All-sky mid-infrared imagery to characterize sky conditions and improve STELLA's observational performance

摘要

The All Sky Infrared Visible Analyzer (ASIVA) is an instrument principally designed to characterize sky con-ditions for purposes of improving ground-based astronomical observational performance. The ASIVA's primaryfunctionality is to provide radiometrically calibrated imagery across the entire sky over the mid-infrared (IR)spectrum (8-13 μm). Calibration procedures have been developed for purposes of quantifying the photometricquality of the sky. These data products are used to provide the STELLA scheduler with real-time measuredconditions of the sky/clouds, including thin cirrus to better optimize observing strategy. We describe how thiscan be used in the denition of the observing programs to make best use of the telescope time. Additionalresearch is underway to correlate infrared spectral radiance with visible-spectrum extinction.© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.