The official start of the summer at the South Pole is marked by the sunrise, which happened last week. The sun is still low on the horizon, casting long shadows, and is seen above peeking through the exhaust plumes from the power plant. Below shows the scene in the opposite direction, with the exhaust settling off to the right while the bright sun leaves the distant IceCube Lab clearly visible to the left. Conditions were favorable last week for observing the rare green flash, an optical phenomenon that sometimes occurs at moments of sunrise or sunset, and some folks at the Pole were able to capture an image. Otherwise, inside the station continued with stepped-up cleaning efforts in preparation for summer arrivals.
