The Status of the IRAIT Project
Abstract. The Antartic Plateau has been recognized to be one of the best sites from which to perform astronomical observations in the 2-20 µm atmospheric windows, due to the low emission, and to the high transparency and stability of the sky. For Mid Infrared wavelengths, the possibility of passivel...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1053.4603 http://sait.oat.ts.astro.it/MSAIS/5/PDF/385.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract. The Antartic Plateau has been recognized to be one of the best sites from which to perform astronomical observations in the 2-20 µm atmospheric windows, due to the low emission, and to the high transparency and stability of the sky. For Mid Infrared wavelengths, the possibility of passively cooling the equipment offers also an important opportunity to reduce the background, thus establishing conditions intermediate between those of ground-based observatories and of space. In order to exploit these exceptional characteristics we have designed the first permanent telescope for IR observations to be operated at the Concordia station, an Italo-French facility established at Dome C (3200m o.s.l.). We describe here the telescope, named IRAIT, and its mid infrared camera that should be operative on the Plateau in the 2006-2007 campaign. |
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