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Re: (meteorobs) The Bortle Dark Sky Scale and meteors?
Bob Lunsford wrote:
>The Bortle Scale is not available on line but is published in the February
>issue of Sky & Telescope. For those who do not receive "Sky & Telescope",
>a copy of the Feb. issue should be available is any well stocked library. I
>would encourage all observers to attempt to use the Bortle scale in addition
>to your normal limiting magnitude estimates and to share your results...
I'm glad to hear you agreed this idea was worth considering, Bob! I intend
to start estimating Bortle Scales regularly in my meteor sessions, noting
my estimated "Bortle number" for each session in the "Comments" section of
future IMO reports. (Whenever I end up managing to file them, that is! :<)
By the way, the Bortle Scale *is* available in a simple-text form, and I've
obtained John Bortle's permission to distribute it here. I will forward that
as a separate posting immediately after this one.
Also, John Bortle indicated to me that he feels strongly that recording the
Scale MIGHT prove useful to future meteor researchers some day! (He is not,
that I know of, a regular meteor observer - though as a comet hunter and an
active amateur scientist, he is well acquainted with our community.) I'd be
interested to hear from Rainer, Sirko, Jim Richardson or others on the list
whether and how they feel the scale might be useful? Devising a correction
for duration data in train studies is one possibility that springs to mind.
Anyway, I encourage other experienced IMO (and non-IMO!) recorders to at
least consider estimating a Bortle Scale during future observing sessions.
Again if you already feel you're recording too much as it is, then DON'T
add this datum: after all, it isn't part of the IMO method, and MAY never
prove to be useful for analyzing your data... But if you'd like to keep
a record of observing conditions for your own reference, and you feel it
MIGHT prove useful for others later, it certainly seems worthwhile.
Clear skies,
Lew Gramer
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