Kunlun Station Explained

Kunlun Station
Native Name:昆仑站
T:崑崙站
Native Name Lang:zh
Settlement Type:Antarctic base
Flag Size:110px
Flag Border:no
Mapsize:270px
Pushpin Map:Antarctica
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Kunlun Station in Antarctica
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Kunlun Station in Antarctica
Pushpin Mapsize:270
Pushpin Relief:yes
Coordinates:-80.4171°N 77.1161°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:
Subdivision Type1:Location in Antarctica
Subdivision Name1:East Antarctica
Subdivision Type3:Administered by
Subdivision Name3:Polar Research Institute of China
Established Title:Established
Elevation M:4,087
Population As Of:2017
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Blank1 Title:Summer
Population Blank1:26
Population Blank2 Title:Winter
Population Blank2:0
Blank Name Sec1:Type
Blank Info Sec1:Seasonal
Blank1 Name Sec1:Period
Blank1 Info Sec1:Summer
Blank2 Name Sec1:Status
Blank2 Info Sec1:Operational
Blank Name Sec2:Activities
Website:Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration

Kunlun Station is the southernmost of five Chinese research stations in Antarctica. When it is occupied during the summer, it is the second-southernmost research base in Antarctica, behind only the American Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station at the geographical South Pole. When Kunlun is not in operation, the year-round Russian Vostok Station is the second-southernmost base in Antarctica.

It is located at 4087 m above sea level on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, making it the highest base in Antarctica.[2] It is only 7.3 km southwest of Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic Plateau. The station was officially opened on January 27, 2009. Fully constructed the station is planned to cover an area of 558 m2. The main building, covering 236 m2, is planned erected in April 2009.[3]

The site is one of the coldest in the world, with temperatures occasionally reaching -80°C in the winter. It is indicated from satellite measurements that places nearby could reach a world record -90°C temperature.

In April 2012 the first of three Antarctica Schmidt telescopes (AST3) was installed at Kunlun Station. The other two were planned for installation in 2013 and 2014. A bigger optical telescope, Kunlun Dark Universe Survey Telescope (KDUST), is planned to be installed by 2025.

Telescopes at Kunlun Station

Instrument NameApertureInstallation YearRemarks
Chinese Small Telescope Array (CSTAR) [4] 0.145m2008CSTAR is an array of four Schmidt telescope with aperture of 14.5 cm, equipped with 1Kx1K CCD each.
Antarctica Schmidt telescopes (AST3)0.5m2012–2014First of three AST3 telescopes was installed at the Antarctic Kunlun Station in April 2012.[5]
Kunlun Dark Universe Survey Telescope (KDUST)2.5m2025KDUST is a 2.5 meter infrared optical telescope designed to detect and observe Earth-like planets in the Milky Way using infrared light.[6]
Dome A Terahertz Explorer-5 (DATE5)5m2025DATE5 is a 5-meter telescope designed to detect light with longer wavelengths, which will allow astronomers to detect and observe nascent stars.
Infrared optical telescope6-8m2020+
New terahertz telescope15m2020+

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. catalogue . Antarctic Station Catalogue . August 2017 . . 978-0-473-40409-3 . 61 . 16 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221022102847/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61073506e9b0073c7eaaf464/t/611497cc1ece1b43f0eeca8a/1628739608968/COMNAP_Antarctic_Station_Catalogue.pdf . 22 October 2022 . live.
  2. News: China to build two more Antarctic bases. Phys.org. March 29, 2013.
  3. Web site: China sets up 3rd Antarctic research station . 28 January 2009 . 2009-01-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090131093023/http://chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-01/28/content_7430570.htm. 31 January 2009 . live.
  4. Web site: Installment of telescope array completed at Dome A -- china.org.cn. china.org.cn. 2 August 2015.
  5. Web site: China installs large Antarctic survey telescope. peopledaily.com.cn. 2 August 2015.
  6. University of New South Wales, Australia, The PLATO-A Team http://mcba11.phys.unsw.edu.au/~plato-a/