The CSTAR Telescope

CSTAR (Chinese Small Telescope ARray) is composed of four identical telescopes with an entrance aperture 145 mm and a 4.5° × 4.5° field of view. Each telescope observes through a different filter: either g, r, i or open. The main science goals of CSTAR are observations of variable stars, and to do measurements of atmosphere extinction and sky brightness.

For more information visit the Chinese Center for Antarctic Astronomy (CCAA).

CSTAR CSTAR at Dome A Antarctica

Refereed papers from CSTAR

  1. Xu Zhou, Zhen-Yu Wu, Zhao-Ji Jiang, Xiang-Qun Cui, Long-Long Feng, Xue-Fei Gong, Jing-Yao Hu, Qi-Sheng Li, Gen-Rong Liu, Jun Ma, Jia-Li Wang, Li-Fan Wang, Jiang-Hua Wu, Li-Rong Xia, Jun Yan, Xiang-Yan Yuan, Feng-Xiang Zhai, Ru Zhang and Zhen-Xi Zhu, Testing and data reduction of the Chinese Small Telescope Array (CSTAR) for Dome A, Antarctica, Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 10, (2010), 279–290.
  2. Hu Zou, Xu Zhou, Zhaoji Jiang, M.C.B. Ashley, Xiangqun Cui, Longlong Feng, Xuefei Gong, Jingyao Hu, C.A. Kulesa, J.S. Lawrence, Genrong Liu, D.M. Luong-Van, Jun Ma, A.M. Moore, Pennypacker, C.R., Weijia Qin, Zhaohui Shang, J.W.V. Storey, Bo Sun, T. Travouillon, C.K. Walker, Jiali Wang, Lifan Wang, Jianghua Wu, Zhenyu Wu, Lirong Xia, Jun Yan, Ji Yang, Huigen Yang, Yongqiang Yao, Xiangyan Yuan, D.G. York, Zhanhai Zhang and Zhenxi Zhu, The sky brightness and transparency in i-band at Dome A, Antarctica, Astronomical Journal, 140, (2010), 602–611.
  3. Zhou, X., Fan, Z., Jiang, Z., Ashley, M. C. B., Cui, X., Feng, L., Gong, X., Hu, J., Kulesa, C. A., Lawrence, J. S., Liu, G., Luong-Van, D. M., Ma, J., Moore, A. M., Qin, W., Shang, Z., Storey, J. W. V., Sun, B., Travouillon, T., Walker, C. K., Wang, J., Wang, L., Wu, J., Wu, Z., Xia, L., Yan, J., Yang, J., Yang, H., Yuan, X., York, D., Zhang, Z., Zhu, Z., 2010, The First Release of the CSTAR Point Source Catalog from Dome A, Antarctica, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 122, (2010), 347–353.
  4. Yang, H., Allen, G., Ashley, M.C.B., Bonner, C.S., Bradley, S., Cui, X., Everett, J.R., Feng, L., Gong, X., Hengst, S., Hu, J., Jiang, Z., Kulesa, C.A., Lawrence, J.S., Li, Y., Luong-Van, D., McCaughrean, M.J., Moore, A.M., Pennypacker, C., Qin, W., Riddle, R., Shang, Z., Storey, J.W.V., Sun, B., Suntzeff, N., Tothill, N.F.H., Travouillon, T., Walker, C.K., Wang, L., Yan, J., Yang, J., York, D., Yuan, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, Z., Zhou, X., and Zhu, Z., The PLATO Dome A Site-Testing Observatory: Instrumentation and First Results, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 121, (2009), 174–184.

SPIE instrumentation papers from CSTAR

  1. X. Yuan, X. Cui, G. Liu, F. Zhai, X. Gong, R. Zhang, L. Xia, J. Hu, J.S. Lawrence, J. Yan, J.W.V.Storey, L. Wang, L. Feng, M.C.B. Ashley, X. Zhou, Z. Jiang and Z. Zhu, Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) for Antarctic Dome A, Proc. SPIE, 7012, (2008), 70124G–70124G-8.
  2. X. Gong, L. Xia, R. Zhang, Design and analysis of cushioning packing box for Chinese Small Telescope Array, Proc. SPIE, 7018, (2008) 701848-8.

Conference proceedings from CSTAR

  1. Xiangqun Cui, 2010, CSTAR and future plans for Dome A, IAU Highlights of Astronomy, 15, 639–640.
  2. Gong, X., Wang, L., Cui, X., Feng, L., Yuan, X., Ashley, M. C. B., Allen, G., Bonner, C. S., Bradley, S. G., Everett, J. R., Hengst, S., Hu, J., Jiang, Z., Kulesa, C. A., Lawrence, J. S., Li, Y., Luong-van, D. M., McCaughrean, M. J., Moore, A. M., Pennypacker, C., Qin, W., Riddle, R., Shang, Z., Storey, J. W. V., Sun, B., Suntzeff, N., Tothill, N. F. H., Travouillon, T., Walker, C. K., Yan, J., Yang, H., Yang, J., York, D. G., Zhang, X., Zhang, Z., Zhou, X., and Zhu, Z., Dome A site testing and future plans, EAS Publications Series, 40, (2010), 65–72.

Developed By

PMO Purple Mountain Observatory, China
NIAOT Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology, China
NAOC National Astronomical Observatories of China