ATMOSPHERIC EXTINCTION AT McDONALD OBSERVATORY, 1960-68

Atmospheric extinction coefficients measured in the U,B,V bands at McDonald Observatory on 280 nights between December 1960 and October 1968 have been analyzed to derive the effects of seasonal variations, volcanic eruptions, and possibly secular trends. The spectral dependence of the various effect...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 1974-02, Vol.86 (509), p.104-115
Main Authors: DE VAUCOULEURS, G., ANGIONE, R. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arithmetic mean
Astronomical extinction
Atmospheric extinction
Coefficients
Extremely high frequencies
Night tables
Observatories
Ozone
Water vapor
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Summary:Atmospheric extinction coefficients measured in the U,B,V bands at McDonald Observatory on 280 nights between December 1960 and October 1968 have been analyzed to derive the effects of seasonal variations, volcanic eruptions, and possibly secular trends. The spectral dependence of the various effects are interpreted in terms of a variable tropospheric dust content with a λ⁻¹ extinction law, and a fluctuating amount of roughly neutral volcanic smoke averaging 0.03 mag since March 1963. There is no clear indication yet for a long term increase of atmospheric extinction over West Texas, but the pre-emption minimum seasonal values are about 0.02 magnitude greater than the calculated theoretical minimum for molecular scattering, corrected for ozone and water vapor absorption.
ISSN:0004-6280
1538-3873
DOI:10.1086/129570