Integrating seeing measurements into the operations of solar telescopes

The New Solar Telescope (NST) is an innovative 1.6-meter, off-axis, open telescope currently being developed and built at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO). The observatory is situated on a small peninsula in Big Bear Lake, a mountain lake at an altitude of about 2100 m in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California. The lake effectively suppresses the boundary layer seeing. Thus, providing consistently very good daytime seeing conditions. BBSO has been identified by the site survey for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) as one of the best sites for solar observations. It is uniquely qualified for long-duration observations requiring high-spatial resolution. This type of observations is typically encountered in solar activity monitoring and space weather forecast. The ATST site survey has collected more than two years of data linking seeing conditions to geographical parameters and local climate. We have integrated these data in a MySQL database and we will use this information in connection with a real-time seeing monitor and weather station to predict the seeing conditions at Big Bear such that scheduling and prioritization of observing programs (e.g., synoptic vs. high-resolution modes) becomes possible.