Antarctic astronomy

PLATOs

PLATO-A - deployed in 2012

PLATO (PLATeau Observatory) is a University of New South Wales designed and manufactured robotic astronomical observatory for Antarctica. The first PLATO was deployed in 2008 by the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This original PLATO supports scientific instruments for astronomy and atmospheric site testing on the highest point on the Antarctic Plateau, Dome A (4093m).

NCRIS funding has allowed an upgraded PLATO (PLATO-A) to be deployed to Dome A. PLATO-A will be the primary support platform for the Chinese-led AST3 project (see below). PLATO-A was deployed in January 2012, and the original PLATO is still operational.

PLATO-R - deployed in 2012

Part of AAL's EIF grant has been used to fund another next-generation PLATO: PLATO-R. Deployed in January 2012 by the University of Arizona and UNSW to Ridge A, PLATO-R is a modular version of the original PLATO, designed to fit inside a Twin Otter aircraft. The project is also funded by the NSF.

Read Prof Michael Ashley's diary of PLATO-R's deployment to Antarctica on The Conversation.

PLATO-F - AAL contribution now complete

PLATO-F, partially funded by NCRIS, was shipped to Antarctica at the end of 2010 and deployed by the Japanese National Institute of Polar Research to Dome F. PLATO-F ran continuously for 174 days, with the UNSW design allowing it to continue operating under normal attrition of components, until one unrecoverable failure occurred. PLATO-F re-established contact under solar power in November 2011, however currently the contact is too intermittent to continue with science observations.

PLATO-F enroute from the Japanese coastal station of Shyowa to Dome Fuji, a distance of about 1200 km. Credit: Hirofumi Okita.

The PLATO-R Instrument Module, shortly after its arrival at the US Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in December 2011. Credit: Michael Ashley.

Key Contact

Prof Michael Ashley, UNSW.

AST3 collaboration

Scheduled for completion 2013

UNSW will also contribute to the replacement of the prototype experiment CSTAR at Dome A. The CSTAR experiment will be replaced with three AST3 wide-field optical telescopes, each of which is 0.5m in diameter. PLATO-A will provide power, data handling and communications for the AST3 telescopes. UNSW will also use EIF funding to contribute to the AST3 project through the construction of instruments to characterise the site's infrared background and the all-sky cloud cover.