Report on Sky Brightness, Seeing, and Weather Measurements at Timau Observatory, East Nusa Tenggara

Akbar, E. I.; Jatmiko, Agus; Mahasena, P.; Nurzaman, Muhamad Zamzam; Mumpuni, Emanuel Sungging; Mandey, D.; Raharto, Moedji

doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1245/1/012024

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The median seeing value obtained in July 2021 is smaller than the results obtained in the previous measurement in July 2018 [7]. While for the measurement in August 2021, the value is approximately the same with the previous result.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 73%

“…The previous measurement conducted in July 2018 shows that the median seeing in the Timau National Observatory site is 0.93 arcseconds and the night sky brightness is around 22.18 magnitude per square arcsecond [7]. The results of in situ measurements of seeing and night sky brightness carried out on July-August 2021 and meteorological properties measurements taken on August 2021 are presented in this report.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

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Report on seeing, sky brightness, and meteorological properties measurements at Timau National Observatory site

Saputra¹,

Danarianto²,

Murti³

et al. 2022

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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With the existence of the Timau National Observatory, the site testing of the observatory location must be carried out to provide supporting data regarding the quality of the National Observatory site. Some site testing that needs to be done are seeing, sky brightness, and meteorological properties measurements. In this paper, the seeing and sky brightness measurements in July-August 2021 are presented. These measurements were conducted using the Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM) method with a 20 cm telescope and a Sky Quality Meter (SQM) respectively. From the results of these measurements, it was found that the site of Timau National Observatory has good seeing conditions with median of 0.92 arcseconds and most sky brightness values are around 22.02 magnitude per square arcsecond. The monitoring results of meteorological properties, such as air temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, and wind speed and direction during August 2021 that recorded by an automatic weather station are also presented.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Report on seeing, sky brightness, and meteorological properties measurements at Timau National Observatory site

Saputra¹,

Danarianto²,

Murti³

et al. 2022

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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“…However, some technical issues, such as limited resources and access to the site, hindered the deployment and continuous operation of instruments for in-situ monitoring. Earlier reports by (Akbar et al 2019) mentioned that the sky brightness at Timau is between 19.63 and 22.18 magnitude per arcsecond square, which is sufficiently good (Aksaker et al 2020;Deng et al 2021). These values are based on short-term monitoring using Sky Quality Meter (SQM, Cinzano 2005;Fruck et al 2015;Sánchez de Miguel et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterisation of Timau National Observatory using limited in-situ measurements

Priyatikanto,

Mumpuni,

Hidayat

et al. 2022

Preprint

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A new astronomical observatory in southeastern Indonesia is currently under construction. This Timau National Observatory will host a 3.8-metre telescope for optical and near-infrared observations. To support the operation and planning, the characterisation of the site needs to be appropriately performed. However, limited resources and access to the site hindered the deployment of instruments for comprehensive site testing. Fortunately, in-situ sky brightness data from the Sky Quality Meter (SQM) have been available for almost two years. Based on the data acquired in 470 nights, we obtain a background sky brightness of 𝜇 0 = 21.86 ± 0.38 magnitude/arcsec 2 . Additionally, we evaluate the moonlit sky brightness to estimate the atmospheric extinction coefficient (𝑘) and level of scattering on site. We find an alleviated value of 𝑘 = 0.48 ± 0.04, associated with a high atmospheric aerosol content. It is considered regular for an equatorial area situated at a low altitude (∼1300 masl). By analysing the fluctuation of the sky brightness and infrared images from Himawari-8 satellite, we estimate the available observing time (AOT) of at least 5.3 hours/night and the yearly average percentage of usable nights of 66%. The monthly average AOT from SQM and satellite data analysis correlate with 𝑅 = 0.82. In terms of the monthly percentage of usable nights, the correlation coefficient is 𝑅 = 0.78. During the wet season (November-April), the results from SQM and satellite data analysis deviate more significantly, mainly due to the limited capability of Himawari-8 in detecting fragmented low-altitude clouds. According to these results, we expect Timau to complement other observatories greatly.

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Characterization of Timau National Observatory using limited in situ measurements

Priyatikanto

Mumpuni

Hidayat

et al. 2022

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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A new astronomical observatory in south-eastern Indonesia is currently under construction. This Timau National Observatory will host a 3.8-m telescope for optical and near-infrared observations. To support the operation and planning, the characterization of the site needs to be appropriately performed. However, limited resources and access to the site hindered the deployment of instruments for comprehensive site testing. Fortunately, in situ sky brightness data from the Sky Quality Meter (SQM) have been available for almost 2 yr. Based on the data acquired in 470 nights, we obtain a background sky brightness of μ0 = 21.86 ± 0.38 mag arcsec−2. Additionally, we evaluate the moonlit sky brightness to estimate the atmospheric extinction coefficient (k) and level of scattering on site. We find an elevated value of k = 0.48 ± 0.04, associated with a high atmospheric aerosol content. It is considered regular for an equatorial area situated at a low altitude (∼1300 masl). By analysing the fluctuation of the sky brightness and infrared images from Himawari-8 satellite, we estimate the available observing time (AOT) of at least 5.3 h/night and the yearly average percentage of usable nights of $66{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$. The monthly average AOT from SQM and satellite data analysis correlate with R = 0.82. In terms of the monthly percentage of usable nights, the correlation coefficient is R = 0.78. During the wet season (November–April), the results from SQM and satellite data analysis deviate more significantly, mainly due to the limited capability of Himawari-8 in detecting fragmented low-altitude clouds. According to these results, we expect Timau to complement other observatories greatly.

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Report on Sky Brightness, Seeing, and Weather Measurements at Timau Observatory, East Nusa Tenggara

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Report on seeing, sky brightness, and meteorological properties measurements at Timau National Observatory site

Report on seeing, sky brightness, and meteorological properties measurements at Timau National Observatory site

Characterisation of Timau National Observatory using limited in-situ measurements

Characterization of Timau National Observatory using limited in situ measurements

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