Astronomy from Dome A in Antarctica

Abstract

Dome A in Antarctica has been demonstrated to be the best site on earth for optical, infrared, and terahertz astronomical observations by more and more evidence, such as excellent free-atmosphere seeing, extremely low perceptible water vapor, low sky background, and continuous dark time, etc. In this paper, we present a complete picture of the development of astronomy at Dome A from the very beginning, review recent progress in time-domain astronomy, demonstrate exciting results of the site testing, and address the challenges in instrumentation. Currently proposed projects are briefly discussed.

Preface: Frontiers in Astrophysics (II) — A special issue dedicated to the 20th anniversary of RAA (2001–2020)

“…This highest location on the polar ice cap was first visited by humans in January 2005 by the 21st Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE). In chronological order, Shang (2020) carefully summarizes all the concrete efforts in astronomical campaigns at Dome A, including all the experiments and instrument developments. He has comprehensively reviewed the time-domain research conducted at Dome A and the results for site testing.…”

Antarctic Survey Telescope 3-3: Overview, System Performance and Preliminary Observations at Yaoan, Yunnan

“…In addition, the Antarctic continent has the cleanest air on Earth, with the lowest atmospheric aerosol concentration and negligible artificial light pollution [17]. Dome A is located at the highest point in Antarctica at 77.56 • E and 80.367 • S , with an elevation of 4093 m ice tap, which has many advantages for astronomical observations [18,19], such as extreme cold temperatures and low absolute humidity on Earth [20][21][22]. The Antarctic Survey Telescope (AST3) series includes three large FoV and high photometric precision 50/68 cm modified Schmidt telescopes [23,24].…”