http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140319-antarctica-big-bang-inflation-telescope- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/content/dam/news/photos/000/778/77826.ngsversion.1422284780624.adapt.

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south-pole-astronomy/

Luc Madonna, Joe Palaski, Anthony Rivetti

The South Pole Telescope

 History

Atimeline of the
South
PoleTelescope

https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/livingsouthpole/sciencegoals.js
p
Location
Located at the South Pole
Optimalconditions forviewing faint microwaves
http://cdn.phys.org/newman/gfx/news/hires/2015/
http://cdn.phys.org/newman/gfx/news/hires/2015/2-
2-expandingthe.jpg
expandingthe.jpg

Cold
Dry
Clear
Stable atmosphere
"TheSouthPole is the closest youcan be to space
while still on the ground" - John Kovac
Sits on about2 miles of ice
Purpose
Designed to measure the properties of the Cosmic
Microwave Background (CMB) light
Indicates where clusters of galaxies are located
We can learn about the evolution of structures and broad
questions about theuniverse
Dark energy
An antigravity force that permeates
the cosmos and is driving the universe
apart at an ever-increasing pace.

http://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2012/11/05/south-pole-telescope-and-
cmb-constraints/
Spectra

http://www2.lbl.gov/MicroWorlds/ALSTool/EMSpec/EMSp
ec2.html
How It Works
Not your average telescope
Path of light
10 meter "primary mirror"
1 meter "secondary mirror"
"receiver cryostat", a vessel that holds the detectors
A set of detectors absorbs the incoming CMB radiation
as the entire telescope is swept back and forth to
point at different places in the sky
How It Works

https://pole.uchicago.edu/public/telescope_opti
cs.html
Comparison to Other
Telescopes
Multiple similar telescopes that observe CMB
Satellites
Cosmic BackgroundExplorer satellite (1989-1993)
Wilkinson Microwave AnisotropyProbe (2001-2010)
ESA's Planck Observatory(2009-2013)
Ground-based
Atacama Cosmology Telescope

http://www.janis.com/NewsandEvents/PressReleases/2014_01_ACTPol.
aspx
References
Cofield, Calla. "South Pole Telescope Catches High-Energy Neutrino
Oscillations."Scientific American. N.p., 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
Galtseva, Elena. "Telescope Optics."South Pole Telescope. N.p., n.d. Web. 16
Nov. 2016.
Kaufman, Marc. "The South Pole Is a Great Place to View Space." National
Geographic. National Geographic Society, 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Nov.
2016.
"South Pole Telescope." The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics |
South Pole Telescope. The University of Chicago, n.d. Web. 16 Nov.
2016.
Space.com Staff. "New South Pole Telescope to Study Mysterious Dark Energy."
Space.com. Purch, 26 Feb. 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
West, Peter. "U.S. South Pole Station."NSF - National Science Foundation.
National Science Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.