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Re: (IAAC) Fwd: (meteorobs) LM Star Count vs Milky Way Perception
What methods are folks using to determine limiting magnitude ? Also how do
you handle a site with a severe light dome. For example using the little
dipper to determine limiting magnitude from my home would be a really bad
idea as I have a huge light dome from Columbus Ohio to my north. However by
using Delphinus I can easily see the 4.7 magnitude star at the base of the
"kite"
Scott Hogsten
----------
> From: Lew Gramer <dedalus@latrade.com>
> To: Internet Amateur Astronomers Catalog - Discussion
<netastrocatalog-announce@latrade.com>
> Subject: (IAAC) Fwd: (meteorobs) LM Star Count vs Milky Way Perception
> Date: Thursday, August 27, 1998 4:14 PM
>
>
> ------- Forwarded Message
>
> From: GeoZay@aol.com
> Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1998 14:38:40 EDT
> To: meteorobs@latrade.com
> Subject: (meteorobs) LM Star Count vs Milky Way Perception
>
> I have an interesting paradox that has puzzled me for some while. Perhaps
if I
> explain it here, someone will have some hint as to why this puzzle
exists?
>
> Sometime last year, Marco mentioned that he doesn't start noticing the
Milky
> Way until he gets a star count that gives an LM around 6.0. I believe
Robert
> Lunsford said something similar? They both often will achieve LM's on
dark
> nights in the upper 6's and above. My normal limiting magnitude that I
can get
> from a very dark sky location from this method is at best around 6.0 to
6.1.
> In my case, I begin to perceive the milky way when my LM is near 5.2.
These
> observers can see dimmer stars than I on a routine basis, but don't
notice the
> milky way until they get a 6.0 sky. It puzzles me as to why I can't see
the
> dimmer stars but am able to perceive the milky way with a brighter sky
than
> these individuals with the apparent better eyesight.
>
> At first I thought that my difficulty would lie in the area that some of
the
> dim stars in my star count are too close together and I'm not able to
split
> them for the count. But in some star count areas, there aren't any close
stars
> that would effect my star count that much and still give me an LM near
6.0. I
> routinely get a near 6.0 sky no matter where I make the count. I assume
it has
> something to with physiology...but can't seem to grasp in what way?
Perhaps
> the overall color of light from the Milky Way is easier for me to
perceive and
> still not able to pick up on dim stars all that much? Any one with any
ideas
> as to why?
>
> GeoZay
>
> ------- End of Forwarded Message
>
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