Paper detail

Automatic data analysis for Sky Brightness Monitor

The Sky Brightness Monitor (SBM) is an important instrument to measure the brightness level for the sky condition, which is a critical parameter for judging a site for solar coronal observations. In this paper we present an automatic method for the processing of SBM data in large quantity, which can separate the regions of the Sun and the nearby sky as well as recognize the regions of the supporting arms in the field of view. These processes are implemented on the data acquired by more than one SBM instruments during our site survey project in western China. An analysis applying the result from our processes has been done for the assessment of the scattered-light levels by the instrument. Those results are considerably significant for further investigations and studies, notably to derive a series of the other important atmospheric parameters such as extinctions, aerosol content and precipitable water vapor content for candidate sites. Our processes also provide a possible way for full-disk solar telescopes to track the Sun without an extra guiding system.