SQM-LU, Front- and back view
SQM-LU, scope of delivery | SQM-LU
A USB SQM model for night-time sky brightness monitoring!
An affordable meter for continual, connected measuring of sky brightness for astronomers!
The "Sky Quality Meter - LU" measures the brightness of the night sky in magnitudes per square arcsecond. Note: The SQM-LU is intended for USB remote control only; it does not have a display. For standalone use, we recommend the SQM or SQM-L.
Uses:
- Find out how good the night or site REALLY is.
- Compare the sky brightness at different sites quantitatively.
- Document the evolution of light pollution in your area.
- Set planetarium dome illumination to mimic the skies people are
likely to experience elsewhere in the city.
- Monitor sky brightness through the night, night-to-night, and year-to-
year.
- Determine which nights show the greatest promise for finding the
'faintest fuzzies'!
- Calibrate the effect of sky brightness on qualitative measures such
as the Bortle Scale.
- Investigate how sky brightness correlates with the solar cycle and
month-to-month sunspot activity.
- Help provide local ground truth for future sky brightness prediction
with the Clear Sky Clock.
- CCD users can make a correlation between the SQM reading and
when the background reaches some ADC level.
Features:
- Sky brightness reported in visual magnitudes per square arcsecond.
- Infrared blocking filter restricts measurement to visual bandpass.
- Sensor temperature, model number, and serial number are provided.
- Precision readings at even the darkest sites.
- Field-upgradeable firmware.
- Open protocol document.
Specifications:
- USB connectivity
- Included applications for reading data in Perl.
- The Half Width Half Maximum (HWHM) of the angular sensitivity is
~10°. The Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) is then ~20°. The
sensitivity to a point source ~19° off-axis is a factor of 10 lower than
on-axis. A point source ~20° and ~40° off-axis would register 3.0 and
5.0 magnitudes fainter, respectively.
- Size 3.6 x 2.6 x 1.1 in.
- Maximum light sampling time: 80 seconds.
- Minimum light sampling time: 1 seconds.
- Specifications are subject to change without notice.
What you get:
- SQM-LU unit
- SQM-LU users manual
- CD with PDF manual and example software
- 15ft USB cable
- Calibration sheet indicates unit USB serial number, and calibration
values
Links you might find useful: Software Downloads: (These are external links. Teleskop-Service has no influence on and takes no responsibility for their content) |
