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Southern Lights at the Pole
Caption:
The Aurora Australis—the Southern Lights, over the flagline to a building in the "clean-air sector" at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Flaglines are used during the winter months at the South Pole to ensure the safety of those who have to cross open areas between buildings during periods of high winds, blowing snow, and extreme darkness. The Amundsen-Scott station is one of three United States research stations on Antarctica. The National Science Foundation operates them all. [Image 3 of 3 related images; see also, Southern Lights Over Dome and Lights at South Pole Station.]
More about this Image
The Aurora Australis is the atmospheric phenomenon known familiarly as the Southern Lights. Like its more familiar counterpart, the Aurora Borealis--or Northern Lights, the phenomenon is caused by the solar wind passing through the upper atmosphere. But the Aurora Australis is far less frequently observed because so few people live in Antarctica during the austral winter.
For further information, see the NSF Media Advisory for May 21, 2002.
(Preview Only)
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| Credit: |
Jonathan Berry/National Science Foundation |
| Decade of Image: |
2000 - 2009 |
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Categories:
POLAR SCIENCE / Antarctic
Formats Available:
Restrictions:
No additional restrictions--beyond NSF's general restrictions--have been placed on this image. For a list of general restrictions that apply to this and all images in the NSF Image Library, see the section "Conditions".
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