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FOR ALL AMATEUR
ASTRONOMERS |
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FOR ADVENTURING AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS |
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ATACAMA FOR SHORTER ITINERARIES
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CUSTOMIZED FOR CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS
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VERY
LARGE TELESCOPE (VLT) |
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ATACAMA
LARGE MILLIMETER ARRAY (ALMA) |
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THE TOP 10
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE OBJECTS |
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Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) Statistic
(1948-2002) |
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As with many outdoor activities the
conditions for astronomical observing are highly dependent
on weather, and QuasarChile CANNOT GUARANTEE PERFECT conditions
for all of its expeditions. Nevertheless, the Atacama
desert area surrounding San Pedro is world-renowned for
its outstanding clear, dry skies for major fractions of
the year. An illustration of the quantity of precipitable
water vapor (PWV) (correlated with cloud cover) in the
Chajnantor high mountain region (~16,500 ft.) of Chile
near San Pedro is shown in the accompanying diagram, which
covers the period from 1948 to 2002.
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Credit: Bustos, R.,
ALMA Memo Series No. 433. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis data is
provided by the NOAA-CIRES Climate Diagnostics Center,
Boulder, CO, USA. |
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Optimal observing conditions in Chajnantor
occur throughout the April – November (inclusive)
time period, although some small fluctuations (<3mm)
are also seen during July-August corresponding to the
chilean winter. The conditions are even slightly better
at the lower elevations ( ~ 7500 ft.) closer to San Pedro
where most of the QuasarChile observing sessions take
place (QC-01 /QC-02). |
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Statistically, the chances
of having one or more observing sessions prevented by
clouds are very low during the April - May - June and
Sept - October - November months and quite low during
July - August. See the Satellite infrared image here
(link). |
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