Tales from the South Pole

McGill astrophysicist Matt Dobbs is spending a month at the South Pole helping to install a new camera in a huge telescope designed to help untangle mysteries of the universe by examining the cosmic microwave background -- the light left over from the Big Bang.

The South Pole Telescope has been operating for about a decade now, and the latest camera – like its predecessor – uses electronics developed and built by Dobbs’ lab at McGill. Dobbs and McGill grad student Joshua Montgomery are representing McGill, as part of a much larger team that includes partner institutions from across the U.S.

Dobbs has been keeping a blog about his adventures, including photos.  

He will be on site until Dec. 15, and is reachable by satellite phone for a couple of hours a day (generally around 2-4 p.m. Montreal time).

For more background on Dobbs and his research, see: http://publications.mcgill.ca/mcgillnews/2015/12/16/matt-dobbs/

If you’re interested in arranging a phone interview with Dobbs, please let us know as soon as possible.