The potential for astronomy in Antarctica

Abstract

The extremely dry, cold and tenuous air of the Antarctic plateau makes it the premier site on the earth for a wide range of astronomical observations, especially at infrared and millimetre wavelengths. Background sky emission is one to two order of magnitudes less in intensity and new windows in the atmosphere are opened for viewing through. The high geomagnetic latitudes also make it particularly suitable for measurement of cosmic ray fluxes, especially at low energy. The vast quantities of pure, transparent ice provide for unparalled conditions for the measurement of neutrino fluxes. This talk will overview the potential of Antarctica for a wide range of astronomical observations, conditions that surpass any other ground- based location in most circumstances. It will be an introductory lecture to the field, designed for the non-specialist in Antarctic astronomy.