World's Largest Telescope

My guess is that such a telescope would have a sub-millimeter port as well.
So you would go to a radiotelescope mode.

Dan

Laura Halliday wrote:

"William C. Keel" wrote in message ...
...and I see that
Roger Angel is sort of pushing the idea of making another one for
the South Pole.

It's only astronomically dark at the South Pole from
mid-May to the end of July. What would they do with
such an instrument the rest of the year?

Laura Halliday VE7LDH "Que les nuages soient notre
Grid: CN89mg pied a terre..."
ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - Hospital/Shafte

Laura Halliday wrote:
"William C. Keel" wrote in message ...
...and I see that
Roger Angel is sort of pushing the idea of making another one for
the South Pole.

It's only astronomically dark at the South Pole from
mid-May to the end of July. What would they do with
such an instrument the rest of the year?

As someone else posted, it would be a nontrivial submillimeter
instrument. The main attraction of the site is that the cold,
dry atmosphere above the polar desert allows observations in
a uniquely long near-IR window available nowhere else short of
orbit (something like 2.5 microns). There are still severe issues
with seeing at the site, but there is some evidence that this
problem is limited to low elevations above the snow. However,
it's tough to build a high enough tower there (and capable of
surviving the worst winds) to check this further just now.

And come to think of it, there would be a fair number of interesting
targets observable in the IR in broad daylight, especially if
they can set it up to be usable in the longer windows at 10 microns
or so as well as out in the submm.

Bill Keel

"Robert" == Robert Cook writes:

Robert [...] space-based telescopes such
Robert as the Hubble will always have the advantage at
Robert ultraviolet wavelengths, due to severe atmospheric
Robert extinction.

If everyone would just empty a few spray cans of fluorocarbons a day,
we could get rid of that pesky ozone layer and greatly advance our
hobby.

David
--
If only 2^(7/12) were equal to 3/2, music would sound a lot better.

David B. Thomas wrote:

"Robert" == Robert Cook writes:


Robert [...] space-based telescopes such
Robert as the Hubble will always have the advantage at
Robert ultraviolet wavelengths, due to severe atmospheric
Robert extinction.

If everyone would just empty a few spray cans of fluorocarbons a day,
we could get rid of that pesky ozone layer and greatly advance our
hobby.

David

:-)))

David, you made my day! :-) Thanks! This rates just next to
the slogan "Stop the light polution - nuke the Moon!" :-)

- Alex

(David B. Thomas) wrote in message ...

"Robert" == Robert Cook writes:

Robert [...] space-based telescopes such
Robert as the Hubble will always have the advantage at
Robert ultraviolet wavelengths, due to severe atmospheric
Robert extinction.

If everyone would just empty a few spray cans of fluorocarbons a day,
we could get rid of that pesky ozone layer and greatly advance our
hobby.

Sounds like a plan! However, it would only help significantly in the
UV-B range. To allow UV-C to reach the Earth's surface, we would have
to consume all of the molecular oxygen (O2) in the atmosphere.
Burning all available fossil fuels and cutting down all of the world's
forests should do the trick. That should take care of atomic oxygen
in the upper atmosphere, as well, which would eliminate nearly all of
the natural airglow (5577 Å and 6300 Å) that contributes most of the
remaining light pollution that taints even the darkest of dark-sky
sites. In addition, the lack of energy resources should help curtail
artificial light pollution. Luckily for us, the plan is already in
progress. ;-)


- Robert Cook