Ah, the 4th of July—barbecues everywhere, even at the South Pole. But, not only is it winter there now, with snow and ice, it’s been extremely cold lately, with long stretches of low temperatures, down to below –100 °F. […]
Week 26 at the Pole
Life at the Pole
Week 25 at the Pole
IceCube winterover Erik Beiser was captured in the above image silhouetted by the rising moon while out taking aurora photos himself. […]
Week 24 at the Pole
If you blur your vision slightly, the green tablecloth might be mistaken as grass and the entire scene as one of a summertime outdoor picnic. But it’s still winter at the South Pole—midwinter to be precise, one of several milestones they traditionally celebrate with a special dinner. […]
Week 23 at the Pole
South Pole … greenhouse? That’s right. One of the coldest places on the planet hosts a very nice, warm greenhouse, replete with tomatoes and leafy greens. It’s a jungle in there. […]
Week 22 at the Pole
They’re getting fancy at the Pole—wide angles showing off curves and long exposures leaving star trails in the night sky. With its long stretch of darkness broken only by spells of auroras or the rising of a sunlike moon, winter makes the South Pole a captivating place. […]
Week 21 at the Pole
Is that the sun or the moon? That’s the moon alright—since it’s still winter at the South Pole, we know the sun has set and won’t show itself again for awhile. But with such a bright moon, you can see for quite some distance. […]
Week 20 at the Pole
The auroras have been been bright and lively lately. And even though this one curves downward, it does not bring a frown to mind. In fact, in the the full-sky panorama view it converts to a smile. […]
Week 19 at the Pole
Last week was fairly quiet as far as the IceCube detector went—no major happenings there. But the sky, on the other hand, what a scene! The auroras (australis, that is) were particularly brilliant and striking. […]
Week 18 at the Pole
With the sun gone, they can cover up their windows all they want to prevent indoor light from getting outdoors, but they can’t stop the moon from shining. And last week, the moon was out full force, illuminating some interesting structures in the landscape. […]
Week 17 at the Pole
Winterovers at the South Pole keep their emergency response skills fresh by holding regular drills. Last week was the missing person drill. And even though they are in the Dark Sector, where outdoor lighting is generally eliminated in winter, they had to turn flood lights on the outside of the station to be able to safely guide the drill team back. […]