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Aviation and Jet Contrails: Impact on Astronomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2016

H. Pedersen
H. Pedersen*
Affiliation:
Copenhagen University Observatory, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Abstract

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Attention is drawn to aspects of aviation that have a detrimental effect on ground-based astronomy. Depending on observing methods, science data can be influenced by an aircraft's emission of light, its thermal emission, exhaust products and condensation trail. Although these effects are mostly short-lasting for a given observing direction, they can be highly significant, and influence time-resolved astronomical observations. While the very young contrails can easily be recognized by ground-based or spaceborne observations, concern should also be given to older (hours, days) contrails, which have lost their characteristic linear shape. Contrails may grow to widths of tens of kilometers, and become almost indistinguishable from natural cirrus. As aviation increases, this may imply fewer photometric nights, in particular in the northern hemisphere, where by far the largest fuel consumption takes place.

Type
Part 2. Threats to Optical Astronomy
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 196: Preserving the Astronomical Sky , 2001 , pp. 173 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2001 

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