Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T07:05:15.319Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Auroral Contribution to Sky Brightness for Optical Astronomy on the Antarctic Plateau

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2013

J. T. Dempsey ,
J. W. V. Storey  and
A. Phillips
J. T. Dempsey
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
J. W. V. Storey*
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
A. Phillips
Affiliation:
School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
*
BCorresponding author. Email: j.storey@unsw.edu.au
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The Antarctic Plateau holds great promise for optical astronomy. One relatively unstudied feature of the polar night sky for optical astronomical observing is the potential contamination of observations by aurorae. In this study we analyse auroral measurements at South Pole Station and show that during an average winter season, the auroral contribution to the B band sky brightness is below 21.9 B mag arcsec−2 for 50% of the observing time. In V band, the median sky brightness contribution is 20.8 mag arcsec−2 during an average winter. South Pole Station is situated within the auroral zone and experiences strong and frequent auroral activity. The Antarctic locations of Dome C and Dome A are closer to the geomagnetic pole where auroral activity is greatly reduced compared with that of South Pole Station. Calculations based on satellite measurements of electron flux above the Antarctic Plateau are used to show that at Dome C, the contribution to sky background in the B and V bands is up to 3.1 mag less than that at the South Pole. The use of notch filters to reduce the contribution from the strongest auroral emission lines and bands is also discussed. The scientific potential of an extremely large telescope located at Dome C is discussed, with reference to the effect that auroral emissions would have on particular astronomical observations.

Keywords

atmospheric effects – site testing
Type
Research Article
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , 2005 , pp. 91 - 104
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 2005

References

Angel, J. R., Lawrence, J., & Storey, J. W. V. 2004, SPIE, 5382, 76 Google Scholar
Aristidi, E., Agabi, A., Vernin, J., Azouit, M., Martin, F., Ziad, A., & Fossat, E. 2003, A&A, 406, 19 Google Scholar
Baker, D. J., & Romick, G. J. 1976, ApOpt, 15, 1966 Google Scholar
Bashkin, S., Thiede, D. A., Sercel, P. C., Lin, P. C., & Traebert, E. 1991, PhRvA, 43, 3553 Google Scholar
Benn, C. R., & Ellison, S. L. 1998, NewAR, 42, 503 Google Scholar
Bessel, M. S. 1979, PASP, 91, 589 Google Scholar
Boccas, M., Ashley, M. C. B., Phillips, A., Schinckel, A., & Storey, J. W. V. 1998, PASP, 110, 306 Google Scholar
Candidi, M., & Lori, A. 2003, MmSAI, 74, 29 Google Scholar
Caldwell, D. A., Borucki, W. J., Showen, R., Jenkins, J., Doyle, L., Ninkov, Z., & Ashley, M. C. B. 2002, in IAU Symp. S-213, Bioastronomy 2002: Life among the Stars, eds. R. P. Norris, & F. H. Stootman (San Francisco: ASP), p. 93 Google Scholar
Carroll, J. J., & Fitch, B. W. 1981, JGR, 86, 5271 Google Scholar
Chamberlain, J. W. 1961, Physics of the Aurora and Airglow, International Geophysics Series (New York: Academic Press)Google Scholar
Gattinger, R. L., & Vallance Jones, A. 1974, CaJPh, 52, 2343 Google Scholar
Gattinger, R. L., Vallance Jones, A., Hecht, J. H., Strickland, D. J., & Kelly, J. 1991, JGR, 96, 11341Google Scholar
Hardy, D. A., Gussenhoven, M. S., & Holeman, E. 1985, JGR, 90, 4229 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, W. E., & Crane, R. L. 1993, SPIE, 2046, 88 Google Scholar
Lawrence, J. S., Ashley, M. C. B., Tokovinin, A., & Travouillon, T. 2004, Natur, 431, 278 Google Scholar
MacMillan, S., & Quinn, J. M. 2000, EP&S, 52, 1149 Google Scholar
McHarg, M. G. 1998, GeoRL, 25, 2637 Google Scholar
Myrabo, H. K. 1979, Ap&SS, 60, 367 Google Scholar
Myrabo, H. K. 1980, A&A, 84, 297 Google Scholar
Omholt, A. 1971, The Optical Aurora (Berlin: Springer)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paxton, L. J., & Meng, C.-I. 1999, Johns Hopkins Technical Digest, 20, 556 Google Scholar
Sharp, W. E. 1978, JGR, 83, 4373 Google Scholar
Storey, J. W. V., Ashley, M. C. B., & Burton, M. G. 1996, PASA, 13, 35 Google Scholar
Storey, J. W. V., Ashley, M. C. B., Lawrence, J. S., & Burton, M. G. 2003, MSAIS, 2, 13 Google Scholar
Swenson, G. R., Rairden, R. L., Solomon, S. C., & Anath, S. 1998, ApOpt, 37, 5760 Google Scholar
Travouillon, T., Burton, M. G., Ashley, M. C. B., Lawrence, J., & Storey, J. W. V. 2003, MSAIS, 2, 150 Google Scholar
Trondsen, T. S. 1998, PhD Thesis, University of Tromso, Norway Google Scholar
Vallance Jones, A. 1974, Aurora (Dordrecht: Reidel)Google Scholar