Submillimeter observing conditions on Cerro Chajnantor
Abstract
Consistently superb observing conditions are crucial for achieving the scientific objectives of a ground based telescope. For observations at submillimeter wavelengths, choosing a site with very little atmospheric water vapor is paramount. In northern Chile, the high Andes near San Pedro de Atacama are among the highest and driest places on Earth. At the 5000 m Chajnantor plateau, long term measurements have demonstrated observing conditions are excellent for submillimeter astronomy. Even better conditions prevail on higher mountain peaks in the vicinity. For the CCAT, we have selected a candidate site at 5612 m near the summit of Cerro Chajnantor. Radiosonde measurements, meteorological data, and measurements of the 350 Consistently superb observing conditions are crucial for achieving the scientific objectives of a ground based telescope. For observations at submillimeter wavelengths, choosing a site with very little atmospheric water vapor is paramount. In northern Chile, the high Andes near San Pedro de Atacama are among the highest and driest places on Earth. At the 5000 m Chajnantor plateau, long term measurements have demonstrated observing conditions are excellent for submillimeter astronomy. Even better conditions prevail on higher mountain peaks in the vicinity. For the CCAT, we have selected a candidate site at 5612 m near the summit of Cerro Chajnantor. Radiosonde measurements, meteorological data, and measurements of the 350 μm transparency all indicate submillimeter observing conditions are consistently better at the CCAT site than at the plateau. transparency all indicate submillimeter observing conditions are consistently better at the CCAT site than at the plateau.
Additional Information
© 2008 Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). We thank our friends who have contributed to these results, including C. Achermann, R. Bustos, N. Oyarce, R. Reeves, M. Uehara, A. Otárola, R. Blundell, and S. Paine. We thank Y. Yoshii and M. Doi for the access road on Cerro Chajnantor. The measurements were made with the agreement and support of the CONICYT and the U. Chile. This research was partially supported by the National Science Foundation.Attached Files
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 90840
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20181112-102857523
- NSF
- Created
-
2018-11-13Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-16Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Series Name
- Proceedings of SPIE
- Series Volume or Issue Number
- 7012