Week 18 at the Pole

A bright moon with large moon halo at the South Pole, with South Pole Telescope seen in shadow in the distance.
Connor Duffy, IceCube/NSF

A very large moon halo dominated the sky, here seen above the South Pole Telescope when conditions were just right last week. IceCube’s winterovers were busy as usual last week, and a few of their activities took them outside. With clear weather, they were able to enjoy views of auroras (no photos though) in addition to the moon halo above. Also last week, station personnel hosted a health and wellness fair, with help from members of the ERT teams. IceCube winterover Connor took blood samples and ran tests while Kalvin performed pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen concentration measurements.

The week ended with a challenge that combined health and entertainment—a 14-hour “Walk to Endor.” The gym was set up with all the equipment facing a TV screen on which all six original Star Wars movies were shown in the series order. Participants had to use a machine throughout the length of each movie. It was exhausting, but the crew is hoping to recover in time for an upcoming “Walk to Mordor.”

A number of people practicing medical procedures during a wellness session in the South Pole medic’s room.
Kevin Zagorski, SPT/NSF
People using gym equipment that is all arranged to view a TV screen showing Star Wars.
Kalvin Moschkau, IceCube/NSF