The history of astrophysics in Antarctica

• Published in: Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
• Main Authors: Indermuehle, Balthasar T., Burton, Michael G., Maddison, Sarah T.
• Other Authors: Swinburne University of Technology
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: CSIRO 2005
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/1496; https://doi.org/10.1071/AS04037

We examine the historical development of astrophysical science in Antarctica from the early 20th century until today. We find three temporally overlapping eras, each having a rather distinct beginning. These are the astrogeological era of meteorite discovery, the high energy era of particle detectors, and the photon astronomy era of microwave, submillimetre, and infrared telescopes, sidelined by a few niche experiments at optical wavelengths. The favourable atmospheric and geophysical conditions are briefly examined, followed by an account of the major experiments and a summary of their results.