Week 34 at the Pole

Friday, September 4, 2015 - 12:00pm
star trails
Image: Stephan Richter, IceCube/NSF

The South Pole station’s windows were exposed last week, after being covered up (decoratively, we might add) for over four months now. Outside, it still looks more like night than day, but things will gradually brighten up, and then the windows might need to be covered for a different reason—to promote a better sleeping environment. The first image below was captured on a trek out to the IceCube Lab (ICL). It’s a sastrugi, not naturally pink in color, just bathed in the light of a headlamp. The last image shows the ICL itself, all frosted with snow and practically blending into the background.

snow drift
Image: Erik Beiser, IceCube/NSF

IceCube Lab
Image: Erik Beiser, IceCube/NSF