Last week at the Pole was quiet for the IceCube detector but a bit busy in the South Pole station, where the first planning meeting for the upcoming Antarctic Games was held. Several years ago, the South Pole station inaugurated its version of the Olympic winter games. Since then, they have held an annual “Polympics” […]
Even though they recently had a fancy dinner at the South Pole, last week supplied a reason for another one. It was the celebratory feast for midwinter, which included cocktails and appetizers followed by a several-course meal. Guests were invited to attend dressed for a masquerade ball. The South Pole station has a long history […]
After weeks of intense activity spent on networking activities, last week at the Pole felt like things were back to normal. Normal included some troubleshooting work and data integration test runs, but there were some quiet times during the week as well. Was it cold outside? Of course it was (it’s not only the South […]
Last week at the Pole, IceCube’s winterovers spent much of their time on a major troubleshooting task. Wait…wasn’t that the previous week? Well, sometimes issues can take a while to iron themselves out. Even with continued troubleshooting work, the winterovers had time last week for other station activities, like power plant watch and emergency response […]
Last week at the Pole, IceCube’s winterovers spent much of their time on a major troubleshooting task. It kept them busy, too busy to take many photos apparently, even though their work required several trips out to the IceCube Lab (ICL) under clear starry skies filled with auroras. Thanks to fellow winterover Aman Chokshi, we […]
These are some happy (and well-fed) winterovers. Last week at the Pole, the galley crew offered up a special night in the form of a pop-up restaurant, “Chez Pole,” with mandatory reservations and a fancy menu. Outside, the highlight of the week was a total lunar eclipse. Not only did fellow South Pole Telescope winterover […]
Look how bright it seems—but it’s not the sun, it’s the full moon. Just as the skies reached complete darkness at the Pole last week, up rose the moon. And it’s bright enough to see your way around outside without the aid of headlamps. Still cold, though, as IceCube’s winterovers can confirm since they walked out […]
Finally more stars and auroras can be observed at the South Pole as the sky continues to get darker and darker. With hardly any wind last week, which makes it more comfortable to be outdoors, IceCube’s winterovers enjoyed some time just staring up at the sky. Getting a good view of the Milky Way has […]
IceCube’s winterovers were out at the IceCube Lab (ICL) for some troubleshooting last week, and they captured a few different views of the ICL in photographs. Above, the lingering light along the horizon still seems quite strong. Below, the stars are more apparent and there is a wisp of an aurora overhead. We get more […]
Last week at the Pole was a quiet one for the IceCube detector. The IceCube winterovers, on the other hand, kept busy with various activities. They continued their inventories at the IceCube Lab (ICL). That’s Moreno above, decked out in his cold weather gear. The walk from the station to the ICL is about a […]