Visual Measurements of Atmospheric Transmission of Light at Night

Abstract

Measurements of the visual transmission of the atmosphere were made at night across Chesapeake Bay over a period of two years. A visual telephoto meter was used to measure the illumination produced at a distance of 8.77 sea miles by a series of calibrated light sources. Transmission values ranging between 0.4 and 0.9 per sea mile could be measured to an accuracy of plus or minus 2 percent with the equipment as installed. Lower values were outside the range of the equipment and higher values are not normal for transmission through air. Under stable atmospheric conditions the data obtained at night were in good agreement with direct observations of the daylight visual range made before sunset and after the following dawn.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 23, 1951
Accession Number
ADA457749

Entities

People

  • C. A. Pearson
  • M. J. Koomen
  • R. Tousey

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Atmospheric Attenuation
  • Attenuation
  • Brightness
  • Calibration
  • Candles
  • Chesapeake Bay
  • Color Temperature
  • Communication Systems
  • Light Sources
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Optical Equipment
  • Optics
  • Photometers
  • Sea Level
  • Searchlights

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Circadian Sleep-Wake Regulation and Chronobiology
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Radar Systems Engineering.