The GPS water vapor monitor and thermal astronomy at Gemini South

James Radomski; Gelys Trancho; Lucas Fuhrman; Mark Falvey; Pedro Gigoux; Vanessa Montes; Felipe Daruich; Manuel Lazo

doi:10.1117/12.857073

29 July 2010 The GPS water vapor monitor and thermal astronomy at Gemini South

James Radomski, Gelys Trancho, Lucas Fuhrman, Mark Falvey, Pedro Gigoux, Vanessa Montes, Felipe Daruich, Manuel Lazo

Proceedings Volume 7737, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems III; 77371S (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857073
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We will discuss the implementation and calibration of a new GPS based water vapor monitor installed at Cerro Pachón for the Gemini Observatory in Chile. The primary goal of this system is the use of GPS signals to monitor the Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) in the atmosphere in near-realtime. This is vital in maximizing the efficiency of queue observations in the thermal infrared in which atmospheric transmission and sensitivity is highly dependent on PWV. The GPS WV system was calibrated using near-IR spectroscopy of known water lines based on atmosphere models and imaging the thermal mid-IR background. Observations were conducted using the near-IR imager/spectrometer Phoenix for K, L, and M-band spectroscopy (2.2μm, 3.5μm, 4.5μm) and the mid-infrared imager/spectrometer T-ReCS imaging between 8-20 μm.

Citation Download Citation

James Radomski, Gelys Trancho, Lucas Fuhrman, Mark Falvey, Pedro Gigoux, Vanessa Montes, Felipe Daruich, and Manuel Lazo "The GPS water vapor monitor and thermal astronomy at Gemini South", Proc. SPIE 7737, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems III, 77371S (29 July 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857073

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