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One
positive side effect of the "springtime ozone hole" in Antarctica
is that it provides favorable atmospheric conditions for observing
the celestial dome. This 'window' enables scientists to probe the
structure of the Sun and the universe with unprecedented precision.
The
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is arguably one of the best places
on earth to study the stars.
Current
research includes studies of: the formation of large-scale structure
in the early Universe, the origins of star-forming molecular clouds,
the origin and evolution of protostars and young stars, and the
interaction between molecular clouds and young stars.
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Helioseismography
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Helioseismography
is a relatively new branch of astronomy which involves monitoring
the frequencies of solar pulses to determine what is happening
inside the sun.
One
scientist has likened the work to 'trying to record the New
York Philharmonic from the other side of a concrete wall,
while a guy is using a jackhammer on the wall and someone
is playing with the volume control.'
'Then,
from an analysis of the measured frequencies, you attempt
to determine which instruments are being played!'
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In addition,
the Antarctic continent represents an essentially pristine electromagnetic
environment so that the natural environmental levels of electromagnetic
signals can be studied over a wide range of geomagnetic latitudes.
The measured levels can then be used as the knowledge base for similar
geomagnetic latitudes which are occupied by humans but in places where
the human-produced interference is so large that the natural background
levels can not readily be ascertained.
Some
stars produce only infrared radiation, which we usually think
of as invisible warmth.
The
amount of this radiation that reaches Earth is infinitesimally
small and, since water vapor absorbs it, even more is lost
as it passes through the atmosphere.
Antarctica's
thin, dry, cold atmosphere makes it the best place on Earth
to detect infrared stars.
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There
is growing concern about human exposure to electromagnetic energy
in the frequency range of a few hundredths of a Hertz to several
hundred Hertz, the range for which Antarctic measurements can importantly
contribute. Hence, it is essential to preserve, insofar as this
is possible, electromagnetic cleanliness throughout the Antarctic.
 Antarctica
is also playing its part in unraveling the mysteries of where the
universe came from. It turns out to be the perfect place to study
cosmic microwave background radiation, which is believed to be the
remaining echo of the Big Bang. The very dry, cold conditions are
ideal for scientists (mainly from Sweden and the US) to make measurements
that should show whether there is a spatial structure to the background
radiation, as predicted by some theories.
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Three
Reasons Why Antarctica is
an Astronomer's Dream Come True
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