Sky brightness and transparency in the i-band at Dome a, Antarctica

Hu Zou; Xu Zhou; Zhaoji Jiang; M. C.B. AshLey; Xiangqun Cui; Longlong Feng; Xuefei Gong; Jingyao Hu; C. A. KuLesa; J. S. Lawrence; Genrong Liu; D. M. Luong-Van; Jun Ma; A. M. Moore; C. R. Pennypacker; Weijia Qin; Zhaohui Shang; J. W.V. Storey; Bo Sun; T. Travouillon; C. K. Walker; Jiali Wang; Lifan Wang; Jianghua Wu; Zhenyu Wu; Lirong Xia; Jun Yan; Ji Yang; Huigen Yang; Yongqiang Yao; Xiangyan Yuan; D. G. York; Zhanhai Zhang; Zhenxi Zhu

doi:10.1088/0004-6256/140/2/602

Sky brightness and transparency in the i-band at Dome a, Antarctica

Hu Zou^*, Xu Zhou, Zhaoji Jiang, M. C.B. AshLey, Xiangqun Cui, Longlong Feng, Xuefei Gong, Jingyao Hu, C. A. KuLesa, J. S. Lawrence, Genrong Liu, D. M. Luong-Van, Jun Ma, A. M. Moore, C. R. Pennypacker, Weijia Qin, Zhaohui Shang, J. W.V. Storey, Bo Sun, T. TravouillonC. K. Walker, Jiali Wang, Lifan Wang, Jianghua Wu, Zhenyu Wu, Lirong Xia, Jun Yan, Ji Yang, Huigen Yang, Yongqiang Yao, Xiangyan Yuan, D. G. York, Zhanhai Zhang, Zhenxi Zhu

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

57 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The i-band observing conditions at Dome A on the Antarctic plateau have been investigated using data acquired during 2008 with the Chinese Small Telescope Array. The sky brightness, variations in atmospheric transparency, cloud cover, and the presence of aurorae are obtained from these images. The median sky brightness of moonless clear nights is 20.5 mag arcsec-2 in the SDSS i band at the south celestial pole (which includes a contribution of about 0.06 mag from diffuse Galactic light). The median over all Moon phases in the Antarctic winter is about 19.8 mag arcsec-2. There were no thick clouds in 2008. We model contributions of the Sun and the Moon to the sky background to obtain the relationship between the sky brightness and transparency. Aurorae are identified by comparing the observed sky brightness to the sky brightness expected from this model. About 2% of the images are affected by relatively strong aurorae.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	602-611
Number of pages	10
Journal	Astronomical Journal
Volume	140
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/140/2/602
Publication status	Published - Aug 2010
Externally published	Yes

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Zou, H., Zhou, X., Jiang, Z., AshLey, M. C. B., Cui, X., Feng, L., Gong, X., Hu, J., KuLesa, C. A., Lawrence, J. S., Liu, G., Luong-Van, D. M., Ma, J., Moore, A. M., Pennypacker, C. R., Qin, W., Shang, Z., Storey, J. W. V., Sun, B., ... Zhu, Z. (2010). Sky brightness and transparency in the i-band at Dome a, Antarctica. Astronomical Journal, 140(2), 602-611. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/140/2/602

@article{53e0e22421b04d678bdd3fe807bcebf0,

title = "Sky brightness and transparency in the i-band at Dome a, Antarctica",

abstract = "The i-band observing conditions at Dome A on the Antarctic plateau have been investigated using data acquired during 2008 with the Chinese Small Telescope Array. The sky brightness, variations in atmospheric transparency, cloud cover, and the presence of aurorae are obtained from these images. The median sky brightness of moonless clear nights is 20.5 mag arcsec-2 in the SDSS i band at the south celestial pole (which includes a contribution of about 0.06 mag from diffuse Galactic light). The median over all Moon phases in the Antarctic winter is about 19.8 mag arcsec-2. There were no thick clouds in 2008. We model contributions of the Sun and the Moon to the sky background to obtain the relationship between the sky brightness and transparency. Aurorae are identified by comparing the observed sky brightness to the sky brightness expected from this model. About 2% of the images are affected by relatively strong aurorae.",

keywords = "Methods: Data analysis, Methods: Statistical, Techniques: Photometric, Telescopes",

author = "Hu Zou and Xu Zhou and Zhaoji Jiang and AshLey, {M. C.B.} and Xiangqun Cui and Longlong Feng and Xuefei Gong and Jingyao Hu and KuLesa, {C. A.} and Lawrence, {J. S.} and Genrong Liu and Luong-Van, {D. M.} and Jun Ma and Moore, {A. M.} and Pennypacker, {C. R.} and Weijia Qin and Zhaohui Shang and Storey, {J. W.V.} and Bo Sun and T. Travouillon and Walker, {C. K.} and Jiali Wang and Lifan Wang and Jianghua Wu and Zhenyu Wu and Lirong Xia and Jun Yan and Ji Yang and Huigen Yang and Yongqiang Yao and Xiangyan Yuan and York, {D. G.} and Zhanhai Zhang and Zhenxi Zhu",

year = "2010",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1088/0004-6256/140/2/602",

language = "English",

volume = "140",

pages = "602--611",

journal = "Astronomical Journal",

issn = "0004-6256",

publisher = "American Astronomical Society",

number = "2",

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Zou, H, Zhou, X, Jiang, Z, AshLey, MCB, Cui, X, Feng, L, Gong, X, Hu, J, KuLesa, CA, Lawrence, JS, Liu, G, Luong-Van, DM, Ma, J, Moore, AM, Pennypacker, CR, Qin, W, Shang, Z, Storey, JWV, Sun, B, Travouillon, T, Walker, CK, Wang, J, Wang, L, Wu, J, Wu, Z, Xia, L, Yan, J, Yang, J, Yang, H, Yao, Y, Yuan, X, York, DG, Zhang, Z & Zhu, Z 2010, 'Sky brightness and transparency in the i-band at Dome a, Antarctica', Astronomical Journal, vol. 140, no. 2, pp. 602-611. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/140/2/602

TY - JOUR

T1 - Sky brightness and transparency in the i-band at Dome a, Antarctica

AU - Zou, Hu

AU - Zhou, Xu

AU - Jiang, Zhaoji

AU - AshLey, M. C.B.

AU - Cui, Xiangqun

AU - Feng, Longlong

AU - Gong, Xuefei

AU - Hu, Jingyao

AU - KuLesa, C. A.

AU - Lawrence, J. S.

AU - Liu, Genrong

AU - Luong-Van, D. M.

AU - Ma, Jun

AU - Moore, A. M.

AU - Pennypacker, C. R.

AU - Qin, Weijia

AU - Shang, Zhaohui

AU - Storey, J. W.V.

AU - Sun, Bo

AU - Travouillon, T.

AU - Walker, C. K.

AU - Wang, Jiali

AU - Wang, Lifan

AU - Wu, Jianghua

AU - Wu, Zhenyu

AU - Xia, Lirong

AU - Yan, Jun

AU - Yang, Ji

AU - Yang, Huigen

AU - Yao, Yongqiang

AU - Yuan, Xiangyan

AU - York, D. G.

AU - Zhang, Zhanhai

AU - Zhu, Zhenxi

PY - 2010/8

Y1 - 2010/8

N2 - The i-band observing conditions at Dome A on the Antarctic plateau have been investigated using data acquired during 2008 with the Chinese Small Telescope Array. The sky brightness, variations in atmospheric transparency, cloud cover, and the presence of aurorae are obtained from these images. The median sky brightness of moonless clear nights is 20.5 mag arcsec-2 in the SDSS i band at the south celestial pole (which includes a contribution of about 0.06 mag from diffuse Galactic light). The median over all Moon phases in the Antarctic winter is about 19.8 mag arcsec-2. There were no thick clouds in 2008. We model contributions of the Sun and the Moon to the sky background to obtain the relationship between the sky brightness and transparency. Aurorae are identified by comparing the observed sky brightness to the sky brightness expected from this model. About 2% of the images are affected by relatively strong aurorae.

AB - The i-band observing conditions at Dome A on the Antarctic plateau have been investigated using data acquired during 2008 with the Chinese Small Telescope Array. The sky brightness, variations in atmospheric transparency, cloud cover, and the presence of aurorae are obtained from these images. The median sky brightness of moonless clear nights is 20.5 mag arcsec-2 in the SDSS i band at the south celestial pole (which includes a contribution of about 0.06 mag from diffuse Galactic light). The median over all Moon phases in the Antarctic winter is about 19.8 mag arcsec-2. There were no thick clouds in 2008. We model contributions of the Sun and the Moon to the sky background to obtain the relationship between the sky brightness and transparency. Aurorae are identified by comparing the observed sky brightness to the sky brightness expected from this model. About 2% of the images are affected by relatively strong aurorae.

KW - Methods: Data analysis

KW - Methods: Statistical

KW - Techniques: Photometric

KW - Telescopes

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78049234829&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1088/0004-6256/140/2/602

DO - 10.1088/0004-6256/140/2/602

M3 - Article

SN - 0004-6256

VL - 140

SP - 602

EP - 611

JO - Astronomical Journal

JF - Astronomical Journal

IS - 2

ER -

Sky brightness and transparency in the i-band at Dome a, Antarctica

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