Thursday, July 18, 2013

Auroras

All is going well here. I looked at the temperature today here and at McMurdo (840 miles on the coast). While McMurdo was a balmy -2 F (shorts and t-shirt weather) we are sitting at -94 F. Go figure. 

Last Saturday I spent some time outside when the auroras and sky was beautiful. My little camera doesn't do justice. But it still looks okay. Before I deployed in early January I started researching for a good camera. But then I wound up with the flu for two weeks and didn't want to buy just anything. Oh well. The auroras are an everyday occurrence. My time lapsed exposure is 60 seconds whereas "real" cameras are usually set at 15 seconds. But mine will work fine once there is light. The sun is at -21 degrees and rising. We should see some light when it is above -12 degrees.






On the bottom to the right of the middle is the Southern Cross. You can't tell from my picture but it is in Milky Way Galaxy band.



My friend Robert has a friend Luca currently on the International Space Station. Some of us gathered a while back to send Luca a greeting from the South Pole. I am the "faceless" one kneeling on the far right. The moon was full. Photo Credit: Robert Schwarz.

Robert is an astronomer and takes excellent pictures as in the following six. At the beginning of the season he taught a 12 week astronomy class. He maintains an excellent website of his 8 South Pole winters.
Antarctica - best place on Earth


    







2 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting another set of extraordinary photos. Robert does have the better camera, and you have the same amount of passion for the skies. I think you are wise to stay indoors for a while longer....and I would prefer the McMurdo temps. We are cooler today with lots of clouds and rumblings, but no rain on the coast. Typical SE wind sends the moisture inland.
    Take care and keep writing! Love always, Andee

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  2. Jaw dropping and lovely...nature is at it's best even in the extremes. Complete darkness? Give em a light show all day long! I downloaded a ton of pictures from the other blog..hope he doesn't mind. One of them solved a piece i've been stuck on for awhile. Sometimes i drop a picture into my work and it totally reshapes the way I think of it. I think i'm going to have to read the rest of the blog tomorrow because i'm inspired to finish it right now. Funny how that works out randomly...or so it seems.

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