JAT Observatory
NOT a Wimp
Reged: 02/20/05
Posts: 8893
Loc: In the Primordial Soup
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Thanks to a smarter than myself programmer, I am now able to track the conditition of the sky over my observatory from a remote location. The software reads the sensor's data and then displays it on my weather station and writes the data directly to my website. I can now see if it's cloudy, clear or raining from anywhere I have access to the net before I open my dome!
The colder the sky the clearer, the warmer the sky, the more clouds there are. Anything between the red and yellow dotted lines means I can go read a book cause the sky is cloudy.
The time scale of the graph is user selectable. The most current data is on the right side of the graph. The data is uploaded to the website in real time, but have the page set to auto refresh every 5 mins.
I love new toys!
http://www.jatobservatory.org/Cloud_Graph.html
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-Marcus
Hey what did you expect? After all, I am just a pig with a nice smile!
www.jatobservatory.org
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Chris Graham
mmmm...Haggis
Reged: 04/01/04
Posts: 4886
Loc: Stirling, Scotland
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Thats really cool, i wish i had one
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-Skywatcher 8" Reflector on HEQ5 with Skyscan
-Orion ED80 Refractor
-70mm Guidescope/grab and go scope
-Canon EOS 350D
-Toucam Pro 2
Astronomy & Veggies
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NJ Night Sky
Reged: 03/25/04
Posts: 833
Loc: Hillsborough, NJ
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Excellent JATO
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Jim
NJ Night Sky- J&T Telescope - MicroStock Photography - Shop4Scopes
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canopus56
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 535
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JAT,
So how did you do it? How do you sense that there are clouds overhead? I didn't see an explanatory in the how-to's or equipment section of your site.
- Canopus56
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JAT Observatory
NOT a Wimp
Reged: 02/20/05
Posts: 8893
Loc: In the Primordial Soup
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I am using a Boltwood Cloud detector. The unit uses a IR sensor to measure the sky's temp. There are some DIY unit out there that use peltier coolers to measure the delta between the sky on ground. My main use for the unit is to automatically close the dome when I am sleeping or not home and it is running under automated control, and it starts to rain.
Here is the manufacturers description of how the sensor works.
The Boltwood Cloud Sensor measures the amount of cloud cover by comparing the temperature of the sky to the ambient ground level temperature. The sky temperature is determined by measuring the amount of radiation in the 8 to 14 micron infrared band. A large difference indicates clear skies, whereas a small difference indicates dense, low-level clouds. This allows the sensor to continuously monitor the clarity of the skies, and to trigger appropriate alerts on your computer.
The device also includes a moisture sensor which detects rain and snow. To prevent false alarms due to frost or dew, a heater keeps the sensor slightly above ambient temperature. When rain or snow falls, the sensor is automatically heated to 70 degrees Celsius. This clears the sensor quickly when the precipitation ends, and ensures that the sky-measuring thermopile has a clear view.
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-Marcus
Hey what did you expect? After all, I am just a pig with a nice smile!
www.jatobservatory.org
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