Astronomers pinpoint the best place on Earth for a telescope: High on a frigid Antarctic plateau

ScienceDaily.com ^ | 29 July 2020 | University of British Columbia

[zeestephen]

Dome A, the highest ice dome on the Antarctic Plateau, could offer the clearest view on Earth of the stars at night, according to new research..."The combination of high altitude, low temperature, long periods of continuous darkness, and an exceptionally stable atmosphere, makes Dome A a very attractive location for optical and infrared astronomy."

[zeestephen]

According to Google, the altitude on Dome A is 4,093 meters.

[Gay State Conservative]

Much of Antarctica is,in fact,a desert.But I always thought that the very best place to put a telescope was in the Atacama Desert...a place where it can be ten years between episodes of measurable rainfall.

[Red Badger]

Is there a Starbucks nearby?....................

[P.O.E.]

Now that I’m thinking about it, what about a telescope on the dark side of the moon?

[Red Badger]

13,428 feet..................

[Ouchthatonehurt]

On earth?
Above is better.

[Red Badger]

Doesn’t have to be. Anywhere in space is fine..........unless you are trying to block out radio interference from Earth.............

[a fool in paradise]

Stick it where the Sun don’t shine.

[Red Badger]

Plus, the ‘dark side’ isn’t always dark. It’s full lit during the ‘New Moon’...............

[Yo-Yo]

Now that I’m thinking about it, what about a telescope on the dark side of the moon?

Much more expensive, and not much more effective, than a telescope in Low Earth Orbit.

It would be more viable for a radiotelescope, since the mass of the Moon would block terrestrial interference. But even then, we would need permanent colonies on the Moon before establishing any sort of telescope there.

[PLMerite]

I think we know how this turns out...

[C210N]

There is no “dark” side of the moon, but there is a far side (no relation to the cartoons of that name).

A telescope on the far side would be interesting - it would need an orbiter communication system, as there would be no direct signal to earth.

[budj]

OK, team, let’s focus on Polaris!

[left that other site]

Lousy Commute, though.

[Berosus]

I believe the Cerro Tololo observatory is in the Atacama Desert. It’s in northern Chile, anyway.

[Berosus]

The main drawback to a location in Antarctica is that you can only look at objects in the southern hemisphere of the sky.

[P.O.E.]

‘There is no dark side of the moon really. As a matter of fact it’s all dark... and the thing that makes it look alight is the sun.’”

- Jerry Driscoll, Pink Floyd’s doorman.

[P.O.E.]

Never thought about signalling, you’re right.

[xp38]

It has its pluses and minuses. A -75C degree air temp is one of them. Also located in Antarctica it would miss a good chunk of the northern sky which say telescopes in Hawaii and Chile can observe.

[Wuli]

To me the best place for a human near earth telescope is on the moon. It would also be the basis for an initial permanent science colony. Or, maybe we could maneuver the Hubble into a moon orbit. Either way the view would be unobstructed by the earth’s atmosphere.