A 10-meter diameter telescope at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica, designed to observe the microwave, millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave sky, with a particular goal of measuring the faint, diffuse cosmic microwave background. It achieved first light on 16 February 2007, and its first major survey, searching for distant massive galaxy clusters through their interaction with the cosmic microwave background to constrain the dark energy equation of state, was completed in October 2011.
Facts
Observatory TypeGround-based millimeter-wave telescope 1 LocationAmundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica 1 MeasuresThe faint, diffuse microwave, millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave emission of the cosmic microwave background. 1 Operating PrincipleThe entire 10-meter telescope is scanned as one unit so its beam does not move relative to its own mirrors, a design now standard among modern cosmic microwave background telescopes, sited at the pole for its cold, dry, stable atmosphere. 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: South Pole Telescope, lead sectionQuote, Wikipedia: South Pole Telescope, lead section
The South Pole Telescope (SPT) is a 10-metre (390 in) diameter telescope located at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica.
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: South Pole Telescope, history sectionQuote, Wikipedia: South Pole Telescope, history section
On February 16, 2007, the South Pole Telescope achieved first light.
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: South Pole Telescope, design goals sectionQuote, Wikipedia: South Pole Telescope, design goals section
The telescope is designed for observations in the microwave, millimeter-wave, and submillimeter-wave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, with the particular design goal of measuring the faint, diffuse emission from the cosmic microwave background (CMB).
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: South Pole Telescope, design sectionQuote, Wikipedia: South Pole Telescope, design section
A key feature of the SPT design, now standard among modern CMB telescopes, is that the entire telescope is scanned, so the beam does not move relative to the telescope mirrors.
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