The Sky By Night... & By Day
The Lunchtime Glow
The disappearance of the sun does not mean the complete absence of any light, the few hours around the middle of the day are illuminated by a faint glow to the North. That is, if there is not heavy cloud cover as has dominated the last fortnight including some significant winds. However, bad weather invariably means warmer temperatures as the albedo of the clouds, as well as their insulating effect means that heat is trapped close to the ice surface. As a result the temperature rockets up, rising to an uncomfortably sticky -5°C for part of a day.
The Laws During A Storm
The contrasting cold temperatures of April were a result of the persistent clear skies. Without clouds the high albedo of the snow surface means that a large proportion of radiant heat is reflected back into the atmosphere. Though I realise I write a lot about the weather, it reflects how it predominates all activity here and how dependent we are upon good weather for outside work.
The Moon Over The Piggott and SHARE
One of the half-buried Nansen field sledges waits to be put away
However, it hasn't been all bad weather and heavy cloud cover, when they disappear the pollution-free atmosphere (in terms of both light and exhaust fumes), means that the darkness both at night and in the day makes it a great place for astronomy.
Jupiter and The Milky Way
The Drewry, shuttered up for the winter, sits under an open sky
One recent night meant an opportunity to view unaided: a beautifully lit half moon, Jupiter, the Milky Way and an auroral display simultaneously. Fortunately, there is a small telescope and Tamsin, as the keenest (and most knowledgeable) astronomer on base had it out so we could all take in Jupiter and the spectacular detail on the moon's surface, we are fortunate to be able to complain that an auroral haze occasionally interfered.
Looking for Jupiter's Moons
Dean, Tamsin and Dave out with a telescope out during an auroral event
Auroral events occur about 50 miles or so above the earth's surface, where charged particles collide with with atoms present in the upper atmosphere. The green colour that predominates results from the collision with oxygen but there are occasionally other colours that relate both to oxygen and nitrogen, though they fail to persist as long. These charged particles emanate from the sun as solar wind, a stream of hot ionised gas emitted in all directions from the Sun's corona and by the magnetosphere, that area of space affected by the earth's magnetic field. The nature of the magnetic field means that these particles are drawn towards the poles, hence auroral events are rarely seen outside the polar regions.
SHARE Radar
The SHARE radar (Southern Hemisphere Auroral Radar Experiment), is a collaborative project with various radars across Antarctica, capturing information continuously about the earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. Ours dominates the South side of the base sending out pules of radio frequency energy into the atmosphere over the continent south of here and as part of a worldwide network helps give information about space weather and particularly geomagnetic storms.
Aurora Over the SHARE
These storms, of which aurora can be the visible vanguard, result from strong solar winds buffeting the earth's magnetosphere and can be damaging to a large range of electromagnetic systems on earth but particularly to satellites and space missions. In strong storms, power supplies, communications and navigation systems can all be threatened prediction and better understanding of these storms allows steps to be taken to avoid these damaging effects.
Walking Back from the Piggott
The rope is a handline- essential for route-finding in a blow
Furthermore, from a BAS perspective these experiments also form part of a bigger program to understand whether the Sun's energy, in form of solar winds and high-energy radiations, effects the earth's climate and if it does, how it does so. On station, the team on the Piggott's (Chris, Jules and Alex), role is to keep these experiments running 24 hours a day, the data then heads back to Cambridge for analysis.
Tamsin's Birthday Cake
A cheese-free cheeseboard
Our satellite connection with to Cambridge also supports our communication with the outside world in the form of email and the internet. Recent additions to life down here (within the last two years), unimaginable when the first Halley was built and the ship called in but once a year.
The Radio Room
Dean in his lair
Since most of the communication is now over satellite and requires considerable computer support, the radio room may seem an anachronistic title but HF (high frequency) radio is still used to keep in contact with the field parties and planes in the summer, while everybody carries a VHF radio with them once they leave the main platform. Keeping all of this running, as well as acting as radio operator, is part of the Comms Manager's job on base, though Deano's more visible and trying daily job is the printing of an emailed newspaper with a relevant and appropriate witty local headline.
The HF Antennae Covered In Rime
Darkness does not preclude outside work particularly as a decent blow means that there is snow to be shifted before things disappear forever.
A Disappearing Field Skidoo
We are fortunate in some respects that we do not have any fuel depots to raise by hand this winter, previous year's winterers must think we have it easy but it does mean that generally people are keen for some outside work when the opportunity comes along. It is all too easy not to shift far from the main platform, a blessing in bad weather but the base is a beautiful place at this time of year and would be a shame not to witness it.
Digging Out Skidoos by the Garage
There are less than a thousand people on the continent at this time scattered across the various bases around the Antarctic and our nearest wintering neighbours at Neumayer (German base- 800km) and Belgrano (Argentinian base- 350km) could be on another planet given the difficulty that would be entailed in travelling to them at this time of year.
Moon Over The Laws
The disappearance of the sun does not mean the complete absence of any light, the few hours around the middle of the day are illuminated by a faint glow to the North. That is, if there is not heavy cloud cover as has dominated the last fortnight including some significant winds. However, bad weather invariably means warmer temperatures as the albedo of the clouds, as well as their insulating effect means that heat is trapped close to the ice surface. As a result the temperature rockets up, rising to an uncomfortably sticky -5°C for part of a day.
The Laws During A Storm
The contrasting cold temperatures of April were a result of the persistent clear skies. Without clouds the high albedo of the snow surface means that a large proportion of radiant heat is reflected back into the atmosphere. Though I realise I write a lot about the weather, it reflects how it predominates all activity here and how dependent we are upon good weather for outside work.
The Moon Over The Piggott and SHARE
One of the half-buried Nansen field sledges waits to be put away
However, it hasn't been all bad weather and heavy cloud cover, when they disappear the pollution-free atmosphere (in terms of both light and exhaust fumes), means that the darkness both at night and in the day makes it a great place for astronomy.
Jupiter and The Milky Way
The Drewry, shuttered up for the winter, sits under an open sky
One recent night meant an opportunity to view unaided: a beautifully lit half moon, Jupiter, the Milky Way and an auroral display simultaneously. Fortunately, there is a small telescope and Tamsin, as the keenest (and most knowledgeable) astronomer on base had it out so we could all take in Jupiter and the spectacular detail on the moon's surface, we are fortunate to be able to complain that an auroral haze occasionally interfered.
Looking for Jupiter's Moons
Dean, Tamsin and Dave out with a telescope out during an auroral event
Auroral events occur about 50 miles or so above the earth's surface, where charged particles collide with with atoms present in the upper atmosphere. The green colour that predominates results from the collision with oxygen but there are occasionally other colours that relate both to oxygen and nitrogen, though they fail to persist as long. These charged particles emanate from the sun as solar wind, a stream of hot ionised gas emitted in all directions from the Sun's corona and by the magnetosphere, that area of space affected by the earth's magnetic field. The nature of the magnetic field means that these particles are drawn towards the poles, hence auroral events are rarely seen outside the polar regions.
SHARE Radar
The SHARE radar (Southern Hemisphere Auroral Radar Experiment), is a collaborative project with various radars across Antarctica, capturing information continuously about the earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. Ours dominates the South side of the base sending out pules of radio frequency energy into the atmosphere over the continent south of here and as part of a worldwide network helps give information about space weather and particularly geomagnetic storms.
Aurora Over the SHARE
These storms, of which aurora can be the visible vanguard, result from strong solar winds buffeting the earth's magnetosphere and can be damaging to a large range of electromagnetic systems on earth but particularly to satellites and space missions. In strong storms, power supplies, communications and navigation systems can all be threatened prediction and better understanding of these storms allows steps to be taken to avoid these damaging effects.
Walking Back from the Piggott
The rope is a handline- essential for route-finding in a blow
Furthermore, from a BAS perspective these experiments also form part of a bigger program to understand whether the Sun's energy, in form of solar winds and high-energy radiations, effects the earth's climate and if it does, how it does so. On station, the team on the Piggott's (Chris, Jules and Alex), role is to keep these experiments running 24 hours a day, the data then heads back to Cambridge for analysis.
Tamsin's Birthday Cake
A cheese-free cheeseboard
Our satellite connection with to Cambridge also supports our communication with the outside world in the form of email and the internet. Recent additions to life down here (within the last two years), unimaginable when the first Halley was built and the ship called in but once a year.
The Radio Room
Dean in his lair
Since most of the communication is now over satellite and requires considerable computer support, the radio room may seem an anachronistic title but HF (high frequency) radio is still used to keep in contact with the field parties and planes in the summer, while everybody carries a VHF radio with them once they leave the main platform. Keeping all of this running, as well as acting as radio operator, is part of the Comms Manager's job on base, though Deano's more visible and trying daily job is the printing of an emailed newspaper with a relevant and appropriate witty local headline.
The HF Antennae Covered In Rime
Darkness does not preclude outside work particularly as a decent blow means that there is snow to be shifted before things disappear forever.
A Disappearing Field Skidoo
We are fortunate in some respects that we do not have any fuel depots to raise by hand this winter, previous year's winterers must think we have it easy but it does mean that generally people are keen for some outside work when the opportunity comes along. It is all too easy not to shift far from the main platform, a blessing in bad weather but the base is a beautiful place at this time of year and would be a shame not to witness it.
Digging Out Skidoos by the Garage
There are less than a thousand people on the continent at this time scattered across the various bases around the Antarctic and our nearest wintering neighbours at Neumayer (German base- 800km) and Belgrano (Argentinian base- 350km) could be on another planet given the difficulty that would be entailed in travelling to them at this time of year.
Moon Over The Laws
