The moon was still out and bright last week at the Pole. It was a nice guiding light in the sky for IceCube’s winterovers as they trekked out on the ice to uncover and examine the IceAct telescopes. In the greenhouse, peppers are taking after the pea pods with a sudden proliferation across the plants. […]
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a cubic-kilometer array of optical sensors buried in Antarctic ice, detects elusive subatomic particles called neutrinos. When a neutrino interacts with a molecule of ice, it produces secondary particles that emit blue light, which is then detected by IceCube. Known as an “event,” its signals or light patterns are used to […]
A full moon was out last week at the Pole, here seen high in the dark sky above the IceCube Lab (left) and South Pole Telescope and BICEP (right), barely identifiable on the distant horizon. IceCube’s winterovers were busy as usual with IceCube maintenance and Upgrade calibration and test runs. Winterover Alicia was also out […]
Daily life remains busy at the South Pole for IceCube’s winterovers. In addition to ongoing monitoring and maintenance for the IceCube detector, last week they fit in several outreach sessions, too. The skies were cloudy, and there was no moon, so it was rather dark for any outdoor photos. All one could see were the […]
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. […]
Now there’s a sight! A funneled view on the IceCube Lab at sunset from the edge of a shapely sastrugi in the left foreground. Last week was busy with continued freeze-in operations for Upgrade equipment among other tasks. IceCube winterover Camille found more reasons to employ her artistic touch, this time on some panels that […]
Twilight at the South Pole is a long, drawn-out process that lasts weeks instead of hours. After the sun sets at the Pole, there’s still a period of prolonged dwindling light before everything gets immersed in complete darkness. Although it was still plenty light out last week, it wasn’t so bright as to make it […]
When weather at the South Pole isn’t favorable for nice sunset photos, there are other options for capturing the moment. IceCube winterover Camille took pen and paint to paper, and she used her imagination to create a very satisfying image of the sun setting at the Pole, showing the flag line leading out to the […]
Last week at the Pole, they had mixed weather for viewing the sunset. The week started out cloudy but cleared up in time for some nice photos when the sun was on the horizon. But clear skies didn’t last long, so they weren’t able to see the sun as it actually disappeared from view. That’s […]
In 2022, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole announced evidence for high-energy neutrinos spewing from the “nearby” active galaxy NGC 1068. NGC 1068 is an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a central, supermassive black hole that actively gobbles up surrounding matter. Classified as a Seyfert galaxy, NGC 1068 is not dominated by a […]