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Aurora Australis over flagline at Amundsen-Scott
Aurora Australis over the flagline to a building in the "clean-air sector" of 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.
Aurora Australis is the atmospheric phenomenon known familiarly as the Southern Lights. Like its more familiar counterpart Aurora Borealis--or Northern Lights, the phenomenon is caused by the solar wind passing through the upper atmosphere. Aurora Australis is far less frequently observed however, because so few people live in Antarctica during the austral winter.
Amundsen-Scott is one of three U.S. research stations on Antarctica that are maintained by NSF's U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). In addition to maintaining research stations on the continent, USAP supports research projects in an array of scientific disciplines, including for example, aeronomy and astrophysics, biology and medicine, geology and geophysics, glaciology, and ocean and climate systems. Outreach such as the Antarctic Artists and Writers program and education programs are also supported.
To learn more about Aurora Australis at Amundsen-Scott, see the NSF Media Advisory Rarely Seen "Southern Lights" Over Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. For more information about USAP, visit the program's website Here. (Date of Image: May 2002) [Image 3 of 3 related images. See Next Image.]
Credit: Jonathan Berry, National Science Foundation
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