IRAIT: a Facility for IR Astronomy at Dome C

• Main Authors: TOSTI, Gino, BUSSO, Maurizio Maria
• Other Authors: Tosti, Gino, Busso, Maurizio Maria
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11391/993210; http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003IAUSS.2E.3T

We present the status of IRAIT (Italian Robotic Antarctic Infrared Telescope) and the plans for its forthcoming installation at the Antarctic base of Dome C. After a short description of the telescope itself and of the auxiliary equipment for its transportation and quick setup in Antarctica we review the foreseen focal plane instrumentation including a near infrared image-spectrometer and a mid infrared camera. Recent developments of the collaboration in Europe aimed at upgrading the project to a really international effort are described and the role of French and Spanish teams in the new scheme are outlined. Finally some key projects that should especially benefit from a permanent in infrared facility in Antarctica are illustrated in the fields of stellar and extragalactic physics.