No Penguins! Astronomy in Antarctica The Douglas Mawson Telescope Michael Burton John Storey Michael Ashley Astronomy is not done on the coast... Contour map of Antarctica X Dome A South Pole X X Vostok X Dome C McMurdo X X Casey USGS image http://sung3.ifsi.rm.cnr.it/~dargaud/ The Antarctic plateau is: • High (3000 – 4000m) • Dry (<250µm ppt H2O) • Cold (-60° to -90°C) • Stable (little wind!) • And offers continuous observing. 1 Arrival at the South Pole! South Pole Astronomy Infrastructure Communications Telescopes Unloading the Hercules Geodesic Dome South Pole Site Conditions The New South Pole Station • Compared to good temperate sites: – Infrared Sky Background is ~20–100 x smaller – Water Vapour is ~5 x smaller – Isoplanatic Angle is ~30 x larger Australia Pole Infrared Sky Brightness 2 “IRPS” Near–IR Sky Monitor The MAPO Building, South Pole The IRPS was here through 1995 and 1996 We started in 1994….. Viper Cosmic Microwave AST/RO Sub–mm Telescope Background Radiation Experiment SPIREX: South Pole Infrared Explorer 30 Doradus in the LMC A 60 cm telescope with AAT SPIREX 1024 x 1024 InSb Embedded infrared detector array. Protostars It demonstrated that the benefits of Antarctica could be translated into unique science. B V R (Malin) H K L (Depoy et al) 3 NGC 6334 The AASTO Massive Star Forming Complex AAT SPIREX Organic molecules in space B V R (Malin) PAHs L Brα (Burton et al) The GTOWER and Sundogs AASTO and Hercules A French-Italian collaboration The next step: Dome C http://sung3.ifsi.rm.cnr.it/~dargaud/ 4 Equipment and Wind Speed Statistics at Dôme C materials for Dome C are first brought to Dumont -d’Urville by ship… http://sung3.ifsi.rm.cnr.it/~dargaud/ Personnel, however, are flown first to Terra Nova Bay by Hercules... …then by helicopter to the nearby skiway... ... then by tractor traverse to Dome C. http://sung3.ifsi.rm.cnr.it/~dargaud/ ...then by Twin Otter to Dome C. Accommodation at Dome C is “basic”... http://sung3.ifsi.rm.cnr.it/~dargaud/ 5 The AASTINO Concordia Station Automated Astrophysical Site Testing Infant Observatory February 2003 2003 A permanent, winter station is currently under construction. Power Sub-mm SUMMIT Supply Sky Turbulence Concordia Station – with no-one present! sub-mm sky brightness February 12, 2003, via Webcam + Iridium Phone www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mcba/aastino The Douglas Further Information: Mawson Telescope www.phys.unsw.edu.au/astro/research/antarctica.html • The first Antarctic meteorite found in • South Pole Diaries 1912 on Mawson’s 3- • Antarctic Picture Gallery year Australasian • South Pole Webcam Antarctic Expedition. • The AASTO • 2004 is the fiftieth • The Douglas Mawson Telescope anniversary of the establishment of • JACARA Bibliography Mawson station. 6.