Night-sky brightness at observatories and sites

Abstract

A model previously constructed for night-sky brightness calculations has been modified to allow for the curvature of the earth. The model has been applied to calculate the brightness at the following observatories: Mount Wilson, Lick, Mount Palomar, Kitt Peak, Sacramento Peak, Mauna Kea, McDonald, San Pedro Martir, Mount Hopkins, Mount Lemmon, Lowell (Mars Hill), Lowell (Anderson Mesa), Fick, Iowa, Van Vleck, David Dunlap, Anglo-Australian, Haute Provence, and Cerro Tololo. Calculations have also been carried out for the following prospective observatory sites: Junipero Serra, Mount Graham, Charleston Peak, Wheeler Peak, Miller Peak, San Benito Mountain, Lowell (Hutch Mountain), Lowell (Saddle Mountain), and South Baldy (New Mexico). The model is extended to calculate magnitudes in the B photometric band.