A radiometric all-sky infrared camera (RASICAM) for DES/CTIO

Peter M. Lewis; Howard Rogers; Rafe H. Schindler

doi:10.1117/12.856483

19 July 2010 A radiometric all-sky infrared camera (RASICAM) for DES/CTIO

Peter M. Lewis, Howard Rogers, Rafe H. Schindler

Proceedings Volume 7735, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III; 77353C (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856483
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

A novel radiometric all-sky infrared camera [RASICAM] has been constructed to allow automated real-time quantitative assessment of night sky conditions for the Dark Energy Camera [DECam] located on the Blanco Telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. The camera is optimized to detect the position, motion and optical depth of thin, high (8-10km) cirrus clouds and contrails by measuring their apparent temperature above the night sky background. The camera system utilizes a novel wide-field equiresolution catadioptic mirror system that provides sky coverage of 2π azimuth and 14-90° from zenith. Several new technological and design innovations allow the RASICAM system to provide unprecedented cloud detection and IR-based photometricity quantification. The design of the RASICAM system is presented.

Citation Download Citation

Peter M. Lewis, Howard Rogers, and Rafe H. Schindler "A radiometric all-sky infrared camera (RASICAM) for DES/CTIO", Proc. SPIE 7735, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III, 77353C (19 July 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856483

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