CHINESE ANTARCTIC ASTRONOMICAL OPTICAL TELESCOPES

Due to its superb seeing conditions, the Antarctica plateau is widely considered to be an excellent astronomical site. The long periods of uninterrupted darkness at polar sites such as Dome A provide a possibility of continuous observation for more than three months, which is quite suitable for time-domain astronomy. Since 2008, several wide-field optical photometric telescopes, including Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR),two of the Three Antarctic Survey Telescopes (AST3), have been deployed on Dome A. Science with these telescopes covers variable stars, supernovas, exoplanets, etc. For the remoteness of the Antarctic plateau, these telescopes are designed to observe autonomously and operate remotely via satellite communication. As for future plan, Kunlun Dark Universe Survey Telescope (KDUST), a 2.5-meter optic/infrared telescope, is being proposed as one of the two major facilities of Chinese Antarctic Observatory.