Kunlun Station (Antarctica)
It is located at 4087 m above sea level on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, making it the highest base in Antarctica. It is only 7.3 km southwest of Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic Plateau. The station was officially opened on January 27, 2009. Fully constructed the station is planned to cover an area of 558 m. The main building, covering 236 m, is planned erected in April 2009.
The site is one of the coldest in the world, with temperatures occasionally reaching −80 °C (−112 °F) in the winter. It is indicated from satellite measurements that places nearby could reach a world record −90 °C (−130 °F) temperature.
In April 2012 the first of three Antarctica Schmidt telescopes (AST3) was installed at Kunlun Station. The other two were planned for installation in 2013 and 2014. A bigger optical telescope, Kunlun Dark Universe Survey Telescope (KDUST), is planned to be installed by 2025.
Telescopes at Kunlun Station
Instrument Name | Aperture | Installation Year | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Chinese Small Telescope Array (CSTAR) | 0.145m | 2008 | CSTAR is an array of four Schmidt telescope with aperture of 14.5 cm, equipped with 1Kx1K CCD each. |
Antarctica Schmidt telescopes (AST3) | 0.5m | 2012–2014 | First of three AST3 telescopes was installed at the Antarctic Kunlun Station in April 2012. |
Kunlun Dark Universe Survey Telescope (KDUST) | 2.5m | 2025 | KDUST is a 2.5 meter infrared optical telescope designed to detect and observe Earth-like planets in the Milky Way using infrared light. |
Dome A Terahertz Explorer-5 (DATE5) | 5m | 2025 | DATE5 is a 5-meter telescope designed to detect light with longer wavelengths, which will allow astronomers to detect and observe nascent stars. |
Infrared optical telescope | 6-8m | 2020+ | |
New terahertz telescope | 15m | 2020+ |
See also
References
- ^ Antarctic Station Catalogue (PDF) (catalogue). Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs. August 2017. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-473-40409-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "China to build two more Antarctic bases". Phys.org. March 29, 2013.
- ^ "China sets up 3rd Antarctic research station". 2009-01-28. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
- ^ "Installment of telescope array completed at Dome A -- china.org.cn". china.org.cn. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "China installs large Antarctic survey telescope". peopledaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ University of New South Wales, Australia, The PLATO-A Team http://mcba11.phys.unsw.edu.au/~plato-a/