Week 19 at the Pole

The IceCube Lab lit from behind by moonlight.
Wenceslas Marie-Sainte, IceCube/NSF

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 to the IceCube Lab, above, and to a nearby IceACT telescope, below, to take some snow measurements. In the station, IceCube winterover Celas hosted an Esperanto challenge and organized a group of other interested winterovers to complete a marathon introduction to Esperanto. The challenge was a success and spawned the first South Pole Esperanto club.

A telescope (blue tub-like structure on a stand), out in the snow-swept Antarctic plain.
Wenceslas Marie-Sainte, IceCube/NSF
Group photo of South Pole Esperanto club holding up an Esperanto flag.
Wenceslas Marie-Sainte, IceCube/NSF