Can astronomical observation take place in daylight in Antacrtica?

swampwiz · Aug 16, 2020

I was reading this Wikipedia article that says observations can be done even when the Sun is at 38° of elevation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concordia_Station

Concordia Station has been identified as a suitable location for extremely accurate astronomical observations. The transparency of the Antarctic atmosphere permits the observation of stars even when the sun is at an elevation angle of 38°.

stefan r · Aug 18, 2020

Radio telescopes regularly operate in broad daylight in North America.

Starlight does not go away during the day. There is just a lot of noise we see as a blue sky. The 38 degrees just means "in broad daylight" if your station is 15 degree north of the south pole.

Taking measurements in infrared and placing the telescope at high altitude makes a big difference.

Vanadium 50 · Aug 18, 2020

stefan r said:

Radio telescopes regularly operate in broad daylight in North America.

If you want to go down that path, solar observatories seem to favor daylight for some reason.

phyzguy · Aug 18, 2020

Of course, you can see the moon during the day. I have been told that if you are in a clear sky location (up in the mountains, say) that you can see bright stars in the daytime if you are in a location where your eyes are shielded from the sunlight, such as down a well. I have seen Venus in the daytime with binoculars. You have to know where to look.

George Jones · Aug 18, 2020

phyzguy said:

I have seen Venus in the daytime with binoculars. You have to know where to look.

I have seen Venus around midday naked eye many times. It helps if it's near one of greatest elongations, and if the crescent Moon in not too far away in the sky. Before I go out, I use Stellarium (or something similar) to find the relative orientation of Venus, the Moon, and the Sun. it sometimes helps to locate Venus first with binoculars, but sometimes knowing the configuration of Venus, the Moon, and the Sun is enough.

sciFax · Aug 24, 2020

I believe the Aztecs or Mayans (not sure which) would observe Venus during the day, by making observations from within a dark cave. The small cave mouth would present just a small portion of the sky, thereby making it easier to distinguish the not-very-bright Venus against the bright blue of the sky, whereas trying to pick it out of the full sky is more difficult.

hutchphd · Sep 18, 2023

The Maya were big on Venus. (One of R P Feynman's fascinations was the Mayan Codex.... he talks about this in publications)

Can astronomical observation take place in daylight in Antacrtica?

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