Antarctic Night Sky Infrared Emissions from the Meinel Band

Davis Utah State University Meinel band infrared imaging camera data contains images of infrared emissions from the night sky above Davis, Antarctica. The camera, installed in the 2011/12 summer and operational from 2012, collects 320x256 pixel images approximately every ten seconds during dark periods. Observations are limited to the period between February and October each year due to continuous summer daylight.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal patterns in Meinel band emission intensity from the time-series of images.
• Study spatial distribution of infrared airglow across the sky using the 320x256 pixel image frames.
• Correlate emission intensity with seasonal changes using data constrained to the February-October observation window.
• Validate atmospheric chemistry models by comparing observed emission features from the continuous camera operation.

Strengths

• Images have a defined resolution of 320x256 pixels.
• Data collection follows a high temporal cadence, with images captured approximately every ten seconds.
• Provides multi-year coverage from the camera's start of operation in 2012.

Limitations

• The dataset's observation period is limited to approximately 9 months per year (February-October), creating a seasonal data gap.
• Specific metrics like total row/image count, file size, and exact temporal range are unknown.
• The last documented update was in September 2017, indicating the data may not be current.

Provenance

Source

AU_AADC (likely Australian Antarctic Data Centre).

Collection Method

Data gathered by a continuously running infrared imaging camera installed at Davis, Antarctica, triggered by a yearly almanac of start/stop times during darkness.

Time Range

Camera operational from 2012; specific end date unknown. Yearly observations between February and October.

Freshness

Last updated in 2017; update frequency is unknown.

Geography

Davis, Antarctica.