Stargazers Lounge Uses Cookies
Like most websites, SGL uses cookies in order to deliver a secure, personalised service, to provide social media functions and to analyse our traffic. Continued use of SGL indicates your acceptance of our cookie policy.
Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'transparency'.
Found 2 results
-
I recently had one of my most memorable observing sessions to date (REPORT HERE). The reason this session really stood out was due in very large part to having extremely good transparency AND seeing that morning. Just a couple of days ago I had a clear morning and tried to repeat the experience. I did have a nice session, but when I turned my scope back to the planets the transparency was dismal compared to my prior session. I could barely make out any detail on the planets, and views were just not very impressive overall. Now it is not news to me that we are observing through the atmosphere of Earth, and looking out through all that gas is just like looking through water-- it can be anything from mucky and turbulent to crystal-clear and still. This all makes sense to me. My question is this: Are there some conditions I can watch to predict when the transparency and seeing will be good on a given night? Just off the top of my head I can deduce that any smoke or smog present would negatively affect viewing. It also seems like windy conditions would have a detrimental effect (aside from the wobbling it physically causes the scope and equipment). Also I can see how cold air is likely more transparent, as you have less "heat wave" effect. What conditions make for excellent transparency and seeing conditions? What a treat it was to have a clear AND transparent night, and now I want to be able to keep my eye out for more!! -
