Abstract
The atmospheric turbulence and meteorology of the Maidanak Observatory in Uzbekistan are reviewed. Night time seeing was measured during the period August 1996 - November 1999 with the ESO Dierential Image Motion Monitor. The median zenith seeing (FWHM) for the entire period of observations is 0.69 00 at 0.5 m. A maximum clear sky season for Maidanak is July - September, with about 90% of possible clear time and a median seeing of 0.69 00 . The best monthly median seeing, 0.62 00 , is observed in November. The winter maximum of clear time is usually observed in February (up to 50%) with a FWHM of 0.77 00 . During an additional site testing campaign (9 nights) organized in July 1998, the median wavefront outer scaleL0 of 25.9 m and a median isopla- natic angle0 of 2.48 00 were measured with the Generalized Seeing Monitor developed at the University of Nice. The temporal evolution of the wavefront can be described by several layers moving at slow velocities with predominant direction from the West. This corresponds to a remarkably large atmospheric time constant. No correlation between wavefront velocity and the wind velocity at ground level was found. The good seeing, large isoplanatic angle and, especially, slow wind, place Maidanak Observatory among the best international astronomical sites for high angu- lar resolution observations by interferometry and adaptive optics.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
