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Astronomy from Antarctica

Astronomy from Antarctica. Anna Moore INAF: Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Florence. Geographically…. Antarctica is very large;. USGS image. Geosciences Australia image. … roughly twice the area of Australia. Average elevation of Antarctica: 2300 m. Contour map of Antarctica.

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Astronomy from Antarctica

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  1. Astronomy from Antarctica Anna Moore INAF: Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Florence Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  2. Geographically… Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  3. Antarctica is very large; USGS image Geosciences Australia image … roughly twice the area of Australia. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  4. Average elevation of Antarctica: 2300 m Contour map of Antarctica USGS image Mount Kosciusko: 2,228 m (Australia’s highest mountain) Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  5. Actual and Potential observatory sites USGS image • Dome A • South Pole • Vostok • Dome C Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  6. Climate… Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  7. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  8. Average wind speeds Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  9. Katabatic wind… … the coast is very different to the plateau Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  10. Infrastructure … Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  11. Terra Nova (Italia) McMurdo (US) The coastal bases… Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  12. Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica • + Site-testing • Instruments • AASTO and more Amundsen Scott South Pole station ... IR/Opt Sub-mm CMB • ASTRO • SPARO • SPIFI • SPIREX • IRPS • Vulcan S • ACBAR • DASI • VIPER • PYTHON Image: Seth White Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory (MAPO) Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  13. Site testing • Balloon air velocity profiles • DIMM • weather station • AASTINO laboratory with: • SODAR • sub-mm tipper • MASS • fibre fed optical spectrograph The French/Italian “Concordia” Station at Dome C is now open year round .... Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: Karim Agabi

  14. Logistics… Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  15. Image: John Storey Christchurch to South Pole by Hercules... Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  16. Image: Michael Burton ...~ 9hrs from Christchurch to coastal base or SP Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  17. From Hobart to Dome C in 8 hrs during summer via AAD jet 3.9 hrs Dome C Image: Australian Antarctic Division Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  18. Several boats leave from Hobart and travel to coastal bases in ~ 5 weeks ... Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: John Storey

  19. TWIN Otter for transport within Antarctica Image: John Storey Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  20. Currently 3 traverses per year to the DomeC site for transportation of large equipment... Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: Karim Agabi

  21. The night sky … Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  22. Galactic centre, LMC, SMC, 47Tuc etc. are high and constantly • above the horizon • Ecliptic is low (not so good for looking for green men on mars) Sky above DomeC midwinter Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  23. Why Astronomy … Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  24. 1. Optical/IR non-thermal… Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  25. Seeing (achievable??) is everything in optical astronomy… Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  26. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  27. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  28. Wind Speed Profiles (University of Nice) Vol 189 Vol 43 Vol 121 Altitude (Km) Altitude (Km) Altitude (Km) Dome C (Dec 2000) Paranal ESO Chile (1992) Gemini NOAO Chile (1998) Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Agabi and Fossat (2003)

  29. Vulcan South – a search for planets around other stars Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: Seth White

  30. 2. Thermal IR … Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  31. The infrared sky is extremely dark • Kdark sky spectral brightness: • 220 Jy. arcsec-2 (mean) • 120 Jy. arcsec-2 (median) • This is 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than found at typical mid-latitude sites Lawrence et al, PASA (2002) Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  32. South Pole is 20 ~ 100 times darker than Siding Spring Phillips et al 1999 Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  33. However… there is no optical or IR telescope existing or currently funded with D>1m SPIREX, the South Pole Infrared Explorer, was a 60 cm telescope with 1024 x 1024 InSb detector array. SPIREX demonstrated the viability of IR astronomy from Antarctica. SPIREX was a collaboration between CARA, Ohio State University, NOAO, Rochester I.T. and UNSW. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: UNSW

  34. 3. Terahertz astronomy (“sub-mm”) Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  35. Water Vapour South Pole Winter average PWV: 250 m (Chamberlin, 2000; Stark et al, 2001) Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  36. Sky Noise and opacity measurements at 350µm from three sites Peterson, Radford et al. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  37. The AST/RO telescope has performed unique science at South Pole for over a decade. • SPT, the South Pole Telescope, will be a 10m diameter terahertz telescope. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: AST/RO group

  38. 4. CMB mapping and polarisation Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  39. Cosmic Microwave Background studies tell us about the early Universe. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: NASA

  40. Experiments such as Boomerang and • DASI, have produced spectacular results. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: Boomerang group

  41. 4. Neutrino detection Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  42. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  43. Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: http://icecube.wisc.edu

  44. For further reading… Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  45. Winter DIMM seeing rumours… • ~1.5 arcsec seeing recorded during this winter (well that’s the number we have heard…) mean? Worst? • If it’s true (really must wait for UNice paper… but no-one else has! so…) • -> Sufficient data to suggest that the bottom 30m causes A LARGE AMOUNT • of this seeing • 1. MASS data during winter 2005 • SODAR sees no turbulence (~30m to 1km sensitivity) • DIMM data taken during summer measured ~0.3arcsec seeing at • 500nm when favourable ground layer conditions were created at the • same time during the day, every day for 3 weeks … this must be proved asap Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  46. Balloon air velocity profiles (UNice) • DIMM UNice (GSM was planned this year??) • Automated weather station • AASTINO (UNSW) laboratory with: • SODAR • MASS How bright is the night sky above Dome-C, Antarctica? Site testing with optical/IR significance (so far… ) Anna Moore Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Florence, Italy Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: Karim Agabi

  47. SCIDAR UNice (rumour) • Sky background in Kdark (rumour) • IRAIT?? • AASTINO (UNSW) laboratory with: • Fibre fed optical spectrograph- optical spectrum of sky • Sonic anemometers placed along existing tower (Caltech- TMT) • Lunar SHABAR (INAF: Arcetri) • Gattini cameras- V band sky background, bright aurora detection and • cloud cover statistics, V band photometry (INAF:Arcetri) How bright is the night sky above Dome-C, Antarctica? New site testing with optical/IR significance (that were planned to operate for winter 2006 onwards) Anna Moore Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Florence, Italy 11 out of the 16 site testing instruments planned for DomeC operation (all ls) are associated with the AASTINO and UNSW Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: Karim Agabi

  48. Problems … the reality Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

  49. You do require a different design philosophy • See less of sky • Less “dark time”, in particular for DomeC (lat=-75deg) • Ecliptic always low • Aurora • Physical isolation in winter • “Diamond dust” The real disadvantages: Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005 Image: Karim Agabi

  50. IAU GA-2006 SPECIAL SESSION (SpS-P2)  Astronomy in Antarctica Prague, Czech Republic, 14-25 August 2006 Anna Moore Schloss Ringberg 28th July 2005

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