CARA Science: IR Site Characterizartion
Near Infrared
In the near-IR, the sky brightness has been shown to
be between 20 and 100 times lower than at temperate sites
(Phillips et al. 1999;
Ashley et al. 1996;
Nguyen
et al. 1996). Exceptionally low near-IR backgrounds at the
South Pole are not infrequent (Phillips
et al. 1999).
Mid-Infrared
At 11 microns the summertime sky brightness at the
South Pole is an order of magnitude lower than at a typical
temperate observatory in winter, and much more stable
(Smith & Harper 1997).
Between 20 and 30 microns the wintertime optical depth is
typically 0.25 with excellent stability of 0.2% variability
over the 14 minute periods of observation.
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