September, 2010....J. Dana Hrubes...updated September 30, 2010 , 0700 GMT
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sunrise at SPT
A few days before the sun appears at South Pole Telescope (SPT) after 6 months

September is the month when the sun returns after 6 long, cold, dark months.  It rose on September 21st and the skies were quite clear. As the sun just peeked above the horizon, the full moon was just starting to set after being up for two weeks.     a few days before sunrise and SPT      SPT and the rising sun   
  orange glow of rising sun      Sun rising behind the Ice Cube Neutrino Laboratory(ICL)      ICL sunrise        station window reflect the rising sun        
       sunrise behind the Martin A Pomeranz Observatory       sunrise over the high polar plateau    

full moon setting
The full moon setting over the high polar plateau
More photos of the setting moon:     full moon close-up           full moon-3            full moon-4              full moon-5
SPT and full moon
The rising sun illuminates South Pole Telescope while the full moon sets
Another photo of SPT and the setting moon:   close-up of SPT and setting moon    

As twilight started to appear in early September we were able to see the results of the winter storms and finally got to find out what we were tripping and falling over all winter. Some of the drifts on the path to the Dark Sector Laboratory and the telescope were almost 10 feet high.
              Martin A. Pomeranz Observatory drifting and sastrugi        drift nearly hiding SPT       drifts on the path to SPT    

We also got to see some of the other out-buildings hidden by darkness for 6 months:    Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO)     Ice Cube Neutrino Laboratory (ICL)      MAPO and the station, a mile away     the station     station, a mile away; ARO, far left; and MAPO    

About a week before sunrise, Venus and the moon approached each other:     Venus and the moon   SPT, Venus and the moon     BICEP telescope, SPT, moon   

Sunrise also brings much extra end of season tasking, like soveling the snow off of the decks of the Dark Sector Laboratory:    in from shoveling snow at -101 degrees F      

Next Month - October: First Aircraft Since February at the end of the Month!
Recent South Pole Telescope Technical Papers  

A Real-Time Photo of South Pole Station as Seen from the ARO Building (live when satellite is up)
A Comprehensive South Pole Web Site by Bill Spindler
Winterover Web Pages (Bill Spindler's List)

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