ATNF-AAO Joint Colloquium.
Wednesday 11 June 2003
3:30pm ATNF Lecture Theatre
What do you get when you cross an OWL with a penguin?
(Extremely Large Telescopes in Antarctica)
Professor John Storey, UNSW
The next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) for
optical/infrared astronomy will require exceptional site
conditions. Structural constraints on proposed telescopes such as OWL
(the Overwhelmingly Large Telescope) demand a site with negligible
seismic activity and exceedingly low wind speeds. Extremely low levels
of high-altitude turbulence and tropospheric wind speed will also be
necessary if good images are to be achieved over reasonable fields of
view. Perhaps surprisingly, Dome C, Antarctica, meets all of the above
conditions. It is guaranteed never to rain there. It is also within 7
flying hours of Sydney, has exceptional clear sky statistics, and
offers an infrared sky background up to two orders of magnitude darker
than temperate sites. Why would anyone consider building an ELT
anywhere else?
|