The Gattini cameras for optical sky brightness measurements in Antarctica

• Published in: SPIE Proceedings, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes
• Main Authors: Moore, Anna, Aristidi, Eric, Ashley, Michael, Busso, Maurizio, Candidi, Maurizio, Everett, Jon, Kenyon, Suzanne, Lawrence, Jon, Luong-Van, D., Phillips, Andre, Le Roux, Brice, Ragazzoni, Roberto, Salinari, Piero, Storey, John, Taylor, Melinda, Tosti, Gino, Travouillon, Tony
• Other Authors: University of New South Wales Sydney (UNSW), Laboratoire Universitaire d'Astrophysique de Nice (LUAN), Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (. - 2019) (UNS), COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-COMUE Université Côte d'Azur (2015-2019) (COMUE UCA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia Perugia, Università degli Studi di Perugia (UNIPG), INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (OAPD), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri (OAA)
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2006
• Subjects: [PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]; Alta; South Pole; Antarc*; Antarctica; South pole
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02480372; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.672525

International audience The Gattini cameras are two site testing instruments for the measurement of optical sky brightness, large area cloud cover and auroral detection of the night sky above the high altitude Dome C site in Antarctica. The cameras have been in operation since January 2006. The cameras are transit in nature and are virtually identical, both adopting Apogee Alta ccd detectors. The camera called Gattini-SBC images a 6 degree field centred on the South Pole, an elevation of 75° at the Dome C site. The camera takes repeated images of the same 6 degree field in the Sloan g' band (centred on 477nm) and, by adopting a lens with sufficiently long focal length, one can integrate the sky background photons and directly compare to the equivalent values of the stars within the field. The second camera, called Gattini-allsky, incorporates a fish-eye lens and images ~110 degree field centred on local zenith. By taking frequent images of the night sky we will obtain long term cloud cover statistics, measure the sky background intensity as a function of solar and lunar altitude and phase and directly measure the spatial extent of bright aurora if present and when they occur. An overview of the project is presented together with preliminary results from data taken since operation of the cameras in January 2006.