There they are—those big, expansive, colorful auroras that seem to fill the sky! The highlight for last week at the Pole might have been the auroras, but it’s worth noting that capturing these lovely photographs required braving really cold temperatures and high winds. Still, auroras alone might be enough motivation for some folks to venture […]
A very large moon halo dominated the sky, here seen above the South Pole Telescope when conditions were just right last week. IceCube’s winterovers were busy as usual last week, and a few of their activities took them outside. With clear weather, they were able to enjoy views of auroras (no photos though) in addition […]
When it’s really cold outside—like with temperatures approaching -100°F!—it’s nice to have lots of fun things going on indoors at the Pole. Sure, there was work, and IceCube winterovers Connor and Kalvin had plenty to do: multiple webcasts for the IceCube Masterclass, deployment testing for the latest data acquisition software release, and debugging the IceAct […]
Even though sunset is always a slow and gradual process at the South Pole, it does seem like the “darkness” comes all of a sudden. Last week, those at the Pole were treated to the first large aurora of the season. In the image above, the aurora spreads across the sky as a long horizontal […]
The sun officially set weeks ago at the South Pole, but look at all that light on the horizon. It really sets off the steam from the station as it wafts in the wind, creating a long horizontal stream in the lower sky. IceCube’s winterovers were busy last week continuing their work on the IceAct […]
What better way to enjoy a sunset than sitting atop a frozen tower at the South Pole? (Well, there are those who might argue for a lounge chair on a sandy beach, but to each their own.) And with a sunset that stretches out for weeks, it gives folks at the Pole more opportunities to […]
There was lots of activity last week at the Pole for IceCube’s winterovers. One of the highlights was an ERT mulitple casualty incident drill, which involved participation from the whole station. IceCube winterover Conor is seen responding alongside another winterover to assist a critically injured “patient,” while Kalvin’s role involved acting as a patient, in […]
Ahhh—the twilight sky! The sun has officially set, but the light lingers for some time afterward. At the South Pole, that period of lingering light last weeks rather than minutes or hours. And it really is something to behold, with the icy surface taking on shades of blue and blending into the sky above, itself […]
It was another busy week at the Pole, with many trips out to the IceCube Lab (ICL) for IceCube’s winterovers. They had to do some detector maintenance and troubleshooting out at the ICL, but they also made the trek out to help others debug certain issues with the power supplies. Toward the end of the […]
As the sun continues to lower at the South Pole, shadows lengthen and the sky gradually darkens. The station in general has been settling into its winter groove, with everyone “volunteering” in shared activities—dishpit, house mouse (cleaning), greenhouse checks, and trash collection—to keep things running smoothly throughout the winter. Last week, IceCube’s winterovers were also […]