New dust measurements at ORM, and comparison with Paranal Observatory

G. Lombardi; V. Zitelli; S. Ortolani; A. Ghedina; A. Garcia; E. Molinari; C. Gatica

doi:10.1117/12.856981

6 August 2010 New dust measurements at ORM, and comparison with Paranal Observatory

G. Lombardi, V. Zitelli, S. Ortolani, A. Ghedina, A. Garcia, E. Molinari, C. Gatica

Proceedings Volume 7733, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes III; 77334G (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856981
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The performances of a modern telescope and its safety are dependent on the presence of atmospheric dust. The TNG telescope at ORM (Canary Islands) was one of the first sites monitored on a continuous basis by an automatic dust monitor. This paper presents the analysis of about 10 years of atmospheric dust content collected at the ORM using the TNG facilities. We have detected particles of 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10.0 μm size. In this study particles of 0.5 and 5.0 μm measured at Paranal Observatory (Chile) are also compared to those similar at TNG. The seasonal behavior of the particles content in the atmosphere is compared between the two sites. The contribution of the dust emissivity to the sky brightness in the NIR is computed for the first time. To complete this study we defined the aerosol mass critical limit to be used as a safety limit for the observations. We found a limit of 12 μg m^-3 as total mass of (0.5 + 5.0) μm particles.

Citation Download Citation

G. Lombardi, V. Zitelli, S. Ortolani, A. Ghedina, A. Garcia, E. Molinari, and C. Gatica "New dust measurements at ORM, and comparison with Paranal Observatory", Proc. SPIE 7733, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes III, 77334G (6 August 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856981

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available