Weather conditions at Timau National Observatory from ERA5
Weather conditions at Timau National Observatory from ERA5
A new observatory site should be investigated for its local climate conditions to see its potential and limitations. In this respect, we examine several meteorological parameters at the site of Timau National Observatory, Indonesia using the ERA5 dataset from 2002 to 2021. Based on this dataset, we conclude that the surface temperature at Timau is around C with relatively small temperature variation (C) over the day. This temperature stability is expected to give advantages to the observatory. In terms of humidity and water vapour, Timau is poor for infrared observations as the median precipitable water vapour exceeds 18 mm, even during the dry season. However, near-infrared observations are feasible. Even though our cloud cover analysis confirms the span of the observing season in the region, we find a significant discrepancy between the clear sky fraction derived from the ERA5 dataset and the one estimated using satellite imagery. Aside from the indicated bias, our results provide insights and directions for the operation and future development of the observatory.
Astronomical site protection (94), Observatories (1147)
Priyatikanto, Rhorom
c250c3ca-958c-46a2-969a-3ad689b8630b
Admiranto, Agustinus Gunawan
8d050264-7f5d-4df6-a197-d9fd9bc1aaff
Djamaluddin, Thomas
bc53a668-da88-4cb7-ab62-c174aca60209
Rachman, Abdul
2687d036-830b-4916-bc2e-67ed8678f47e
Wijaya, Dudy
4f069d86-3d2b-4286-9fd3-70877a764a9a
Priyatikanto, Rhorom
c250c3ca-958c-46a2-969a-3ad689b8630b
Admiranto, Agustinus Gunawan
8d050264-7f5d-4df6-a197-d9fd9bc1aaff
Djamaluddin, Thomas
bc53a668-da88-4cb7-ab62-c174aca60209
Rachman, Abdul
2687d036-830b-4916-bc2e-67ed8678f47e
Wijaya, Dudy
4f069d86-3d2b-4286-9fd3-70877a764a9a
Priyatikanto, Rhorom, Admiranto, Agustinus Gunawan, Djamaluddin, Thomas, Rachman, Abdul and Wijaya, Dudy
(2024)
Weather conditions at Timau National Observatory from ERA5.
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 41, [e058].
(doi:10.1017/pasa.2024.69).
Abstract
A new observatory site should be investigated for its local climate conditions to see its potential and limitations. In this respect, we examine several meteorological parameters at the site of Timau National Observatory, Indonesia using the ERA5 dataset from 2002 to 2021. Based on this dataset, we conclude that the surface temperature at Timau is around C with relatively small temperature variation (C) over the day. This temperature stability is expected to give advantages to the observatory. In terms of humidity and water vapour, Timau is poor for infrared observations as the median precipitable water vapour exceeds 18 mm, even during the dry season. However, near-infrared observations are feasible. Even though our cloud cover analysis confirms the span of the observing season in the region, we find a significant discrepancy between the clear sky fraction derived from the ERA5 dataset and the one estimated using satellite imagery. Aside from the indicated bias, our results provide insights and directions for the operation and future development of the observatory.
Text
priyatikanto-2406.11027v1
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
e-pub ahead of print date: 23 September 2024
Additional Information:
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Astronomical Society of Australia.
Keywords:
Astronomical site protection (94), Observatories (1147)
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 497117
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/497117
ISSN: 1323-3580
PURE UUID: aa54102e-dd7a-48b5-847b-63eccd4dcda6
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 14 Jan 2025 17:39
Last modified: 23 Mar 2025 05:01
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Rhorom Priyatikanto
Author:
Agustinus Gunawan Admiranto
Author:
Thomas Djamaluddin
Author:
Abdul Rachman
Author:
Dudy Wijaya
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics