The Aurora Cam

It's getting toasty at the South Pole! For the past several days we have seen temps in the -80s F, low winds and sunshine. Today the temps have risen significantly and so have the winds reducing visibility to less than a 1/4 mile. The sun is now 6 degrees above the horizon and blindingly bright.

In the below image taken last week I was the furthest that I have been from the station in more than eight months, a little over two miles. When looking at the expansive polar plateau I was reminded that there wasn't anything man made or living for thousands of miles. Moments like that remind you of where you are and how isolated you are, might as well be on another planet.

My outing to what we call "beyond the end of the world" did have a purpose, myself and a few others were adjusting the skiway markers that line the sides and serve as distance reference for planes landing and taking off. The skiway here at Pole is 12,000 feet long and there were a lot of markers to install and adjust. Now that the skiway has been groomed, marked and the fuel pit is set up we are ready for planes to come in. We should see our first passing planes mid week and everything is ready to go!

Being outside for extended periods of time requires having the right clothing and ensuring that you protect your face. There are times where all you leave exposed is a small sliver between your cap and neck gaiter so that you can see. The windier it gets the smaller the sliver and at times your eyelashes freeze shut or to your neck gaiter. Fun times. 

The Aurora Cam:

Here at the South Pole during the one long night one gets a first row seat to the amazing light shows provided by nature. Extreemly sensitive cameras are positioned on the roof of the station to capture and measure the intensity of the auroras. The “southern lights” are caused by collisions between fast moving particles (electrons) from space and the oxygen and nitrogen gas in our atmosphere. These electrons originate in the magnetosphere, the region of space controlled by Earth’s magnetic field. As they rain into the atmosphere, the electrons impart energy to oxygen and nitrogen molecules, making them excited. When the molecules return to their normal state, they release photons, small bursts of energy in the form of light. When billions of these collisions occur and enough photons are released, the oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere emit enough light for the eye to detect them. This ghostly glow can light up the sky in a surreal dance of colors

Photo by Ethan Rudnitsky

The color of the aurora depends on which gas is being excited by the electrons and on how much energy is being exchanged. Oxygen emits either a greenish-yellow light (the most familiar color of the aurora) or a red light; nitrogen generally gives off a blue light. The oxygen and nitrogen molecules also emit ultraviolet light, which can only be detected by special cameras on satellites.

The shape of the aurora depends on where in the magnetosphere the electrons came from and on what caused them to precipitate into the atmosphere, dramatically different shapes can be seen in a single observation period. For scale, in the above image there's a structure seen at the bottom center, it's the Ice Cube Lab with a colorful display above and the milky-way in the background . In the below image the aurora were seen over the South Pole Telescope. 

Photo by Hans Boenish

Next Post? First Plane at Pole!