2018-09-27, 11:36 PM
Hello,
Another person has been telling me about how they use the SQM readings to plan their imaging. Now this is a little controversial to me, because I am not convinced that larger SQM values universally mean better quality images, and the mechanism of how it would do this isn't obvious to me.
Right now, SkyTools doesn't have a means of adjusting for sky "quality," for lack of a better term. Call it transparency, or SQM, or whatever. You can adjust the seeing, and the weather conditions determine how much extinction there is and affect the sky brightness to some extent, but a clear dark night is assumed. It is sort of a baseline. Crappy nights will get you less of everything. The sky brightness is part of the location because it wasn't meant to be changed.
I am starting to suspect that the way some people are treating their SQM readings, there would be some benefit to adding some sort of sky quality adjustment. I'm not really sure how to do this, however, because I suspect that in practice the higher SQM readings not only mean that there is less sky signal, but that there is more signal from the object. So maybe we are really talking about a link to the extinction with SQM? Obviously I need to look into this more.
Another person has been telling me about how they use the SQM readings to plan their imaging. Now this is a little controversial to me, because I am not convinced that larger SQM values universally mean better quality images, and the mechanism of how it would do this isn't obvious to me.
Right now, SkyTools doesn't have a means of adjusting for sky "quality," for lack of a better term. Call it transparency, or SQM, or whatever. You can adjust the seeing, and the weather conditions determine how much extinction there is and affect the sky brightness to some extent, but a clear dark night is assumed. It is sort of a baseline. Crappy nights will get you less of everything. The sky brightness is part of the location because it wasn't meant to be changed.
I am starting to suspect that the way some people are treating their SQM readings, there would be some benefit to adding some sort of sky quality adjustment. I'm not really sure how to do this, however, because I suspect that in practice the higher SQM readings not only mean that there is less sky signal, but that there is more signal from the object. So maybe we are really talking about a link to the extinction with SQM? Obviously I need to look into this more.
Clear skies,
Greg
Head Dude at Skyhound
Greg
Head Dude at Skyhound