Atmospheric conditions affecting seeing at St. Catherine: Estimation of operational time for NRIAG new telescope

The study of the prevailing atmospheric conditions is an essential part of any site testing for a new telescope establishment. In this article, the meteorological parameters that affect the astronomical seeing at St. Catherine region, where a two candidate sites are located, are studied based on the available climate data. The complex topographical features of the region cause some differences between the weather at the nearest meteorological station and that at the candidate sites. This issue is illustrated through high resolution atmospheric modeling for short period (six days) as a case study. Finally, a preliminary estimation of operational hours for the telescope at the candidate sites is calculated.