Chapter 6:
Exposure Time Calculations

6.1 Overview

6.1.1 The STIS Exposure Time Calculators

6.2 Determining Count Rates from Sensitivities

6.2.1 Spectroscopy

6.2.2 Imaging

6.3 Throughput and Sensitivity

6.4 Computing Exposure Times

6.4.1 Calculating Exposure Times for a Given Signal-to-Noise

6.5 Detector and Sky Backgrounds

6.5.1 Detector Backgrounds

6.5.2 Sky Background

6.6 Tabular Sky Backgrounds

6.7 Extinction Correction

6.8 Exposure Time Examples

6.8.1 Spectroscopy of Diffuse Source (M86)

6.8.2 Spectroscopy of Solar-Analog Star P041-C

6.8.3 Extended Source with Flux in cgs Units (NGC 6543): Imaging and Spectroscopy

6.8.4 Echelle Spectroscopy of a Bright Star with Large Extinction (Sk –69° 215)

6.8.5 Imaging a Faint Stellar Source

6.8.6 Time-Tag Observations of a Flare Star (AU Mic)