New LED Photometer Results

I revamped my 24-hour photometer by increasing the memory, adding a temperature sensor, adding the UV-B sensor, and updating the datalogging code and spreadsheet. Next, I plan to add an infrared thermometer to measure the sky temperature. I will also build am enclosure for the photometer to protect it from the weather.

You can see the yellow LED needs to be replaced in the chart below.

I am recording the maximum and average values for each color. I hope to use those numbers to normalize the charts so they can be compared to each other.

Weather for NearSys Station, 2018

As expected, the air temperature peaked at the end of July and beginning of August (The Dog Days). NearSys Station experienced three heat waves, one at the end of January, a second at the end of October, and a third in mid-December. The relative humidity was its lowest during the hottest time of the year, but none of that data was collected during the winter to get a complete picture. We had 6.5 inches of rain and 4.7 inches of snow. That is a lower than average amount of precip. There was no precip during July, August, and September. The ground temperature followed the trends in the air temperature, but with a delay.

Weather for NearSys Station, December 2018

The temperature at NearSys Station rise above average during the middle of the month. We experienced eight days of precipitation, some of that snow (2.6 inches). The air pressure was higher at the beginning of the month while the ground temperature has bottomed out.

24-hour Photometer for NearSys Station, 22 December 2018

The day started out clear, but got progressively more cloudy with cirrus clouds.

UAVSonde for NearSys Station, 22 December 2018

The UAVSonde was launched at about 2:00 PM MST. The sky was overcast with thickening cirrus, so the image taken towards the south shows a partial ring around the sun from ice crystals in the clouds. From the presence of the Boise Mountain Range, the visibility is over 50 miles.

At SFC,
Air Temperature: 47.6 deg
Relative Humidity: 39.3%

At FL4,
Air Temperature: 40.3 deg
Relative Humidity: 40.9%

East

North

South

West

24-hour Temperature and Relative Humidity for NearSys Station, 16 December 2018

We are experiencing mild and overcast days. There's a little rain and therefore high humidity.

24-hour Photometer Data for NearSys Station, 16 December 2018

It was an overcast day, so the sky's intensity didn't increase significantly.