| Issue |
EAS Publications Series
Volume 25, 2007
1st ARENA Conference on "Large Astronomical Infrastructures at CONCORDIA, prospects and constraints for Antarctic Optical/IR Astronomy"
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 261 - 264 | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/eas:2007105 | |
| Published online | 23 May 2007 | |
N. Epchtein and M. Candidi (eds)
EAS Publications Series, 25 (2007) 261-264
WHAT? A Large Reflective Schmidt Telescope for the Antarctic Plateau
Anglo-Australian Observatory, PO Box 196 Epping, NSW 1710, Australia
We present a design concept for WHAT – the Wide-field Antarctic Horizontal Telescope – to take advantage of the unique possibilities of Antarctica for both optical and near infrared astronomy. The design is an 8 metre, wide-field, fixed-axis, all-reflective, f/4 Schmidt telescope. Prime and Cassegrain (or Gregorian) foci are provided, giving plate scales 150-1500 µm/'', over fields of view 3'-3°. Diffraction limited, NGSAO-corrected Kdark images are possible over arc-minute sized fields, over most of the sky. The sensitivity, resolution, field of view and cost all compare favourably with current or proposed space or ground-based telescopes.
© EAS, EDP Sciences, 2007