Re: Argus: Any Argus Members conducting Optical SETI?

[Larry Klaes <lklaes@bbn.com>]

Edward, you will be pleased to learn that neither
light pollution nor even clouds can stop Optical SETI.

Dr. Kingsley has the details here regarding light pollution:

http://www.coseti.org/pollutio.htm

I cannot find the reference regarding clouds at the moment.

Larry


At 11:13 PM 02/14/2001 -0900, Edward R. Cole wrote:

>>From: Larry Klaes <lklaes@bbn.com>
>>Seeing as Optical SETI has been "blessed" by mainstream SETI
>>in very recent times:
>>I am wondering how many folks are now conducting - or
>>plan to conduct - their own Optical SETI project?
>
>Certainly a good question.  
>
>However, living two miles from the coast, I am subject to a maritime
>climate which has considerable precipitation and clouds, so optical
>astronomy would not be possible for a significant percent of the time [over
>50%].  Perhaps the IR or the UV spectrum would be less affected by cloud
>cover for stations in my circumstance?  At microwaves <10 GHz, I believe
>this is less of a problem.  I can assess this by my ku-band [11.5 GHz]
>satellite TV reception using a 33 inch dish at elevation of ~15 degrees.
>It is subject to signal fade from heavy rain or snow fall.  When I had my
>old c-band [4 Ghz] dish this was rarely a problem.
>
>Example:  last weekend we had 40 hours continous snowfall ~ 24 inches
>accumulation.  It buried the Ku-band dish on my roof...signal went away!
>Shovel solved the problem ;-)  Skies were cloudy for several days.  Last
>two have been sunny [but that is the exception up here].
>
>I also have light polution to the west from a refinery two miles from me,
>and Anchorage [60 miles] lights up the northern sky if there are any clouds
>to refract it.  Yard lights are popular here, too!  Things to deal with for
>optical observations!  Then of course in the summer the sky never darkens
>completely!  OSETI is probably not practical up here.
>
>Ed
>BP40iq