Astronomers are particularly interested in using observations in the infrared range to study the formation and evolution of stars and galaxies. At these wavelengths, interstellar dust is more transparent, making it possible to see regions of star formation embedded in dust clouds. The aim is to understand the mechanism of star formation not only in our own Galaxy, but also in other nearby galaxies, particularly in the Magellanic clouds, the two small satellite galaxies of the Milky Way which are visible only from the southern hemisphere.
? A. di Paola et al (2002)
Supernova SN2002cv was discovered from Campo Imperatore Observatory on May 13th 2002. The top image is an infrared observation and the bottom one in an optical one. The SN is not detected at optical wavelengths because of the galaxy dust lane while it pops out in the infrared. The PILOT-WHITE telescope could detect some of these supernovae.
Supernovae - massive explosions which accompany stellar deaths - are very bright in visible light and can be detected over very long distances, between 5 and 6 billion light-years... but only if their light is not absorbed by dust; this absorption is much less important in the infrared. How many supernovae do astronomers miss, because of the absorption of visible light? A full inventory can be made by a telescope at Dome C, monitoring large areas of the sky over long periods of time in infrared light.
? Spitzer Space Telescope/NASA
The Large Magellanic Cloud observed in the infrared by Spitzer Space Telescope. This satellite galaxy of the Milky Way is interesting for astronomers either in the infrared and in the submillimetric to probe dense regions where are located stellar formations areas.
These astrophysical problems can best be addressed by exploiting Dome C's potential as an infrared observatory site: Some members of the ARENA consortium, in collaboration with Australia, are proposing to build PILOT-WHITE. This is a Wide-field (0.5 degrees in diameter on the sky, the same size as the full moon), High angular resolution (0.3 arcseconds using adaptive optics), Infrared (0.8 to 5 microns wavelength) TElescope ? with a primary mirror about 2.5 m in diameter. The sky quality in the infrared at Dome C is so good that WHITE can carry out observations in daytime (southern summer) as well as nighttime (southern winter). Because WHITE is designed specifically for Dome C, it can be equipped with a simplified adaptive optics system correcting only the lowest atmospheric layers, which contain most of the atmospheric turbulence (Ground Layer Adaptive Optics or GLAO; see ?A unique astronomical site?).
)
)
