Week 39 at the Pole

Long shadow of IceCube Lab in early sunrise.
Marc Jacquart, IceCube/NSF

Things were on the quiet side last week at the South Pole. The sun is up but still very low in the sky—check out the long shadow cast by the IceCube Lab (ICL), above. Below, instead, is a nice view of the ICL as it sunbathes in the early sunrise, with sastrugi now visible in daylight. With summer season approaching, everyone at the station is helping out these days with the annual deep cleaning before newcomers start arriving. IceCube’s winterovers took advantage of clear skies and low winds to tackle some of the “outdoor” deep cleaning at the ICL (i.e., snow shoveling). Although not from the same perspective, the before and after shots are worth a thousand words.

Three-quarter view facing the IceCube Lab in early sunrise.
Marc Jacquart, IceCube/NSF
Before/after snow removal outside IceCube Lab.
Marc Jacquart, IceCube/NSF