Have we mentioned that the ICL (IceCube Lab) is a rather photogenic building? I think we have, recently—and although the sun has now officially set, there was still enough residual light last week to get a nice shot of the ICL—in shadow with a clear, colorful sky behind it.

The auroras tell you it’s winter at the South Pole—you can’t see auroras there during the summer because the sun is out the whole time. But in winter, the folks who station at the South Pole get to witness these auroras in all their glory.

It looks as if the smoke stacks are releasing a plume of green smoke along with their stream of exhaust, but it’s just an artifact of the camera angle. The green splash across the sky reminds us that it’s still aurora season at the South Pole.

Winterovers at the South Pole keep their emergency response skills fresh by holding regular drills. Last week was the missing person drill. And even though they are in the Dark Sector, where outdoor lighting is generally eliminated in winter, they had to turn flood lights on the outside of the station to be able to safely guide the drill team back.