The Kunlun Dark Universe Survey Telescope, also known as KDUST, is a planned large survey

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...

to be installed at the Chinese

Antarctic Kunlun Station Kunlun Station () is the southernmost of four Chinese research stations in Antarctica. When it is occupied during the summer, it is the second-southernmost research base in Antarctica, behind only the American Amundsen–Scott South Pole Stati ...

located at

Dome A Dome A or Dome Argus is the loftiest ice dome on the Antarctic Plateau, located inland. It is thought to be the coldest naturally occurring place on Earth, with temperatures believed to reach . It is the highest ice feature in Antarctica, consis ...

ice plateau in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

. It is intended to take advantage of the exceptional observation conditions due to low temperature, clean air quality and low disturbances which reduce background noises for infrared observations. KDUST is a 2.5 meter infrared optical telescope designed to detect and observe Earth-like planets in the Milky Way using infrared light, but at much higher resolution than the Antarctica Schmidt telescopes project. KDUST will be perched on a 14.5-meter-tall tower to lift it above the turbulence layer. KDUST is scheduled to be installed by 2025.

References

Chinese telescopes Proposed buildings and structures in Antarctica Proposed telescopes Astronomical telescopes and observatories in the Antarctic {{observatory-stub