Observing the Universe and Astronomy in Antarctica
These questions are for discussion during the tutorial on the above topic.
Australia doesn't have any really high, dry, cold mountains. Why, then,
can Australian observatories still provide astronomers with telescopes
that still produce world class science?
Suppose you look up at the night sky and observe the brightest stars
with your naked eye. Is there any way of telling which stars are hot and
which are cool?
The Keck Telescope in Hawaii has a mirror which is 10m across, whereas
that of the Hubble Space Telescope is only 2.5m across. How much greater
is the light gathering power of the Keck? Why, then, is the Hubble regarded
as such as powerful telescope, capable of peering to the most distant
parts of the Universe?
Sing (or read if you're shy!) the words to the Cosmic Radio Show by The
Chromatics (download the sound file), which succinctly tells the story of radio
astronomy. Now consider the following questions:
What is the difference between a 'radio' photon and an 'optical'
one?
What might the static be that Karl Jansky discovered in 1931?
Why don't radio astronomers need to build their telescopes on high
mountain tops?
Why is Australia one of the world's leading nations in radio astronomy?
Antarctica has a reputation as a land of blizzards and howling gales.
Are UNSW astronomers crazy, then, or is there a good reason why they are
trying to build an observatory at the South Pole?! (Download the
AASTO movie to remind you what the South Pole looks like!)
What kinds of astronomy could be done particularly well from Antarctica?
The South Pole lies on the flank of the Antarctic plateau, at 2,900m
elevation. What advantages might there be at Dome Argus, the summit of
the Antarctic plateau and nearly 4,300m high, for astronomy?
In February 2003 UNSW astronomers established the first completely automated
astrophysical observatory at Dome C, the AASTINO
(the Automated Astrophysical Site Testing International Observatory).
They have just left it to conduct a second winters observations at Dome
C. No humans will be back again until December 2004. Why is this such
an important advance in the development of Astronomy in Antarctica? In
what way is the observatory now like a spacecraft?
Do you think the expense of building a new station as Dome Argus would
ever be justified?
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