Winter sky brightness and cloud cover at Dome A, Antarctica

Anna M. Moore; Yi Yang; Jianning Fu; Michael C.B. Ashley; Xiangqun Cui; Long Long Feng; Xuefei Gong; Zhongwen Hu; Jon S. Lawrence; Daniel M. Luong-Van; Reed Riddle; Zhaohui Shang; Geoff Sims; John W.V. Storey; Nicholas F.H. Tothill; Tony Travouillon; Lifan Wang; Huigen Yang; Ji Yang; Xu Zhou; Zhenxi Zhu

doi:10.1017/S174392131201664X

Winter sky brightness and cloud cover at Dome A, Antarctica

Anna M. Moore^*, Yi Yang, Jianning Fu, Michael C.B. Ashley, Xiangqun Cui, Long Long Feng, Xuefei Gong, Zhongwen Hu, Jon S. Lawrence, Daniel M. Luong-Van, Reed Riddle, Zhaohui Shang, Geoff Sims, John W.V. Storey, Nicholas F.H. Tothill, Tony Travouillon, Lifan Wang, Huigen Yang, Ji Yang, Xu ZhouZhenxi Zhu

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

At the summit of the Antarctic plateau, Dome A offers an intriguing location for future large scale optical astronomical observatories. The Gattini Dome A project was created to measure the optical sky brightness and large area cloud cover of the winter-time sky above this high altitude Antarctic site. The wide field camera and multi-filter system was installed on the PLATO instrument module as part of the Chinese-led traverse to Dome A in January 2008. This automated wide field camera consists of an Apogee U4000 interline CCD coupled to a Nikon fisheye lens enclosed in a heated container with glass window. The system contains a filter mechanism providing a suite of standard astronomical photometric filters (Bessell B, V, R) and a long-pass red filter for the detection and monitoring of airglow emission. The system operated continuously throughout the 2009, and 2011 winter seasons and part-way through the 2010 season, recording long exposure images sequentially for each filter. We have in hand one complete winter-time dataset (2009) returned via a manned traverse. We present here the first measurements of sky brightness in the photometric V band, cloud cover statistics measured so far and an estimate of the extinction.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Astrophysics from Antarctica
Editors	Michael G. Burton, Xiangqun Cui, Nicholas F. H. Tothill
Pages	34-37
Number of pages	4
Edition	S288
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S174392131201664X
Publication status	Published - Aug 2012
Externally published	Yes

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Number	S288
Volume	8
ISSN (Print)	1743-9213
ISSN (Electronic)	1743-9221

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10.1017/S174392131201664X

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Moore, A. M., Yang, Y., Fu, J., Ashley, M. C. B., Cui, X., Feng, L. L., Gong, X., Hu, Z., Lawrence, J. S., Luong-Van, D. M., Riddle, R., Shang, Z., Sims, G., Storey, J. W. V., Tothill, N. F. H., Travouillon, T., Wang, L., Yang, H., Yang, J., ... Zhu, Z. (2012). Winter sky brightness and cloud cover at Dome A, Antarctica. In M. G. Burton, X. Cui, & N. F. H. Tothill (Eds.), Astrophysics from Antarctica (S288 ed., pp. 34-37). (Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union; Vol. 8, No. S288). https://doi.org/10.1017/S174392131201664X

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title = "Winter sky brightness and cloud cover at Dome A, Antarctica",

abstract = "At the summit of the Antarctic plateau, Dome A offers an intriguing location for future large scale optical astronomical observatories. The Gattini Dome A project was created to measure the optical sky brightness and large area cloud cover of the winter-time sky above this high altitude Antarctic site. The wide field camera and multi-filter system was installed on the PLATO instrument module as part of the Chinese-led traverse to Dome A in January 2008. This automated wide field camera consists of an Apogee U4000 interline CCD coupled to a Nikon fisheye lens enclosed in a heated container with glass window. The system contains a filter mechanism providing a suite of standard astronomical photometric filters (Bessell B, V, R) and a long-pass red filter for the detection and monitoring of airglow emission. The system operated continuously throughout the 2009, and 2011 winter seasons and part-way through the 2010 season, recording long exposure images sequentially for each filter. We have in hand one complete winter-time dataset (2009) returned via a manned traverse. We present here the first measurements of sky brightness in the photometric V band, cloud cover statistics measured so far and an estimate of the extinction.",

keywords = "site testing, surveys",

author = "Moore, {Anna M.} and Yi Yang and Jianning Fu and Ashley, {Michael C.B.} and Xiangqun Cui and Feng, {Long Long} and Xuefei Gong and Zhongwen Hu and Lawrence, {Jon S.} and Luong-Van, {Daniel M.} and Reed Riddle and Zhaohui Shang and Geoff Sims and Storey, {John W.V.} and Tothill, {Nicholas F.H.} and Tony Travouillon and Lifan Wang and Huigen Yang and Ji Yang and Xu Zhou and Zhenxi Zhu",

year = "2012",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1017/S174392131201664X",

language = "English",

isbn = "9781107033771",

series = "Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union",

number = "S288",

pages = "34--37",

editor = "Burton, {Michael G.} and Xiangqun Cui and Tothill, {Nicholas F. H.}",

booktitle = "Astrophysics from Antarctica",

edition = "S288",

}

Moore, AM, Yang, Y, Fu, J, Ashley, MCB, Cui, X, Feng, LL, Gong, X, Hu, Z, Lawrence, JS, Luong-Van, DM, Riddle, R, Shang, Z, Sims, G, Storey, JWV, Tothill, NFH, Travouillon, T, Wang, L, Yang, H, Yang, J, Zhou, X & Zhu, Z 2012, Winter sky brightness and cloud cover at Dome A, Antarctica. in MG Burton, X Cui & NFH Tothill (eds), Astrophysics from Antarctica. S288 edn, Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, no. S288, vol. 8, pp. 34-37. https://doi.org/10.1017/S174392131201664X

Winter sky brightness and cloud cover at Dome A, Antarctica. / Moore, Anna M.; Yang, Yi; Fu, Jianning et al.
Astrophysics from Antarctica. ed. / Michael G. Burton; Xiangqun Cui; Nicholas F. H. Tothill. S288. ed. 2012. p. 34-37 (Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union; Vol. 8, No. S288).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Winter sky brightness and cloud cover at Dome A, Antarctica

AU - Moore, Anna M.

AU - Yang, Yi

AU - Fu, Jianning

AU - Ashley, Michael C.B.

AU - Cui, Xiangqun

AU - Feng, Long Long

AU - Gong, Xuefei

AU - Hu, Zhongwen

AU - Lawrence, Jon S.

AU - Luong-Van, Daniel M.

AU - Riddle, Reed

AU - Shang, Zhaohui

AU - Sims, Geoff

AU - Storey, John W.V.

AU - Tothill, Nicholas F.H.

AU - Travouillon, Tony

AU - Wang, Lifan

AU - Yang, Huigen

AU - Yang, Ji

AU - Zhou, Xu

AU - Zhu, Zhenxi

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N2 - At the summit of the Antarctic plateau, Dome A offers an intriguing location for future large scale optical astronomical observatories. The Gattini Dome A project was created to measure the optical sky brightness and large area cloud cover of the winter-time sky above this high altitude Antarctic site. The wide field camera and multi-filter system was installed on the PLATO instrument module as part of the Chinese-led traverse to Dome A in January 2008. This automated wide field camera consists of an Apogee U4000 interline CCD coupled to a Nikon fisheye lens enclosed in a heated container with glass window. The system contains a filter mechanism providing a suite of standard astronomical photometric filters (Bessell B, V, R) and a long-pass red filter for the detection and monitoring of airglow emission. The system operated continuously throughout the 2009, and 2011 winter seasons and part-way through the 2010 season, recording long exposure images sequentially for each filter. We have in hand one complete winter-time dataset (2009) returned via a manned traverse. We present here the first measurements of sky brightness in the photometric V band, cloud cover statistics measured so far and an estimate of the extinction.

AB - At the summit of the Antarctic plateau, Dome A offers an intriguing location for future large scale optical astronomical observatories. The Gattini Dome A project was created to measure the optical sky brightness and large area cloud cover of the winter-time sky above this high altitude Antarctic site. The wide field camera and multi-filter system was installed on the PLATO instrument module as part of the Chinese-led traverse to Dome A in January 2008. This automated wide field camera consists of an Apogee U4000 interline CCD coupled to a Nikon fisheye lens enclosed in a heated container with glass window. The system contains a filter mechanism providing a suite of standard astronomical photometric filters (Bessell B, V, R) and a long-pass red filter for the detection and monitoring of airglow emission. The system operated continuously throughout the 2009, and 2011 winter seasons and part-way through the 2010 season, recording long exposure images sequentially for each filter. We have in hand one complete winter-time dataset (2009) returned via a manned traverse. We present here the first measurements of sky brightness in the photometric V band, cloud cover statistics measured so far and an estimate of the extinction.

KW - site testing

KW - surveys

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U2 - 10.1017/S174392131201664X

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AN - SCOPUS:84873333595

SN - 9781107033771

T3 - Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union

SP - 34

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BT - Astrophysics from Antarctica

A2 - Burton, Michael G.

A2 - Cui, Xiangqun

A2 - Tothill, Nicholas F. H.

ER -

Winter sky brightness and cloud cover at Dome A, Antarctica

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