Week 9 at the Pole

dark sector busy
Christian Krueger, IceCube/NSF

On a clear sunny day, it’s easy to make out the buildings at the end of the road to the Dark Sector, but the flag line is set up for the winter months, when darkness and extreme temperatures reign and you really can’t afford to get lost out there. Even in the next photo, still in daylight but without the sunshine, you can see how helpful the flag line is. The sun is sinking rapidly and shadows grow longer. At the station, they’ve begun having some astronomy classes in anticipation of all the dark sky viewing they’ll have during their long night. Inside last week, they had an emergency response drill and some fun with electronics, taking things apart next to the jigsaw puzzle (where the fun is in putting things back together).

flag line
Christian Krueger, IceCube/NSF
long shadow
Christian Krueger, IceCube/NSF
table of work
Christian Krueger, IceCube/NSF