Analýza kontinuálního měření osvětlenosti v areálu VŠB - TU Ostrava

Abstract

We present the results of a deep statistical analysis of the continual measurement of the mean illumination at night in the area of VSB-Technical University in Ostrava. The illumination during 509 nights between the years 2006 to 2009 was studied in detail in relation to the characteristics of a particular night. Using a sophisticated linear model applied to the logarithm of the mean night illumination, we determined the dependence of the night illumination on cloudiness, moon phases, and seasons as well as on snow cover. The model is able to predict the night illumination with quasi-random uncertainty of 0.21 dex. This uncertainty can be caused by hardly quantifiable events like rainfall, snowfall, fog or clouds with different albedo. It can also be a consequence of various human activities that may influence the illumination of sky at night.