South Pole Telescope | Ice Stories: Dispatches From Polar Scientists

Sunny Days Are Here

By Nick Morgan · October 1, 2010 ·

SOUTH POLE, ANTARCTICA-- Now we have the sun well above the horizon and it's great to see again. Not only has it made my walk to ARO (Atmospheric Research Observatory) easier, being outside in the sun sparks a bit of energy and helps motivate to get some work done as we get ready to turn over to next year's crew... {Read More »}

South Pole Nights

By Nick Morgan · May 19, 2010 ·

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SOUTH POLE, ANTARCTICA-- Here are some photos of the night skies at the South Pole... {Read More »}

Astronomy in Antarctica

Ask an astronomer to describe the perfect place to put a telescope, and here’s what she’ll tell you: Make it cold, make it dark, make it high-altitude, and make it remote. In short, make it Antarctica. {Read More »}

Leaving on the Very Last Plane

By Kathryn Schaffer Miknaitis · February 12, 2008 ·

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The station is closing today. It is one day earlier than we were expecting, which means we have had a last-minute scramble to finish all… {Read More »}

Climactic Success

By Kathryn Schaffer Miknaitis · February 7, 2008 ·

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Everyone here is breathing a huge sigh of relief. Last night was the first night that our new set of detectors were cold enough to… {Read More »}

The Clock is Ticking

By Kathryn Schaffer Miknaitis · February 5, 2008 ·

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I looked up at the weather screen today and saw that the temperature had dropped to -38 F (which is actually almost exactly equal to… {Read More »}

Order & Progress

By Kathryn Schaffer Miknaitis · February 3, 2008 ·

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A few weeks ago, I posted pictures from a walking tour of the edges of the station. (To read that post, please click here.) Behind… {Read More »}

SPT TV

By Kathryn Schaffer Miknaitis · January 19, 2008 ·

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Last week, I had the opportunity to drive the telescope around a lot. We're not actively observing, but we are making many upgrades to the… {Read More »}

Our New Sunroof

By Kathryn Schaffer Miknaitis · January 5, 2008 ·

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It's been a busy couple of weeks out at the telescope. SPT postdoc Brad Benson and graduate students Martin Lueker and Joaquin Vieira installed a… {Read More »}