The Dark Sector

On Tuesday, I went to the Dark Sector.  As I mentioned in a previous blog, we have different areas or "sectors" around the main station building.  The dark sector houses all of our telescopes.  The scientists here are studying what the universe was like after the big bang.  They are using microwaves to see the light at a point in space where it is no longer reflecting off other objects- I forget the number, but it was something like 180 million light years away.  (It's hard to wrap your brain around!)  By studying this light, and it's heat, they can tell what the universe was like in the very beginning.

Since it is summer here, none of our telescopes are actually looking at anything- all the scientists are working on the telescopes.  We should have some telescopes up and running within a few weeks, and I'll be back!!  I was able to climb up in the space where the telescopes would normally be housed.

Martin A Pomerantz Oberservatory (MAPO); first 4 pictures
astro.uchicago.edu/cara/vtour/pole/darksector/mapo/


South Pole Telescope link (SPT); last 2 pictures
http://pole.uchicago.edu/

This telescope goes in the above "yellow section of the building" - 5 of them fit in the small circle where I am standing.

This telescope is housed in the building above