A robotic observatory designed to test the astronomical observing conditions at a remote Antarctic plateau has lost power after 204 days of operation. The project may be resuscitated with solar power in the coming weeks, when sunlight returns to the region.
A robotic observatory designed to test the astronomical observing conditions at a remote Antarctic plateau has lost power after 204 days of operation. The project may be resuscitated with solar power in the coming weeks, when sunlight returns to the region.
Earlier this year, a Chinese expedition installed the PLATeau Observatory (PLATO) on a site called Dome A, which sits 4100 metres above sea level on the Antarctic plateau.
The observatory includes a range of telescopes and meteorological instruments designed to test the sky conditions above Dome A, which some astronomers suspect is the best place on the planet to do ground-based astronomy.
That's because it boasts months of uninterrupted night during wintertime in the southern hemisphere and is at a high altitude – meaning there is less distortion-inducing atmosphere between it and its celestial targets. The site is also very dry, which is good for astronomy because atmospheric moisture absorbs certain wavelengths of light.
Diesel engines and 4000-litres of jet fuel have been used to keep the batteries for PLATO's instruments warm and charged – important since the observatory has been operating in 24-hour-darkness for nearly the last four months. PLATO was designed to run unattended until a re-supply mission brought it more fuel and new instruments in 2009.
But late last week, the observatory's instruments stopped working after one of the diesel engines developed an exhaust leak. The drop in power may have made the instrument batteries too cold to hold a charge.
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