Submillimetre Astronomy is the branch of observational astronomy that is conducted at submillimetre wavelengths. Often descibed as residing between the infrared and radio wavebands, the submillimetre waveband more precisesly falls between the far-infrared and microwave wavebands, typically taken to be between a few hundred microns and a millimetre. (Note that the British English spelling is "submillimetre" while the American English spelling is "submillimeter"). Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. ... Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. ... This page is about the radiation; for the appliance, see microwave oven. ...
Submillimetre Astronomy from the ground
The most significant limitation to the detection of astronomical emission at submillimetre wavelengths with ground based observatories is atmospheric emission, noise and attenuation. Like the infrared, the submillimetre atmosphere is dominated by numerous water vapour absorption bands and it is only through "windows" between these bands that observations are possible. The ideal submillimetre observing site id dry, cool, has stable weather conditions and is away from urban population centres. There are only a handful os such sites identified, they include Manuna Kea (Hawaii, USA), the Atacama Plateau (Chile), the South Pole, and Hanla (India). Comparisons show that all four sites are excellent for submillimetre astronomy, and of these sites Mauna Kea is the most established and arguably the most accessible.
Submillimetreastronomy or submillimeter astronomy (see spelling differences) is the branch of observational astronomy that is conducted at submillimetre wavelengths.
Astronomers place the submillimetre waveband between the far-infrared and microwave wavebands, typically taken to be between a few hundred micrometres and a millimetre.
Using submillimetre observations, astronomers examine molecular clouds and dark cloud cores with a goal of clarifying the process of star formation from earliest collapse to stellar birth.
Submillimetreastronomy (at wavelengths of 200m m to 1mm) is most sensitive to cold gas and dust, with, for example, the flbody emission of a 10 K source peaking at around 300m m.
Furthermore, some of the coldest phenomena are only seen in the submillimetre: an example is large-scale gas outflows from young stars, which extend far beyond the optical stellar jets and play an important role in the evolution of the surrounding cloud and further star formation.
The enormous untapped potential of submillimetreastronomy is perhaps most clearly illustrated by considering the three main components that dominate the electromagnetic energy content of the Universe.
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