SIGNAL calculates the number of object and sky photons which will
be detected during an imaging or spectroscopic
exposure of a point or extended source
with one of the common-user instruments
of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes.
For LIRIS, please use
IAC's LIRIS S:N calculator.
This form lists only the currently available ING instruments and
detectors,
see separate page for other telescope/instrument options.
If bandwidth, extinction and sky brightness are left set
at zero,
SIGNAL assumes sensible defaults (click on parameter name for details). A UBVRI sky-brightness calculator is available.
For details of the assumptions made by SIGNAL, or to access the code,
please see the
SIGNAL help page, or click on a parameter name above (NB the help page may open in a separate tab).
For an estimate of the additional time required for observing overheads
and for calibration exposures, consult the ING's
total observing time estimator.
This is version 14.5 of SIGNAL. Last Updated: 6 May 2014.
© Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes
Developed by Chris Benn, Robert Greimel and Javier Méndez