CALCULATOR for Magnitude Limits for CCD and Telescope

A Java Script Page to determine the response of a telescope and CCD camera to given stars and seeing conditions: by Larry Bogan - Cambridge Station, N.S.

Original Program in BASIC by Bradley E. Schaefer in
"Limiting Magnitudes for CCDs"
Sky and Telescope
page 117 of the May 1998 issue
Refer to this article for more details on the Calculations.

Change the parameters below to fit your situation, than click on CALCULATE.

Stellar Values

Star's Zenith Distance degrees
V-band Magnitude magnitudes
Color Index magnitudes

Input for the Site and Date

Month
11=Nov etc		 Year
Latitude degrees Altitude metres
Relative Humidity percent Temperature C
FWHM seeing
disk diameter
at zenith		 " arc

Input for Phase and Postion of the Moon, Position of the Sun

Check the Phase of the Moon
New Cresent Quarter Gibbous Full
=====================================
Angular Position of the Moon and Sun
Zenith
Distance		 Elongation
to Star
MOON degrees
SUN degrees

Input for the telescope and detector

Telescope Aperture cm
Diameter of Secondary Mirror cm
Number of Mirror surfaces
Number of lenses in light path
Pixel Size " arc
Read Noise of CCD electrons
Number of exposures
Radius of Photometry Aperature " arc
Exposure Time seconds
Filter and CCD Parameters (Default Given)
U B V R I
Wavelength microns
Quantum
Efficiency		 percent
Filter Peak
Transmission
Width at
Half Maximum		 microns
zero of
magnitude		 magnitudes
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RESULTS

Atmospheric Extinction
Gas Aerosol Ozone
air mass
Photometry UBVRI Results
Parameter UBVRI
Extinction Coeffients mag/air mass
Total Extinction magnitudes
Sky Brightness ergs/cm2/sec/micron/"arc
Star Count (Photometric Aperture) counts
Star Count (Sky Aperture) counts
Star Magnitude magnitudes
Signal to Noise Ratio
1 Sigma Error magnitudes
Algorithm from 
==============================
FROM "ASTRONOMICAL COMPUTING," 
SKY & TELESCOPE, MAY 1998
CCDLIMIT.BAS by Bradley E. Schaefe
==============================
Converted to Java Script by
Larry Bogan - May 1998