An improved method for correcting atmospheric extinction
Presenter(s): Murray Forbes
Affiliation(s): Occultation Section (RASNZ), VSS, Wellington Astronomical Society
Session details: Friday, 2016-03-25 03:30:00, LT106
Abstract
The standard method for measuring and correcting for extinction by the Earth’s atmosphere is well known. However it requires ‘photometric’ conditions, i.e. the extinction must be constant across the entire sky and for the whole night. Due to our maritime climate, these conditions are very rare in New Zealand (and I expect it is similar in Australia but the audience is sure to tell me if I’m wrong). Approximately 30 years ago, the Vilnius Observatory developed another, little known, method for measuring and correcting extinction that can cope better with less that photometric conditions. This presentation will describe this method, which I hope will allow us to reduce the systematic error in our results that comes from applying incorrect extinction coefficients.
Biography
Murray hails from Wellington, New Zealand and earned a PhD in Astrophysics at Victoria University of Wellington in 1996. Since then he has worked in the research section of Opus, one of New Zealand’s largest engineering consultancy companies – mainly so he can indulge his expensive hobbies (astronomy and archery). His main astronomical interest in recent years has been occultations, and is the editor of the RASNZ Occultation Section’s circular.