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(IAAC) Re: Measuring transparency
Yann Pothier of the 'netastrocatalog' list asked:
>Are meteor counts of observers with same LM, unobstructed view, moon
>and date/time statistically constant?
[Please remember to include BOTH 'meteorobs' and 'netastrocatalog' on
your response to this particular thread... Thanks! -Lew]
There are still variations after these corrections are made - but they
can be accounted for over time by one of two things: difference in one
or more shower radiants' elevation between two observing sites, or a
less systematic difference between individual observers' perception.
Observer meteor perception factors are in fact a hot topic right now!
>question is: Is faint haze so troublesome for deep sky objects
>affecting meteor counts ? (faint meteors of course).
I'm sorry, Yann, this question didn't come through as clearly. Are you
asking if small variations in LM affect meteor rates? Yes, they signi-
ficantly do! In fact, for a loss of LM one magnitude, the general rule
of thumb is that meteor rates will decrease by 50%-70!
Still of course, a thin cirrus haze may only decrease LM by a few 0.1s
of a magnitude, yet have a much larger impact on visibility of extended
DSOs, particularly low-surface brightness ones with continuum spectra!
Clear skies, many galaxies, and many meteors! :)
Lew
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