Last month, the U.S. National Science Foundation renewed a cooperative agreement with the University of Wisconsin–Madison to manage and operate the NSF IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The five-year, $53 million cooperative agreement entails the continued operation and maintenance of IceCube for the period 2026-2031. “The generous funding will allow us to further improve the performance of […]
A spectacular display of auroras graced the sky above the Pole last week, and IceCube winterover Camille was poised to capture a nice shot. It can be a little challenging to remain still for outdoor photos—for humans, but apparently for the South Pole Telescope, as well, as evidenced below. The week ended on a more […]
It was a relatively quiet and calm week at the Pole. IceCube’s winterovers had some of their usual chores to attend to along with a Zoom call with the new winterovers who will take their place (though not quite yet…). Winterover Alicia was down in the tunnels last week, always an interesting spot to visit. […]
The properties of the interior of the Earth remain one of science’s greatest unsolved mysteries. Despite information from indirect methods, such as seismic and gravitational measurements, used to investigate the Earth’s internal structure, many questions remain unanswered. Atmospheric neutrinos, which are produced in cosmic-ray-induced air showers in the Earth’s atmosphere, are detected by the IceCube […]
It was rather bright last week at the Pole, but it was all moon, no sun. They are still in nautical twilight there, so it will still be a while before the sun actually makes its appearance. Some folks at the Pole are surely ready for it. Even so, look at the auroras below—faint or […]
Twas the night before Christmas, well, Christmas in July, with cookies out for Santa, and a drift of white pillows piled high. Hey, who doesn’t like an extra reason to celebrate something? At the South Pole, they are experts at this, as they love their traditions and continue to add new ones to the list. […]
It was business as usual at the South Pole for IceCube’s winterovers last week. They had plenty to do maintaining the detector along with continuing Upgrade calibrations. It was a very cold week, too, with temperatures that reached levels they haven’t seen since 2018. The cold was accompanied by nice views of the night sky, […]
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole searches for weakly interacting particles called neutrinos that are able to travel undisturbed through the cosmos. When a neutrino interacts with a molecule of ice, it produces secondary particles that emit blue light, which is then detected by IceCube. From the shape of that light pattern, the […]
The object in the image below, propped up on a bench for maintenance, might not look like much. But that brass weight is a very important object for life at the South Pole. Without it, they wouldn’t have a source of drinking water. It contains heaters that melt ice in the Rodwell, a large reservoir […]
Action shot! In honor of the FIFA World Cup, IceCube winterovers Alicia and Camille ventured outside to play soccer—in the dark. Apparently the soccer balls weren’t too happy in the extreme cold, but the winterovers were treated to a nice starry sky while they played. The improved weather conditions allowed them to host the open […]