Astronomical site testing with balloon borne radiosonde: Results about atmospheric turbulence, solar seeing and stellar scintillation.
Abstract
The paper summarizes the results of radiosonde measurements of atmospheric turbulence up to 20,000 m and stellar scintillation and solar seeing measurements at three possible astronomical observation sites. Two of the sites are in the Canary Islands and are imbedded in large homogeneous air masses, and the other site is an island off the coast of Portugal, where continental winds at intermediate heights introduce turbulent air masses between two undisturbed layers. The Canary Island sites appear to have the best qualifications for high-resolution solar observations. Good correlation was established between stellar scintillation and atmospheric turbulence, so that inexpensive scintillation measurements could be used to estimate daytime seeing.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- February 1977
- Bibcode:
- 1977A&A....54..649B
- Keywords:
-
- Astronomical Observatories;
- Atmospheric Optics;
- Atmospheric Turbulence;
- Balloon-Borne Instruments;
- Radiosondes;
- Scintillation;
- Atmospheric Effects;
- Canary Islands;
- Data Acquisition;
- Electromagnetic Wave Transmission;
- Optical Measurement;
- Sites;
- Vertical Distribution;
- Visual Perception;
- Astronomy