Week 16 at the Pole

Green swirling auroras at South Pole at twilight, with a vertical laser beam off to the right.
Matt Yoder, NSF

Last week brought more colors to the sky—purple and green in addition to the lingering blue. And it’s all thanks to the aurora australis making its appearance. Sometimes the early auroras are faint, but not always. And sometimes it’s a matter of getting your camera set up in time, as IceCube winterover Alicia can affirm. But no matter, aurora season has only just begun, so there’s plenty time still to chase those exciting auroras. In the meantime, they covered the windows of the station last week, an annual task to minimize escaping light for the light-sensitive instruments in the Dark Sector.

Green swirling auroras at South Pole at twilight.
Eliana Planer, NSF
Very faint auroras at the South Pole at twilight, with the sky mostly blue.
Alicia Fattorini, IceCube/NSF