Visibility of Stars at High Altitude in Daylight
- 1 June 1959
- journal article
- Published by Optica Publishing Group in Journal of the Optical Society of America
- Vol. 49 (6) , 626-628
- https://doi.org/10.1364/josa.49.000626
Abstract
The daylight visibility of stars has been investigated for an observer altitude of 100 000 ft, using published visual threshold data and calculated sky luminance. Venus, Jupiter, and Sirius, plus Mars at its brighter phases, can be detected with the naked eye if the observer knows where to look for them in the sky. Saturn and Canopus may be seen only under rare circumstances. A random search of the sky will reveal neither planets nor stars except possibly Venus. If a 10-power telescope of large exit pupil is used, there is a possibility of detecting an occasional star by careful search of the sky. The daytime sky will not exhibit nighttime luminance until an altitude of roughly 100 km has been reached, assuming no contribution from airglow.Keywords
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