Email Print Share
March 1, 2017

Sundog behind the 2011 geographic South Pole marker

A sundog appears behind the 2011 geographic South Pole marker, which indicates exactly where the geographic South Pole is located.

More about this image
On the first of January each year, a new and unique brass marker--designed and created by participants wintering at the South Pole--is placed to designate the location of the geographic South Pole at 90 degrees south. The ice sheet where the South Pole is located moves approximately 7 meters a year. Previous years' markers are left standing for a few years, illustrating the movement of the ice sheet. [Note: Please see special restrictions regarding use of this image, below.] (Date image taken: December 2011; date originally posted to NSF Multimedia Gallery: March 1, 2017)

Credit: Deven Stross; source: U.S. Antarctic Program photo library

See other images like this on your iPhone or iPad download NSF Science Zone on the Apple App Store.

Special Restrictions: [Note: Any commercial use of this image requires the photographer's permission.]


Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.

Images credited to the National Science Foundation, a federal agency, are in the public domain. The images were created by employees of the United States Government as part of their official duties or prepared by contractors as "works for hire" for NSF. You may freely use NSF-credited images and, at your discretion, credit NSF with a "Courtesy: National Science Foundation" notation.

Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.

Also Available:
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (3.5 MB)

Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.