High Elevation Antarctic Terahertz Telescope
Far-infrared telescope at Ridge A in Antarctica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The High Elevation Antarctic Terahertz telescope is a far-infrared telescope, established by the University of Arizona and the University of New South Wales located at Ridge A at an altitude of 4,053 metres (13,297 ft), considered the most ideal location for observation in the world.[1] The extraordinary low humidity makes Inner Antarctica the best (by far) region for submillimeter astronomy observations.[2] The telescope is robotic, remote controlled. It is mostly operated during the local winter, when the average temperature is −70 °C (−94 °F).
| Alternative names | HEAT |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | Ridge A, Antarctic Treaty area |
| Coordinates | 81°30′S 73°30′E |
| Organization | University of Arizona University of New South Wales |
| Altitude | 4,040 m (13,250 ft) |
| Wavelength | 150 μm (2.0 THz)–600 μm (500 GHz) |
| First light | January 2012 |
| Diameter | 60 cm (2 ft 0 in) |
| Website | soral |
| | |