And just like that, summer’s over and winter begins. At the Pole last week, a bunch of winterovers stood out on the ice as the last of the summer personnel boarded their plane headed for McMurdo Station, the first leg of their trip home. Below we see front and back views of the IceCube Lab […]
Life at the Pole
Week 5 at the Pole
A white rainbow? Well, yes—it’s also called a fogbow! Fogbows are rarer than rainbows, and guess what—they’re sometimes referred to as “ghost rainbows.” Sound familiar? More and more summer personnel were leaving the Pole last week, as final touches were put in place to winterize IceCube Upgrade equipment. […]
Week 4 at the Pole
What’s so funny? Who knows, but a few IceCube folks shared a good laugh out on the ice before leaving the South Pole last week. There were quite a few departures, as the summer season is winding down. There was also a sizeable incoming group—various flight issues had delayed their arrival to the Pole until […]
Week 3 at the Pole
This week’s aerial photo from the South Pole features a 360-degree view from above the IceCube Lab, taken with a camera mounted to a kite. Spectacular! It was a busy week as usual at the Pole, with Upgrade and IceCube maintenance teams working to wrap up summer season tasks. There was ARA work as well, […]
Week 2 at the Pole
An aeriel view of the IceCube Lab also shows the IceCube Upgrade drill camp in its current state of summer season activity. The Upgrade team has been working steadily over the summer to prepare for next year’s drilling activities. Last week, a group of IceCubers assisted in getting the IceAct telescopes deployed and operational—as good […]
Week 1 at the Pole
Last week at the Pole continued to be busy with lots of IceCube Upgrade activities. Here’s a different view from the previous week of the cabling progress for the Upgrade, this time with the IceCube Lab seen behind the large spools of cable. Members of the cable pull team took a moment to pose and […]
Week 53 at the Pole
Wasn’t last week the last week of the year at the South Pole? Hmm, we thought so, but guess not—so this must be it, with activities covering the end of 2024 and reaching into the beginning of 2025. All of the IceCube people at the South Pole got together for a nice group photo on […]
Week 52 at the Pole
The last week of the year at the South Pole was as busy as ever, with all kinds of activity, especially with the IceCube Upgrade. The Upgrade crew has been making good, steady progress despite earlier delays with both cargo and personnel. Clear skies, heavy machinery, and large cable spools are an indication of what […]
Week 51 at the Pole
Another week, another sun halo—this time complete with sun dogs! The ceremonial pole marker blocking the sun gives some added interest to the photo’s composition. Last week was busy at the Pole, especially out at the IceCube Lab, where all kinds of work was going on, including for ARA, IceAct, IceCube’s surface array, and the […]
Week 50 at the Pole
Now that’s a nice sun halo! It seems to occupy the whole sky above the IceCube Upgrade seasonal equipment site, on the left, and the IceCube Lab, off to the right. There’s a different, “high-up” view of the same sites shown below, taken from a departing flight last week. Yes, people are still coming and […]