Here is a reference which may contain something. I do not have easy access to
Vistas in Astronomy, therefore I canoot check it. The bibliographic data is
from ADS Astronomy Abstract Service (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/).
Title:
Astronomy and the limits of vision
Authors:
SCHAEFER, BRADLEY E.
Affiliation:
AANASA. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, US
Journal:
Vistas in Astronomy (ISSN 0083-6656), vol. 36, pt. 4,
p. 311-361
Publication Date:
00/1993
NASA/STI Keywords:
ATMOSPHERIC REFRACTION, NIGHT VISION, SEEING
(ASTRONOMY), VISIBILITY, VISUAL OBSERVATION,
COLOR VISION, DAYTIME, EXTINCTION, GLARE,
RESOLUTION, SHADOWS, SKY BRIGHTNESS, SOLAR
ECLIPSES, SUNSPOTS, TELESCOPES
Abstract
Celestial visibility is the study of the limits of observability of objects in
the sky, with application to deducing the truth about historical events or to
the derivation of astronomical information of modern utility. This study is
based on what is seen by ordinary humans, either in their everyday lives or at
times of historical events. The results of such studies have more relevance to
non-scientists than does any other area of astronomy. Celestial visibility is a
young discipline in the sense that the number of interesting applications with
simple solutions outnumber the solved problems; it is a broad interdisciplinary
field that involves work with astronomy, meteorology, optics, physics,
physiology, history, and archeology. Each of these disciplines contribute
specialized mathematical formulations which quantify the many processes that
affect light as it leaves a source, traverses the atmosphere, and is detected by
the human eye. These formulas can then be combined as appropriate to create
mathematical models for the visibility of the source under the conditions of
interest. These model results can then be applied a wide variety of problems
arising in history, astronomy, archeology, meteorological optics, and
archeoastronomy. This review also presents a dozen suggestions for observing
projects, many of which can be directly taken for individual study, for
classroom projects, or for professional research.
