a tripod, and a hand-held compass. Compared to a
photoelectric or CCD photometric system, this apparatus is simple to set
up and use and does not require complex data reduction procedures. Thus,
this apparatus makes measurements of night sky brightness as a function
of zenith and azimuthal angles quite amenable to students.
Title: GLOBE at Night: Raising Public Awareness and
Involvement through Citizen Science
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Pompea, S. M.; Sparks, R. T.
Affiliation: AA(Education & Public Outreach, National Optical
Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ, USA
), AB(Education & Public Outreach, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ, USA ), AC(Education & Public Outreach, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ, USA )
Publication: American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010,
abstract #ED11A-0579
Publication Date: 12/2010
Origin: AGU
Keywords: 0800 EDUCATION, 0805 EDUCATION / Elementary and
secondary education, 0815 EDUCATION / Informal
education, 0830 EDUCATION / Teacher training
Bibliographic Code: 2010AGUFMED11A0579W
Abstract
With half of the world’s population now living in cities, many
urban dwellers have never experienced the wonderment of pristinely dark
skies and maybe never will. Light pollution is obscuring people’s
long-standing natural heritage to view stars. The GLOBE at Night program
(www.globeatnight.org) is an international citizen-science campaign to
raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging
everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and
contribute observations online to a world map. In the last 5 years,
GLOBE at Night has been the most productive public light pollution
monitoring campaign, collecting over 52,000 observations in a two-week
period annually. This year, during the moonless two weeks in March, the
campaign set a record high of over 17,800 measurements from people in 86
countries. Foundational resources are available to facilitate the
public’s participation in promoting dark skies awareness. The
GLOBE at Night website explains clearly the simple-to-participate-in 5
step program and offers background information and interactive games on
key concepts. The program has been expanded to include trainings of the
general public, but especially educators in schools, museums and science
centers, in unique ways. Education kits for dark skies awareness have
been distributed at the training workshops. The kit includes material
for a light shielding demonstration, a digital Sky Quality Meter and
“Dark Skies Rangers” activities. The activities are on how
unshielded light wastes energy, how light pollution affects wildlife and
how you can participate in a citizen-science star-hunt like GLOBE at
Night. In addition, projects are being developed for what to do with the
data once it is taken. The GLOBE at Night data from different years can
be compared to look for trends over time or with population density
maps. The data can also be used to search for dark sky oases or to
monitor lighting ordinance compliance. Most recently the data has been
compared with telemetry of the Lesser Long-Nose Bat near Tucson, Arizona
to examine whether or not the bats are preferentially staying in darker
areas. The presentation will highlight the education and outreach value
of the program’s resources and outcomes in communicating awareness
with the public and attracting young people to study science.
Title: Our Light or Starlight? Citizen Science, Public
Involvement and You
Authors: Walker, Constance E.
Publication: American Physical Society, Annual Meeting of the
Four Corners Section of the APS, October 15-16,
2010, abstract #J1.001
Publication Date: 10/2010
Origin: APS
Bibliographic Code: 2010APS..4CF.J1001W
Abstract
With half of the world's population now living in cities, many urban
dwellers have never experienced the wonderment of pristinely dark skies
and maybe never will. Light pollution is obscuring people's
long-standing natural heritage to view stars. The GLOBE at Night program
(www.globeatnight.org) is an international citizen-science campaign to
raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging
everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and
contribute observations online to a world map. In the last 5 years,
GLOBE at Night has been the most productive public light pollution
monitoring campaign, collecting over 52,000 observations in a two-week
period annually. This year, during the moonless two weeks in March, the
campaign set a record high of over 17,800 measurements from people in 86
countries. Foundational resources are available to facilitate the
public's participation in promoting dark skies awareness. The GLOBE at
Night website explains clearly the simple-to-participate-in 5 step
program and offers background information and interactive games on key
concepts. The program has been expanded to include trainings of the
general public, but especially educators in schools, museums and science
centers, in unique ways. Education kits for dark skies awareness have
been distributed at the training workshops. The kit includes material
for a light shielding demonstration, a digital Sky Quality Meter and
``Dark Skies Rangers'' activities. The activities are on how unshielded
light wastes energy, how light pollution affects wildlife and how you
can participate in a citizen-science star-hunt like GLOBE at Night. In
addition, projects are being developed for what to do with the data once
it is taken. The GLOBE at Night data from different years can be
compared to look for trends over time or with population density maps.
The data can also be used to search for dark sky oases or to monitor
lighting ordinance compliance. Most recently the data has been compared
with telemetry of the Lesser Long-Nose Bat near Tucson, Arizona to
examine whether or not the bats are preferentially staying in darker
areas. The presentation will highlight the education and outreach value
of the program's resources and outcomes in communicating awareness with
the public and attracting young people to study science.
Title: Involvement in and Sustainability of the Dark Skies
Awareness Programs for the International Year of
Astronomy
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Iya2009 Dark Skies Working Group
Publication: Science Education and Outreach: Forging a Path to
the Future. Proceedings of a conference held
September 12-16, 2009 in Millbrae, California, USA.
Edited by Jonathan Barnes, Denise A. Smith, Michael
G. Gibbs, and James G. Manning., p.383
Publication Date: 08/2010
Origin: ASP
Bibliographic Code: 2010ASPC..431..383W
Abstract
"Dark Skies Awareness" was created as a cornerstone project of the
International Year of Astronomy 2009 to raise public awareness of the
impact of artificial lighting on local environments by getting people
worldwide involved in a variety of programs. The poster provides an
update, describes how people can participate, and takes a look ahead at
the program's sustainability.
Title: The Spectrum of Citizen Science Projects in
Astronomy and Space Science
Authors: Méndez, B. J. H.; Day, B.; Gay, P. L.;
Jacoby, S. H.; Raddick, M. J.; Walker, C. E.;
Pompea, S. M.
Publication: Science Education and Outreach: Forging a Path to
the Future. Proceedings of a conference held
September 12-16, 2009 in Millbrae, California, USA.
Edited by Jonathan Barnes, Denise A. Smith, Michael
G. Gibbs, and James G. Manning., p.324
Publication Date: 08/2010
Origin: ASP
Bibliographic Code: 2010ASPC..431..324M
Abstract
Citizen science projects are gaining in popularity and are seen by some
as a paradigm shift that will benefit participants, extend scientific
research, and improve public understanding of how science is done. All
projects engage nonspecialists in observations, measurements, or
classifications that further some aspect of scientific activity. In
astronomy and space science, there is a range of involvement from
passive to active, and differences in how necessary the citizen
scientists are to the scientific goals of the project. Some projects are
dealing with scientific questions that could not be investigated
effectively and efficiently without the aid of large numbers of human
volunteers. We will conduct a panel discussion of the lessons learned
from several current citizen science projects in astronomy and space
science. We will also engage session participants in round table
discussions of future citizen science projects, especially in light of
the large data sets becoming available online and access to educational
telescopes.
Title: Building on the International Year of Astronomy: The
Dark Skies Awareness Program
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Sparks, R. T.; Pompea, S. M.
Publication: Science Education and Outreach: Forging a Path to
the Future. Proceedings of a conference held
September 12-16, 2009 in Millbrae, California, USA.
Edited by Jonathan Barnes, Denise A. Smith, Michael
G. Gibbs, and James G. Manning., p.103
Publication Date: 08/2010
Origin: ASP
Bibliographic Code: 2010ASPC..431..103W
Abstract
The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) offered opportunities to
create exemplary educational programs in astronomy, such as those
through the cornerstone project, Dark Skies Awareness (DSA). The
preservation of dark skies is important for many reasons including
astronomy, energy conservation, wildlife conservation, and even human
health. Light pollution is a growing concern, yet it is one of the
easiest global environmental problems citizen scientists can address on
a local level. The Dark Skies workshop imparted the skills necessary for
participants to lead activities at their home institution for conserving
dark skies. Workshop participants experienced the hands-on activities,
which are suitable for use in a variety of settings including museums,
science centers, planetariums, schools, university outreach efforts, and
astronomy club events. Participants were immersed in activities that
illustrate proper lighting, light pollution's effects on wildlife, and
how to measure the darkness of your skies. Several citizen science
projects were highlighted, including GLOBE at Night, the Great World
Wide Star Count, and How Many Stars. These programs enlist the help of
students and the general public to collect data on the night sky
conditions in their community and contribute to a worldwide database on
light pollution. The data can be analyzed using various online tools. A
CD of activities, a light shielding demonstration, a book, a two DVD set
with a planetarium show, and many other resources are included in a Dark
Skies Education Kit, which workshop participants received at the close
of the workshop.
Title: International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone
Projects: What's Available for You
Authors: Pompea, S. M.; Schweitzer, A.; Deustua, S.;
Isbell, D.; Fienberg, R. T.; Arion, D. N.;
Walker, C. E.; Gay, P. L.; Smith, D. A.;
Pantoja, C. A.; Watzke, M.; Arcand, K. K.
Publication: Science Education and Outreach: Forging a Path to
the Future. Proceedings of a conference held
September 12-16, 2009 in Millbrae, California, USA.
Edited by Jonathan Barnes, Denise A. Smith, Michael
G. Gibbs, and James G. Manning., p.86
Publication Date: 08/2010
Origin: ASP
Bibliographic Code: 2010ASPC..431...86P
Abstract
The International Year of Astronomy (IYA) commemorates the 400th
anniversary of Galileo's historic observations of the night sky. IYA is
officially recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is being celebrated in 141 countries.
The IYA2009 program established 12 Cornerstone Projects. The U.S. has
played an important role in many of these programs. These national and
global projects focus on a variety of topics vital to the success of
IYA. This paper summarizes some progress from national and international
organizers of the cornerstone projects.
Title: Documenting Local Night Sky Brightness Using Sky
Quality Meters: An Interdisciplinary College
Capstone Project and a First Step Toward Reducing
Light Pollution
Authors: Birriel, J.; Wheatley, J.; McMichael, C.
Affiliation: AA(Morehead State University, KY), AB(Ashland, Inc.,
KY), AC(Morehead State University, KY)
Publication: The Journal of the American Association of Variable
Star Observers, vol. 38, no. 1, p. 132
Publication Date: 06/2010
Origin: AAVSO
Abstract Copyright: (c)2010: The American Association of Variable Star
Observers
Bibliographic Code: 2010JAVSO..38..132B
Abstract
The advent of inexpensive, hand-held light meters allows science
students the opportunity to document night sky brightness in their local
communities as a first step toward ultimately reducing local light
pollution. We report our preliminary results of one college student's
interdisciplinary capstone project documenting sky brightness in the
local campus community. The student produced two maps of sky brightness
readings in the Morehead, Kentucky, area using the Unihedron Sky Quality
Meter (SQM) and the Unihedron Sky Quality Meter with Lens (SQM-L).
Typical night sky brightness measurements within town ranged from
suburban to city on the Bortle Scale of visual brightness. We end with a
discussion of opportunities for future student contributions to this
project.
Title: Measuring and modelling light pollution at the
Zselic Starry Sky Park
Authors: Kolláth, Zoltán
Publication: Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 218,
Issue 1, id. 012001 (2010).
Publication Date: 03/2010
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/218/1/012001
Bibliographic Code: 2010JPhCS.218a2001K
Abstract
One of the first 'International Dark-sky Parks' in Europe was
established at the Zselic Landscape Protection Area in Hungary. A
special monitoring program has been carrying on to survey the quality of
the night sky using 'Sky Quality Meters' and DSLR cameras. The main
conclusion of our measurements is that the local villages have only a
minimal effect on the quality of the sky. There are light-domes due to
the neighbouring cities only close to the horizon, the main source of
obtrusive light is the city of Kaposvár. The anthropogenic
component of zenith luminance of the night sky is obtained as the
function of the distance from the city centre of Kaposvár. Our
data were modelled by radiation transfer calculations. These results can
help to draw attention to the energy emitted useless to the space and to
protect our nocturnal landscape of nature parks for the next
generations.
Title: The GLOBE at Night Campaign: Promoting Dark Skies
Awareness Beyond IYA2009
Authors: Walker, Constance E.
Affiliation: AA(NOAO)
Publication: American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #215,
id.379.05; Bulletin of the American Astronomical
Society, Vol. 42, p.589
Publication Date: 01/2010
Origin: AAS
Bibliographic Code: 2010AAS...21537905W
Abstract
One of the most productive programs in the IYA2009 Dark Skies Awareness
Cornerstone Project has been GLOBE at Night. The GLOBE at Night program
has endeavored to promote social awareness of the dark sky by getting
the general public to measure light pollution and submit results
on-line. During IYA2009 alone, over 15,700 measurements from 70
countries were contributed during the 2-week campaign period. That
amount is twice the number of measurements on average from previous
years. The GLOBE at Night website explains clearly the
simple-to-participate-in 5 step program and offers background
information and interactive games on key concepts. The program has been
expanded to include trainings of the general public, but especially
educators in schools, museums and science centers, in unique ways.
Education kits for Dark Skies Awareness have been distributed at these
training workshops. The kit includes material for a light shielding
demonstration, a digital Sky Quality Meter and Dark Skies Ranger
Activities. The activities are on how unshielded light wastes energy,
how light pollution affects wildlife and how you can participate in a
citizen-science star-hunt like GLOBE at Night. In addition, projects are
being developed for what to do with the data once it is taken. There
were particularly spirited and creative GLOBE at Night campaigns around
the world in 2009. One such "poster child” was carried out by 6500
students in northern Indiana. The students produced 3,391 GLOBE at Night
measurements. To visualize the magnitudes of dark sky lost to light
pollution, these students removed over 12,000 of the 35,000 stacked LEGO
blocks that represented an ideal night sky across the school district.
The presentation will provide an update with lessons learned, describe
how people can become involved and take a look ahead at the program's
sustainability. For further information, visit
www.globe.gov/globeatnight.
Title: A novel camera type for very high energy gamma-ray
astronomy based on Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes
Authors: Anderhub, H.; Backes, M.; Biland, A.;
Boller, A.; Braun, I.; Bretz, T.;
Commichau, S.; Commichau, V.; Dorner, D.;
Gendotti, A.; Grimm, O.; von Gunten, H.;
Hildebrand, D.; Horisberger, U.;
Krähenbühl, T.; Kranich, D.; Lorenz, E.;
Lustermann, W.; Mannheim, K.; Neise, D.;
Pauss, F.; Renker, D.; Rhode, W.; Rissi, M.;
Röser, U.; Rollke, S.; Stark, L. S.;
Stucki, J.-P.; Viertel, G.; Vogler, P.; Weitzel, Q.
Affiliation: AA(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland), AB(TU
Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4, 44227
Dortmund, Germany), AC(Institute for Particle
Physics, ETH Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich,
Switzerland), AD(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH
Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AE(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AF(Universität Würzburg, Germany), AG(Institute for
Particle Physics, ETH Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093
Zurich, Switzerland), AH(Institute for Particle
Physics, ETH Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich,
Switzerland), AI(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH
Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland;
ISDC Data Center for Astrophysics, University of
Geneva, Chemin d'Ecogia 16, 1290 Versoix,
Switzerland), AJ(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH
Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AK(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AL(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AM(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AN(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AO(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AP(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AQ(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland; Max
Planck Institute for Physics, Föhringer Ring 6,
80805 Munich, Germany), AR(Institute for Particle
Physics, ETH Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich,
Switzerland), AS(Universität Würzburg, Germany),
AT(TU Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4, 44227
Dortmund, Germany), AU(Institute for Particle
Physics, ETH Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich,
Switzerland), AV(Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232
Villigen PSI, Switzerland), AW(TU Dortmund
University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4, 44227 Dortmund,
Germany), AX(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH
Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
AY(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland), AZ(TU
Dortmund University, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4, 44227
Dortmund, Germany), BA(Institute for Particle
Physics, ETH Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich,
Switzerland), BB(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH
Zurich, Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
BC(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
BD(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland),
BE(Institute for Particle Physics, ETH Zurich,
Schafmattstr. 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland)
Publication: Journal of Instrumentation, Volume 10, Issue 10, pp.
010 (2009).
Publication Date: 10/2009
Origin: IOP
DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/4/10/P10010
Bibliographic Code: 2009JInst...410010A
Abstract
Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes (G-APD) are promising new sensors for
light detection in atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. In this paper, the
design and commissioning of a 36-pixel G-APD prototype camera is
presented. The data acquisition is based on the Domino Ring Sampling
(DRS2) chip. A sub-nanosecond time resolution has been achieved.
Cosmic-ray induced air showers have been recorded using an imaging
mirror setup, in a self-triggered mode. This is the first time that such
measurements have been carried out with a complete G-APD camera.
Title: Optics in Eastern Connecticut
Authors: Magnani, Nancy; Donnelly, Judith
Affiliation: AA(EASTCONN (United States)), AB(Three Rivers
Community College (United States))
Publication: Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 9666, id. 96660S 9
pp. (2009). (SPIE Homepage)
Publication Date: 06/2009
Origin: SPIE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2009: SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is
permitted for personal use only.
Comment: ISBN: 9781628418859
DOI: 10.1117/12.2208028
Bibliographic Code: 2009SPIE.9666E..0SM
Abstract
Through a partnership between EASTCONN, a regional educational service
center, and Three Rivers Community College, both located in eastern
Connecticut, students from 5th grade through college have been learning
about optics and photonics. Using innovative approaches including
hands-on workshops on selected topics in light, vision and
optics/photonics, field trips to local photonics industries, and
authentic learning opportunities at a college campus, students and their
teachers are learning about light and optics with age-appropriate
activities and are also being introduced to the potential career
opportunities.
Title: A New Major Observatory in Canada
Authors: Roy, Frank P.
Publication: Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada,
Vol. 103, No. 2, p.54
Publication Date: 04/2009
Origin: JRASC
Bibliographic Code: 2009JRASC.103...54R
Abstract
Not Available
Title: Simple Night-Sky Measurements for ``GLOBE at Night''
in Chile with Sky-Quality Meters (SQMs) and
Illustrated with Digital Photography---A Prototype
for the IYA
Authors: Smith, M. G.; Warner, M.; Orellana, D.;
Munizaga, D.; Sanhueza, P.; Bogglio, H.; Cartier, R.
Publication: Preparing for the 2009 International Year of
Astronomy: A Hands-On Symposium ASP Conference
Series, Vol. 400, proceedings of the conference held
1-5 June, 2008, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in
Conjunction with the 212th Meeting of the American
Astronomical Society. Edited by Michael G. Gibbs,
Jonathan Barnes, James G. Manning, and Bruce
Partridge. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of
the Pacific, 2008., p.152
Publication Date: 11/2008
Origin: ASP
Bibliographic Code: 2008ASPC..400..152S
Abstract
We report the status of, and plans for, simple estimates of the
night-sky brightness on and around Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón
in Chile, using UniHedron SQMs, in the context of public outreach and
education activity. This early, basic, test plan---carried out as part
of the 2008 ``GLOBE at Night'' initiative---is to be extended for the
International Year of Astronomy (IYA). Simple annual estimates of this
nature, involving schools and the public, can aid in the protection of
professional and amateur astronomy observatories anywhere. A
preliminary trial grid of SQM estimates at 46 points in the region
around Tololo and Pachón (by DO and DM) has recently been
integrated (by MW) into graphic overlay models on Google Earth maps.
This data was also submitted to ``GLOBE at Night, 2008.'' All these
estimates in 2008 serve as a local trial for an international campaign
to be run in 2009 for the International Year of Astronomy. The increase
in zenith brightness as one moves from the dark sky over Cerro Tololo
and Cerro Pachón (21.7 mag) via CADIAS (20.7 mag) along a radius
into the suburbs of La Serena (19.0 mag) is illustrated qualitatively
with digital images of the sky looking towards and away from the La
Serena/Coquimbo conurbation. We discuss some of the lessons learned for
2009.
Title: Dark Skies from the Ground Up: Part 2. Programs to
Raise Awareness During the International Year of
Astronomy
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Bueter, C.; Crelin, G.;
Duriscoe, D.; Moore, C.; Heatherly, S. A.;
Maddalena, R.; Mann, T.; Patten, K.;
Pompea, S. M.; Sparks, R.; Schaaf, F.;
Simmons, M.; Smith, M.; Tafreshi, B.
Publication: Preparing for the 2009 International Year of
Astronomy: A Hands-On Symposium ASP Conference
Series, Vol. 400, proceedings of the conference held
1-5 June, 2008, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in
Conjunction with the 212th Meeting of the American
Astronomical Society. Edited by Michael G. Gibbs,
Jonathan Barnes, James G. Manning, and Bruce
Partridge. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of
the Pacific, 2008., p.116
Publication Date: 11/2008
Origin: ASP
Bibliographic Code: 2008ASPC..400..116W
Abstract
Six dark skies-related programs assembled for the International Year of
Astronomy (IYA) are described here. Programs on dark skies awareness and
preservation like GLOBE at Night, Dark Skies Discovery Sites, Quiet
Skies, Astronomy Nights at the (National) Parks, a digital photography
contest and the Good Neighbor Lighting program are presented.
Title: Dark Skies from the Ground Up: Part 1. Resources to
Raise Awareness During the International Year of
Astronomy
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Berglund, K.; Bueter, C.;
Gauthier, A.; Gay, P. L.; Foster, T.;
Patten, K.; Pompea, S. M.; Sparks, R.; Smith, C.
Publication: Preparing for the 2009 International Year of
Astronomy: A Hands-On Symposium ASP Conference
Series, Vol. 400, proceedings of the conference held
1-5 June, 2008, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in
Conjunction with the 212th Meeting of the American
Astronomical Society. Edited by Michael G. Gibbs,
Jonathan Barnes, James G. Manning, and Bruce
Partridge. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of
the Pacific, 2008., p.110
Publication Date: 11/2008
Origin: ASP
Bibliographic Code: 2008ASPC..400..110W
Abstract
Six dark skies-related resources created for the International Year of
Astronomy are described here. Resources on dark skies awareness and
preservation like an educational toolkit with shielding demonstrations,
a planetarium show on DVD for small planetariums, online interactions
(e.g., Second Life, MySpace and Facebook), traveling exhibits, a
6-minute video tutorial and podcasts are presented.
Title: Meimaand, meteorenmaand: eta Aquariiden en eta
Lyriden vanuit Twente
Authors: Van Leuteren, Peter
Publication: eRadiant, Journal of the Dutch Meteor Society,
Volume 4, Issue 3, p.74-77
Publication Date: 09/2008
Origin: AUTHOR
Bibliographic Code: 2008eRad....4...74V
Abstract
Report on visual observations of the eta Aquariids and eta Lyrids in
2008
Title: The Exciting Star of the Berkeley 59/Cepheus OB4
Complex and Other Chance Variable Star Discoveries
Authors: Majaess, D. J.; Turner, D. G.; Lane, D. J.;
Moncrieff, K. E.
Affiliation: AA(Saint Mary's University, Halifax), AB(Saint
Mary's University, Halifax), AC(Saint Mary's
University, Halifax), AD(Saint Mary's University,
Halifax)
Publication: The Journal of the American Association of Variable
Star Observers, vol. 36, no. 1, p. 90
Publication Date: 06/2008
Origin: AAVSO
Bibliographic Code: 2008JAVSO..36...90M
Abstract
A study is presented regarding the nature of several variable stars
sampled during a campaign of photometric monitoring from the Abbey Ridge
Observatory: three eclipsing binaries, two semiregulars, a luminous Be
star, and a star of uncertain classification. For one of the eclipsing
systems, BD+66°1673, spectroscopic observations reveal it to be an
O5 V((f))n star and the probable ionizing star of the Berkeley 59/Cep
OB4 complex. An analysis of spectroscopic observations and BV photometry
for Berkeley 59 members in conjunction with published observations imply
a cluster age of ~2 Myr, a distance of d = 883 ±43 pc, and a
reddening of EB-V = 1.38 ±0.02. Two of the
eclipsing systems are Algol-type, but one appears to be a cataclysmic
variable associated with an X-ray source. ALS 10588, a B3 IVn star
associated with the Cepheid SV Vul, is of uncertain classification,
although consideration is given to it being a slowly pulsating B star.
The environmental context of the variables is examined using
spectroscopic parallax, 2MASS photometry, and proper motion data, the
latter to evaluate the membership of the variable B2 Iabe star HDE
229059 in Berkeley 87, an open cluster that could offer a unique
opportunity to constrain empirically the evolutionary lineage of young
massive stars. Also presented are our null results for observations of a
sample of northern stars listed as Cepheid candidates in the New
Catalogue of Suspected Variable Stars (NSV, in Samus et al. 2004).
Title: Dark Skies as a Universal Resource,
Citizen-Scientists, and the International Year of
Astronomy
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Pompea, S. M.; Sparks, R. T.;
Bueter, C.
Publication: EPO and a Changing World: Creating Linkages and
Expanding Partnerships ASP Conference Series, Vol.
389, proceedings of the conference held 5-7
September 2007, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Edited by
Catharine Garmany, Michael G. Gibbs, and J. Ward
Moody. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the
Pacific, 2080., p.395
Publication Date: 06/2008
Origin: ASPC
Bibliographic Code: 2008ASPC..389..395W
Abstract
The ongoing loss of a dark night sky as a natural resource for much of
the world's population is a growing, serious issue that not only impacts
astronomical research, but also human health, ecology, safety, security,
economics and energy conservation. This workshop was designed to train
educators who will become local leaders in light pollution education.
During the workshop, we provided the ``know-how'' and the means for
workshop attendees to become participants or community leaders in
promoting the GLOBE at Night 2008 program, toward a quantitative global
effort in 2009 as one of the major US programs in the planned
International Year of Astronomy.
Title: Exploring Some Methods of Measuring Night Sky
Brightness Levels
Authors: Craine, Erin M.; Culver, Roger B.;
Craine, Jennifer C.; Tucker, Roy A.
Publication: The Society for Astronomical Sciences 27th Annual
Symposium on Telescope Science. Held May 20-22, 2008
at Big Bear Lake, CA. Published by the Society for
Astronomical Sciences., p.157
Publication Date: 05/2008
Origin: SAS
Bibliographic Code: 2008SASS...27..157C
Abstract
Sky brightness has an important impact on data collected from digital
images. It produces environmental effects important in terms of ecology,
human health and overall enjoyment of the night sky. Sky brightness can
be monitored by a variety of different techniques. Recent systematic sky
surveys enable long term monitoring of sky brightness. Simple
astronomical instruments can be adapted to dedicated use for sky
brightness monitoring. There are even a variety of specialized
instruments designed for the sole purpose of sky brightness
measure-ment. We discuss elements of each of these approaches. We
present some results of how to compare the data collected, and examine
how the data correlate using different systems. Support has been
provided by Colorado State University, the Global Network of
Astronomical Telescopes, Inc., the International Dark-Sky Association
and Western Research Company, Inc.
Title: Simple Night-Sky Measurements for "Globe at Night"
in Chile with Sky Quality Meters (SQMs) and
Illustrated with Basic Photography - a Prototype for
the IYA/AMA.
Authors: Smith, Malcolm G.; Orellana, D.; Sanhueza, P.;
Warner, M.; Bogglio, H.; Munizaga, D.; Cartier, R.
Affiliation: AA(Cerro Tololo Inter-Amer. Obs., Chile), AB(CADIAS;
University of La Serena, Chile), AC(OPCC, Chile),
AD(Cerro Tololo Inter-Amer. Obs., Chile), AE(OPCC,
Chile), AF(CADIAS, Chile), AG(REU-CTIO & University
of Chile, Chile)
Publication: American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #212,
id.50.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical
Society, Vol. 40, p.245
Publication Date: 05/2008
Origin: AAS
Bibliographic Code: 2008AAS...212.5001S
Abstract
We report the status of, and plans for, simple measurement of the
night-sky brightness on and around Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachon in
Chile, using UniHedron SQMs, in the context of public education and
outreach activity.
The increase in brightness as one moves from the dark sky over Cerro
Tololo and Cerro Pachon ( 21.7mag) via CADIAS ( 20.7mag) along a radius
into the suburbs of La Serena ( 19.0mag) is illustrated with images of
the sky looking towards and away from the La Serena/Coquimbo
conurbation.
This basic test plan - carried out as part of the 2008 "Globe at Night"
initiative - is to be extended for the IYA. Simple annual measurements
of this nature, involving schools and the public, can aid in the
protection of professional and amateur astronomy observatories anywhere.
A trial grid of SQM measurements in the region around Tololo and Pachon
(by DO and DM) has recently been integrated (by MW) into graphic
overlays on Google Earth maps. These data have also been submitted to
"Globe at Night, 2008". All these measurements in 2008 serve as a trial
for an even bigger, international, campaign run in 2009 for the
International Year of Astronomy.
Title: Wolken weg, Geminiden weg. Het Geminiden Maximum
vanuit Twente
Authors: Van Leuteren, Peter
Publication: eRadiant, Journal of the Dutch Meteor Society,
Volume 4, Issue 2, p.54-55
Publication Date: 03/2008
Origin: AUTHOR
Bibliographic Code: 2008eRad....4...54V
Abstract
Report on visual observations of the Geminids 2007
Title: Dark Skies as a Universal Resource: Citizen
Scientists Measuring Sky Brightness
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Isbell, D.; Pompea, S. M.
Affiliation: AA(National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N.
Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
), AB(National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA ), AC(National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719, USA )
Publication: American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2007,
abstract #ED11D-02
Publication Date: 12/2007
Origin: AGU
Keywords: 0800 EDUCATION, 0805 Elementary and secondary
education, 0815 Informal education, 1600 GLOBAL
CHANGE, 6600 PUBLIC ISSUES
Bibliographic Code: 2007AGUFMED11D..02W
Abstract
The international star-hunting event known as GLOBE at Night returned
March 8-21, 2007 in two flavors: the classic GLOBE at Night activity
incorporating unaided-eye observations which debuted last year, and a
new effort to obtain precise measurements of urban dark skies using
digital sky-brightness meters. Both flavors of the program were designed
to aid in heightening the awareness about the impact of artificial
lighting on local environments, and the ongoing loss of a dark night sky
as a natural resource for much of the world's population. To make
possible the digital GLOBE at Night program, NSF funded 135 low-cost,
digital sky-quality meter (manufactured by Unihedron). With these,
citizen-scientists took direct measurements of the integrated sky
brightness across a wide swath of night sky. Along with related
materials developed by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory
(NOAO), the meters were distributed to citizen-scientists in 21 U.S.
states plus Washington DC, and in 5 other countries, including Chile,
where NOAO has a major observatory. The citizen- scientists were
selected from teachers, their students, astronomers at mountain-top
observatories, International Dark-Sky Association members and staff from
19 small science centers. Most sites had a coordinator, who instructed
local educators in the proper use of the meters and develop a plan to
share them as widely as possible during the 2-week window. The local
teams pooled their data for regional analysis and in some cases shared
the results with their schools and local policymakers. Building upon the
worldwide participation sparked by the first GLOBE at Night campaign in
March 2006, the observations this year approached 8500 (from 60
countries), 85% higher than the number from last year. The success of
GLOBE at Night 2007 is a major step toward the International Year of
Astronomy in 2009, when one goal is to make the digital data collection
into a worldwide activity. In this presentation, we will outline the
set-up for the digital part of the program, the outcome and the plans
for the future. GLOBE at Night has been a collaboration between NOAO,
the GLOBE program, the IDA, CADIAS and Windows to the Universe. NOAO is
operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy,
Inc. under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.
The digital GLOBE at Night program described was supported by a grant
to NOAO by the NSF.
Title: Optics education in the International Year of
Astronomy
Authors: Walker, Constance E.; Sparks, Robert T.;
Pompea, Stephen M.
Affiliation: AA(National Optical Astronomy Observatory (United
States)), AB(National Optical Astronomy Observatory
(United States)), AC(National Optical Astronomy
Observatory (United States))
Publication: Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 9665, id. 96650I 9
pp. (2007). (SPIE Homepage)
Publication Date: 06/2007
Origin: SPIE
Abstract Copyright: (c) 2007: SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is
permitted for personal use only.
Comment: ISBN: 9781628418842
DOI: 10.1117/12.2207493
Bibliographic Code: 2007SPIE.9665E..0IW
Abstract
The International Year of Astronomy (IYA) will be celebrated in 2009 to
commemorate the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first use of the
telescope for astronomical observation. The National Optical Astronomy
Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, Arizona, USA, is participating in a
variety of international education activities to build awareness of the
role of astronomy and optics in our modern technological society. We
will outline our education plans specifically related to optics for the
International Year of Astronomy. These plans include outreach activities
that appeal to professional museum and classroom educators as well as
the general public.
Title: Globe At Night 2007: Light Pollution Awareness and
the Citizen-Scientist
Authors: Walker, Constance E.; Isbell, D.; Pompea, S. M.
Affiliation: AA(NOAO), AB(NOAO), AC(NOAO)
Publication: American Astronomical Society Meeting 210, id.05.04;
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol.
39, p.100
Publication Date: 05/2007
Origin: AAS
Bibliographic Code: 2007AAS...210.0504W
Abstract
The GLOBE at Night 2007 program has been built upon the success of the
inaugural campaign in March 2006 when 4600 observations were submitted
by citizen-scientists from 96 countries. Participation this year is up
by 50 percent.
The international star-hunting event known as GLOBE at Night returned
March 8-21, 2007 in two flavors: the classic GLOBE at Night activity
incorporating unaided-eye observations toward Orion, and a new effort to
obtain precise measurements of urban dark skies toward zenith using
digital sky-brightness meters. Both flavors of the program were designed
to heighten the awareness about the impact of artificial lighting on
local environments, and the ongoing loss of a dark night sky as a
natural resource for much of the world population.
To make possible the digital GLOBE at Night program, the NSF funded 135
low-cost, digital sky-quality meters (manufactured by Unihedron). Along
with related materials developed by the National Optical Astronomy
Observatory (NOAO), the meters were distributed to citizen-scientists in
21 U.S. states plus Washington DC, and in 5 other countries, including
Chile, where NOAO has a major observatory. The citizen-scientists were
selected from teachers, their students, astronomers at observatories,
International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) members and staff from 19
science centers. For each meter, citizen-scientists were asked to make
30 measurements from different locations in their region. The data is
being pooled for regional analysis.
The success of GLOBE at Night 2007 is a major step toward the
International Year of Astronomy in 2009, when one goal is to make the
digital data collection into a worldwide activity. In this presentation,
we will outline the set-up for the digital part of the program, the
outcome and the plans for the future.
GLOBE at Night is a collaboration between NOAO, the GLOBE Program,
CADIAS, Windows to the Universe, ESRI and IDA.
Title: The Citizen-Scientist as Data Collector: GLOBE at
Night, Part 2
Authors: Walker, C. E.; Pompea, S. M.; Ward, D.;
Henderson, S.; Meymaris, K.; Gallagher, S.;
Salisbury, D.
Affiliation: AA(National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N.
Cherry St, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
), AB(National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 N. Cherry St, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA ), AC(UCAR, PO Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA ), AD(UCAR, PO Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA ), AE(UCAR, PO Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA ), AF(UCAR, PO Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA ), AG(CSU, PO BOX 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA )
Publication: American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2006,
abstract #ED43E-0965
Publication Date: 12/2006
Origin: AGU
Keywords: 0820 Curriculum and laboratory design, 0825 Teaching
methods, 0830 Teacher training, 0845 Instructional
tools, 0855 Diversity
Bibliographic Code: 2006AGUFMED43E0965W
Abstract
An innovative program to realize light pollution education on two
continents via Internet 2-based videoconferencing was begun 4 years ago
by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Bilingual science
teachers and their students in Arizona and Chile recorded the brightness
of the night sky by matching its appearance toward the constellation
Orion with one of 6 stellar maps of limiting magnitude. Students from
both hemispheres would report their findings via videoconferences. In
the last year the program has evolved in collaboration with UCAR and
other partners into an international, user-friendly, web-based science
event open to anyone in the world, known as GLOBE at Night. GLOBE at
Night uses the same design to observe and record the visible stars
toward Orion, as a means of measuring light pollution in a given
location. The inaugural event occurred over 11 nights last March, when
18,000 citizen- scientists made over 4,500 observations from 96
countries. Analysis of the GLOBE at Night data set found that the
brighter skies corresponded to areas with higher population density, and
that most observations were taken in a location with some light
pollution. The data also tended to confirm that satellite data is
reliable in assessing light pollution. This session will describe our
program to incorporate more technology into the GLOBE at Night program.
Citizen-scientists will use sky quality meters (visible light
photometers), calibrated digital photography, and GPS as a means to
measure and map more accurately the brightness of the sky at selected
urban and rural sites. This extension of the program is designed to aid
further in teaching about the impact of artificial lighting on local
environments and the ongoing loss of a dark night sky as a natural
resource. We will also describe how detailed maps of selected urban
areas can be used to assess lighting design, safety considerations and
energy usage. Given the widespread interest in the inaugural GLOBE at
Night event, the GLOBE at Night team is eager to offer it again from
March 8-21, 2007. For more information, see www.globe.gov/GaN or contact
globeatnight@globe.gov or outreach@noao.edu. GLOBE at Night is a
collaboration between The GLOBE Program, the National Optical Astronomy
Observatory (NOAO), Centro de Apoyo a la Didactica de la Astronomia
(CADIAS), Windows to the Universe, and Environmental Systems Research
Institute, Inc. (ESRI). NOAO is operated by the Association of
Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc. under cooperative
agreement with the National Science Foundation.
Title: Citizen-Scientists Monitor Light Pollution Worldwide
via "GLOBE at Night"
Authors: Walker, Constance E.; Pompea, S. M.;
Isbell, D.; Orellana, D.; Ward, D.;
Henderson, S.; Meymaris, K.; Gallagher, S.;
Salisbury, D.
Affiliation: AA(National Optical Astronomy Observatory),
AB(National Optical Astronomy Observatory),
AC(National Optical Astronomy Observatory),
AD(Centro de Apoyo a la Didáctica de la Astronomía
(CADIAS), Chile), AE(UCAR), AF(UCAR), AG(UCAR),
AH(UCAR), AI(CSU)
Publication: 2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical
Society Meeting 209, id.71.09; Bulletin of the
American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.982
Publication Date: 12/2006
Origin: AAS
Bibliographic Code: 2006AAS...209.7109W
Abstract
More than 18,000 citizen-scientists in 96 countries submitted almost
4,600 observations of the darkness of their local night skies during the
10-day “GLOBE at Night” event at the end of March 2006. The
GLOBE at Night program was designed to help students, families, and the
general public observe and record how the constellation Orion looked
from different locations, as a means of measuring the brightness of the
sky at a variety of urban and rural sites. The program was conducted to
aid teaching about the impact of artificial lighting on local
environments, and the ongoing loss of a dark night sky as a natural
resource for the world’s population. Observers reported their
results online by comparing the number of stars seen toward Orion with a
set of template images on the program’s Web site. These images
showed the number of stars in the constellation for a range of
visibilities from bright skies to very dark.
This session will describe the analysis from last year and our plans for
this year to incorporate more technology into the GLOBE at Night
program. Citizen-scientists will use sky quality meters (visible light
photometers), calibrated digital photography, and GPS as a means to
measure and map more accurately the brightness of the sky at selected
urban and rural sites.
Given the widespread interest in the inaugural GLOBE at Night event, the
GLOBE at Night team is eager to offer it again from March 8-21, 2007.
For more information, see www.globe.gov/GaN or contact
<u>globeatnight@globe.gov</u>.
Title: Box: The Sky Quality Meter
Authors: Flanders, Tony
Publication: Sky & Telescope, Vol. 111, no. 2, p. 104
(S&T Homepage)
Publication Date: 02/2006
Origin: WEB
Bibliographic Code: 2006S&T...111b.104F
Abstract
Not Available
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