Re: [APML] Weather Report 2001

["Tom & Lou Krajci" <krajcit@3lefties.com>]

From: "Robert Reeves" <reeves10@swbell.net>

> I propose that all of us APML folks keep a similar log for 2002 and lets
> compare a compilation of the results during our Jan 1, 2003 hangover.
>
> I have always seen weather records that say "clear" or "cloudy", but have
> been skeptical about what they regard as "clear".  Clear for the rest of
the
> world often is not clear at all for an astrophotographer.
>
> So by whatever method you chose, notes in an observing log book, marked on
a
> calendar, or in your personal appointment book, lets keep a note of how
the
> weekend nights are for 2002 and gather them for a "National clear night
> report for 2002".

One side benefit to my photometry/CCD imaging is that I have a record of the
sky background brightness for every exposure, and a C drive directory for
every night that was clear enough to image (and for photometry occasional
thin cirrus can be acceptable).  Off the cuff I can see that 15 days in Dec,
2001 were good enough for me to image (and add at least one or two more
clear nights on which I did not image...too tired...visiting friends on
Christmas Day, etc.)  If I examine the light curve data I could then say
what percentage of those nights were cloud free.

I can also see on the data the effect of the moon, but since my Cookbook CCD
is mostly red sensitive, the moon needs to be 50% illuminated or worse to
really make an impact.  (That's a hint...if you shoot RGB tricolor Tech
Pan...you may be able to shoot your red images on nights with a 6 day old
moon and save the moonless nights for the green and blue filters.)

Tom Krajci

PS.  I also have a sky background/photometric record of the auroral storm of
April, which doesn't happen too often at 34N.


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