[vsnet-chat 136] Clear weather alarm

["Lasse Teist Jensen, LTJ" <ltj@tt.dk>]

Hi all,

In Denmark we have a lot of cloudy weather.
I naturally wish to use every clear moment for my observations.

I often check the weather several times during a night. I sleep between
the weather checkings!  Often I check the weather every 2-3 hour from
midnight to daylight. 
But it is a disappointement to have checked the weather during an entire
night and then find that the weather has become totally clear between
the last checking and daylight.

I wonder if anybody has built a clear weather alarm.
The alarm should be activated if the weather has been clear for about 15
minutes. Then I could go up and check the weather myself to see if
it is really worthwhile to carry out the equipment.
The alarm has to be cheap (100-150 US dollars or so).
So a solution with a CCD camera and a computer constantly taking images
is not a good solution ;-)

Which principles can be used for clear weather detection. Skybrightness
? Temperature ? Polar star ?
I have considered several options but not found any ideal parameter yet.

I think designing a clear weather alarm could be a good project for some
student engineers ;-)

Regards

Lasse Teist Jensen

VSNET Home Page

Return to Daisaku Nogami

---

vsnet-adm@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp