Astronomers have found the best place on Earth for a telescope

A telescope located in Dome A can outperform a similar telescope located in any other

astronomical place on the planet.The combination of high altitude, low temperature and long periods of continuous darkness and an exceptionally stable atmosphere makes Dome A a very attractive site for optical and infrared astronomy. A telescope located there would have sharper images and detect more subtle objects, said UBC astronomer Paul Hixon, co-author of the study. Dome A itself is located near the center of East Antarctica, 1,200 km from the mainland.

One of the biggest challenges in terrestrial astronomy- overcoming the influence of atmospheric turbulence on the quality of the telescope image. This turbulence causes the stars to twinkle. The less turbulence, the better.

A thinner boundary layer in Dome A makesit is less difficult to place the telescope above it, thereby providing more access to the free atmosphere, said UBC astronomer Bin Ma, lead author of the article.

Currently, the most efficient observatories are located in high altitude locations along the equator (Chile and Hawaii) and offer observations in the 0.6 to 0.8 arc seconds range.

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