The Concordia research station is located on the Antarctic Plateau and operates year round. It is over 500 kilometres from the nearest civilisation and is considered the most isolated human outpost on the planet. 3233 metres above sea level, Concordia is built atop a naturally occurring summit on the Antarctic Ice Sheet and experiences dry conditions with temperatures well below freezing. These conditions are ideal for the study of astronomy, which is one project conducted here along with the investigation into climate change.