9418853 Harper This award will support the participation of ten U.S.scientists to take part in a seminar concerned with preliminary site selection for an international astronomical observatory to be located on the Antarctic Plateau. The seminar will be held at the Mount Stromlo Observatory in Canberra, Australia in February 1995. The American coordinator is Prof. Doyal Harper from the University of Chicago and director of the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica. The Australian organizer is Dr. Jeremy Mould of the Australian National University and director of the Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories. The seminar is being conducted under the U.S.-Australia Cooperative Science Program and support in Australia is provided through the Department of Industry, Science and Technology (DIST). Nowhere else on Earth are conditions for astronomical observation as close to ideal as they are above the Antarctic Plateau. Observations from Antarctica can open windows on the Universe normally closed to any but space-based missions. An astronomical observatory capable of exploiting these natural conditions will generate exciting new discoveries about the formation epoch of galaxies, provide data on the physics of black holes, permit the detection of photoplanetary systems and provide key data in support of a host of other studies. The seminar will be a timely opportunity to compare recent results, evaluate scientific opportunities, and devise a rationalized international plan for astronomical site testing in preparation for establishing a first-class observatory in the Antarctic.
