SOUTH POLE TELESCOPE (SPT)

Telescopes on the earth have difficulties getting clear images because they have to peer through our thick atmosphere. That's why most major installations are located at high altitudes, where the air is clear and cold. The National Science Foundation reports that a new telescope is now in place in Antarctica. (The air doesn't get any colder or clearer anywhere than down there). It was put into use on February 16th, capturing images of Jupiter.

When it is fully up and running the SPT will help astronomers understand dark energy's influence on the expansion of the Universe and precisely measure the cosmic microwave background radiation. It will do this because it make images at the submillimetre spectrum. This is a region in between radio waves and infared radiation. Using submillimetre observations, the astronomers will be able to detect molecular clouds, map galaxy clusters, and chart that pesky cosmic microwave background radiation.

The telescope is 75 feet tall and weighs 280 tons. The parts were flown from New Zealand with the telescope being put together on site during the relatively warm Antarctic summer.