The auroras were still out in full force last week, as if lingering in their farewell before twilight steps up.
Last week was a mostly quiet one at the South Pole station. With winds blowing up to 40 knots for the early part of the week, people were trying to stay indoors.
It was a busy week all around at the Pole. The IceCube detector itself had a few issues for the winterovers to attend to, while the final week of the Polympics kept them busy as well.
The second annual Polympics (Pole Olympics) began last week at the Pole. This event is a modern competition that includes not only sports but also e-sports and other contests, like sled pulling.
Last week, IceCube's winterovers spent time outdoors taking advantage of the photogenic night skies.
As a thank you for the fine midwinter dinner put together by the galley crew, the scientists at the Pole took their turn at meal preparation. First up was pizza night, with lots of different toppings, including a duck-honey-hoisin pizza that garnered some praise.
A quiet week at the Pole—but that doesn’t mean that nothing happened. First of all, look at that sky! Lots of stars and swirling auroras, but also a bright rising moon make for a very picturesque setting.
Since the moon was down last week, many winterovers—including IceCube’s—were outside braving the (extreme) cold, looking to catch some good shots of the Milky Way or the aurora australis, also known as the southern lights.
A bright swath of auroras extending low across the sky with a clear view of the Milky Way above—what more could one want (except perhaps to see it in person)? Well, those who winterover at the South Pole station count themselves among the lucky ones.
How does slow equal fast? Well, apparently for fire rescue teams, slow mean smooth, and smooth means fast. Last week, the teams competed for time in donning their gear and saving colleagues from across the gym.