THE ANTARCTIC SUBMILLIMETER TELESCOPE AND REMOTE OBSERVATORY (AST RO)/

The Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory (AST/RO) is a highly automated 1.7 m diameter telescope aimed at exploiting the superb submillimetre skies of the Antarctic Plateau for astronomy and aeronomy studies. It was recently installed at the Amundsen-Scott Sou th Pole Station during the 1994/95 Austral season and is currently und ergoing its first winter-over of operation. In this paper we briefly o utline the capabilities of the instrument and describe some recent ach ievements culminating in the telescope's first observations of the Sou th Polar submillimetre sky.