A Review of Optical Sky Brightness and Extinction at Dome C, Antarctica

Abstract

The recent discovery of exceptional seeing conditions at Dome C, Antarctica, raises the possibility of constructing an optical observatory there with unique capabilities. However, little is known from an astronomer's perspective about the optical sky brightness and extinction at Antarctic sites. We review the contributions to sky brightness at high-latitude sites, and calculate the amount of usable dark time at Dome C. We also explore the implications of the limited sky coverage of high-latitude sites and review optical extinction data from the South Pole. Finally, we examine the proposal of Baldry and Bland-Hawthorn (2001) to extend the amount of usable dark time through the use of polarising filters.