Multimedia Gallery
New ground shield--South Pole Telescope
A new ground shield was built around the parabolic dish of the South Pole Telescope during the 2011-12 austral summer. This shield will help prevent signal reflection off the white snow.
Astronomy is just one of many areas of research that takes place continually on Antarctica under the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP), supported and managed by the National Science Foundation. Other Antarctic study areas are biology and medicine, geology and geophysics, glaciology, and ocean and climate systems. Outreach such as the Antarctic Artists and Writers program and education programs are also supported. To learn more, visit the
USAP website. Further information about the South Pole Telescope--the largest ever built at the South Pole--is available Here. [Note: Please see special restrictions regarding use of this image, below.] (Date of Image: January 2012)
Credit: John Mallon III
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