SG-WAS: A New Wireless Autonomous Night Sky Brightness Sensor.

Area of Science:

• Astronomy
• Environmental Monitoring
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Accurate measurement of Night Sky Brightness (NSB) is crucial for astronomical research and environmental studies.
• Existing NSB measurement devices may lack autonomy, wireless capabilities, or affordability for widespread deployment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the features and performance of the SkyGlow Wireless Autonomous Sensor (SG-WAS).
• To demonstrate the device's suitability for autonomous and wireless monitoring of NSB in remote locations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the TSL237 sensor, incorporating LoRa, WiFi, or LTE-M wireless communication.
• Employed solar-powered rechargeable batteries for autonomous operation.
• Conducted field tests to assess device autonomy and developed a new Sky Integrating Sphere (SIS) method for calibration.

Main Results:

• SG-WAS demonstrated up to 20 days of operation without solar irradiance and a 4-month hibernation period.
• Achieved high accuracy in average NSB measurements with instrumental uncertainty in the thousandths of a magnitude.
• Mass device calibration using the SIS method yielded uncertainties below 0.02 mag/arcsec2.

Conclusions:

• SG-WAS is the first fully autonomous, wireless, low-cost NSB sensor.
• The device can function independently or in a network in remote areas without additional infrastructure.
• SG-WAS offers a viable solution for large-scale, long-term NSB monitoring.