Use of AURA Microwave Limb Sounder data for Dome C and Dome A site-testing

AbstractHRCAM (High Resolution CAMera) is a Canon 50D 15-megapixel digital SLR camera equipped with a Sigma 4.5 mm f/2.8 fish-eye lens. It was installed at Dome A on the Antarctic plateau in January 2010 and photographs the sky every 15 minutes. Primarily functioning as a site-testing instrument, data obtained from HRCAM provide valuable statistics on cloud cover, sky transparency and the distribution and frequency of auroral activity. We present a first look at data from HRCAM during 2010, including an overview of how we intend to reduce the images. We also demonstrate the potential of stellar photometry by using linear combinations of the in-built Canon RGB filters to convert instrumental magnitudes into the photometric BVR bands.

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The PLATO Dome A Site-Testing Observatory: Instrumentation and First Results

Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific ◽

10.1086/597547 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 121 (876) ◽

pp. 174-184 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

H. Yang ◽

G. Allen ◽

M. C. B. Ashley ◽

C. S. Bonner ◽

S. Bradley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Site Testing ◽

Dome A ◽

First Results ◽

A Site

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Cloud Cover and Aurora Contamination at Dome A in 2017 from KLCAM

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/staa3824 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xu Yang ◽

Zhaohui Shang ◽

Keliang Hu ◽

Yi Hu ◽

Bin Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cloud Cover ◽

Emission Lines ◽

Austral Winter ◽

Site Testing ◽

Dome A ◽

Astronomical Observations ◽

Auroral Emission ◽

Long Term Monitoring ◽

Term Monitoring

Abstract Dome A in Antarctica has many characteristics that make it an excellent site for astronomical observations, from the optical to the terahertz. Quantitative site testing is still needed to confirm the site’s properties. In this paper, we present a statistical analysis of cloud cover and aurora contamination from the Kunlun Cloud and Aurora Monitor (KLCAM). KLCAM is an automatic, unattended all-sky camera aiming for long-term monitoring of the usable observing time and optical sky background at Dome A. It was installed at Dome A in January 2017, worked through the austral winter, and collected over 47,000 images over 490 days. A semi-quantitative visual data analysis of cloud cover and auroral contamination was carried out by five individuals. The analysis shows that the night sky was free of clouds for 83 per cent of the time, which ranks Dome A highly in a comparison with other observatory sites. Although aurorae were detected somewhere on an image for nearly 45 per cent of the time, the chance of a point on the sky being affected by an aurora is small. The strongest auroral emission lines can be filtered out with customized filters.

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Preliminary results of ionic concentrations in snow pits along the Zhongshan–Dome A traverse route, Antarctica

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/172756404781814366 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

pp. 155-160 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ren Jiawen ◽

Sun Junying ◽

Qin Dahe

Keyword(s):

Major Ions ◽

Concentration Profiles ◽

Accumulation Rates ◽

Dome A ◽

Stable Oxygen Isotope ◽

Zhongshan Station ◽

Ionic Concentrations ◽

Regional Trends ◽

Stable Oxygen ◽

A Site

AbstractDuring an inland traverse expedition along the route from Zhongshan station on the coast to Dome A (about 4200ma.s.l.; 1400 km from Zhongshan) in East Antarctica in 1998/99, three snow pits with a depth of 2.1–3.3m were sampled continuously. Snow pits were located at sites 800–1100km from the coast, with altitudes varying from 2850 to 3760 m. The samples were analyzed for stable oxygen isotope and major ions. Seasonal variations in δ18O are not clear, so initial dating was made through comparison of concentration profiles of major ions and then adjusted according to the visible stratigraphy. Generally, average ionic concentrations decrease with increasing altitude and hence distance from the coast, but NH4+ and Ca2+ have relatively high values at a site 1000 km inland. Ionic concentrations tend to increase with depth at lower altitudes, but the opposite is true at higher altitudes. Accumulation rates increase with depth at site DT401 (3760ma.s.l.; 1097 km from Zhongshan) and decrease at DT364 (3380ma.s.l.; 1022 km from Zhongshan) and DT263 (2850ma.s.l.; 820 km from Zhongshan), suggesting that differences in regional trends exist. In all snow pits, Na+ and Cl– concentration profiles have a very good positive correlation. Profiles of nssSO42– in the pits show quite different features. At 3760ma.s.l, no remarkable nssSO42– peaks can be distinguished, but one and three peak sets are quite striking at 3380 and 2850 m, respectively.

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III. — Australie

Symposium - International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s0074180900051937 ◽

1963 ◽

Vol 19 ◽

pp. 253-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. R. Hogg

Keyword(s):

Large Telescope ◽

Site Testing ◽

Field Station ◽

Distant Location ◽

A Site ◽

Better Than

In 1957 the Joint Observatory of Yale and Columbia Universities commenced a series of site surveys in Australia under the direction of Dr. I. Epstein. While astronomers at Mount Stromlo Observatory were greatly interested in this activity, it was not until 1958 that Mount Stromlo actively commenced site testing. Tests were initiated in the first instance with a desire to find a not-too-distant location suitable for a field station where observing conditions would be better than those at Mount Stromlo, and later with the idea of finding a site anywhere in Australia which would satisfy the needs of a large telescope.

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