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 […]
For the first time since 2019, the spring collaboration meeting was held in person last week from May 16–20. The in-person meeting took place at both the Fine Arts Museum and the Plaine campus of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Brussels, Belgium. A total of 225 participants, including those who joined remotely, registered […]
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 […]
The results of the ninth edition of the IceCube Impact Awards were announced this week at IceCube’s spring collaboration meeting in Brussels, Belgium. During the ceremony, IceCube spokesperson Ignacio Taboada gave each recipient a certificate and mug to commemorate their achievements. The awardees are Jessie Micallef (Michigan State University), Thomas McElroy (University of Alberta), Tianlu […]
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 […]
It’s finally getting dark at the Pole. Last week, IceCube winterovers went out to the IceCube Lab to do some inventory and check on the wind turbine on the roof. While there, they also covered up the windows to prevent light pollution during the dark winter. They are in the Dark Sector after all. But […]
Last week at the Pole brought claims of auroras in the skies overhead. No photos to go with those claims—not yet anyway, but those will surely come in the days ahead. In the meantime, the clear sky (without auroras) was beautiful in its even and gradual gradation from blue to orange along the horizon. And […]
Ahh…twilight—that magical time when our surroundings seem to soften under the diminishing light of day. At the South Pole, twilight is a lengthy process that can take weeks, with the distant horizon still lit by the slowly setting sun. They’ll begin to see a few stars, and maybe some auroras, before full darkness envelopes the […]