When we talk about ripe places to see the night sky , we often imagine of places in the countryside , off from the bright lights of cities . For groovy places , we focus on sincerely outside area . However , for great astronomic observations , there ’s another important agent to reckon beyond loose pollution : the atm .
For this reason , many observatories are built at great EL , mid - latitude , and low humidity sites , in places like Chile for case . However , researchers are now question whether those are truly the best area to contemplate the Nox sky . A new paper indicate Antarctica might or else have the good condition .
As report inNature , the newspaper mensurate the " seeing"above Dome A , the loftiest crank dome on the Antarctic Plateau . " Seeing " is a parametric quantity that expresses the character of observation as determined by atmospheric turbulency . At 8 m ( 26 feet ) above the summit of Dome A , researcher report seeing five time better than established observatories at mid - latitude sites .
The reason for this is the boundary layer , the part of the aura where most of the Sturm und Drang takes place . Above this stratum , the ambiance pretend observation less . At Dome A , the boundary stratum is less than 14 meters ( 45 feet ) duncical on average . If one were to progress a scope there , it would be relatively leisurely to make an observatory that is locate beyond that level .
A scope there would sure as shooting be capable to get the clearest figure on Earth , all other thing being equal . Unfortunately , we ca n’t just go and build a telescope there without some crucial applied science growth . The researchers report that their instruments were regard by frost , which is not something that can be underestimated as thetemperatures at Dome Aconsistently lessen below -80 ° C ( -112 ° F ) .
If the frost can be master , the team suggest the eyesight might improve by another 10 - 12 percent . Antarctica has already get its share of astronomical observatories ( such asIce Cubeand theSouth Pole Telescope ) , and this work suggests it might become an even more exciting position for uranology in the future tense .
