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The
South Pole picture gallery is a collection of photographs
about the astronomical observatory being constructed at the
end of the Earth. It shows the environment and facilities
that astronomers now work in at the South Pole.
The extremely cold and dry conditions of the Antarctic plateau
make it the finest terrestrial site for viewing the distant
stars and galaxies across the infrared and millimetre wavebands.
A variety of innovative telescopes are now being constructed
there to make more sensitive observations than can be achieved
elsewhere on the Earth. An international team of scientists
and engineers are participating in this work, including from
the USA, Australia, Germany, Sweden and the UK. Australia,
through the Joint Australian Centre for Astrophysical Research
in Antarctica (JACARA), is responsible for a site testing
program, quantifying how good the conditions at the Pole and
the high plateau are for astronomy. As part of this, JACARA
have installed the AASTO, or Automated Astrophysical Site
Testing Observatory, able to operate autonomously at uninhabited
sites. Many of the pictures show aspects of the AASTO and
the experiments it contains.
Please click on the thumbnails for larger versions of each
image.
More
pictures of the South Pole and Antarctica are available here.
Please note that because of the number of images on this page
it takes a long time to download, and is not suitable for
use over modems.
Pictures
are copyright of JACARA, but can be reproduced for educational,
non-profit purposes.
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