Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Aug 2000
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2000a%26as..145..293e&link_type=abstract
Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement, v.145, p.293-304
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
42
Atmospheric Effects, Site Testing
Scientific paper
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 Differential Image Motion Monitor. The median zenith seeing (FWHM) for the entire period of observations is 0.69\arcsec at 0.5 mu 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\arcsec. The best monthly median seeing, 0.62\arcsec, is observed in November. The winter maximum of clear time is usually observed in February (up to 50%) with a FWHM of 0.77\arcsec. During an additional site testing campaign (9 nights) organized in July 1998, the median wavefront outer scale L_0 of 25.9 m and a median isoplanatic angle theta_0 of 2.48\arcsec 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 angular resolution observations by interferometry and adaptive optics.
Baijumanov A. K.
Ehgamberdiev Shukhrat A.
Ilyasov S. P.
Sarazin Marc
Tillayev Y. A.
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