Sun-Earth connection

the aurora

what are the northern lights

what causes an aurora?

so how does it work?

do the aurorae affect us?

what's twinkling got to do with it?

tracking space storms

working in the Arctic

Antarctic lights

life in the Antarctic

life in the antarctic

Most of our scientific studies are carried out at a base called Halley Bay. It is very isolated and not even on the Antarctic continent itself. Instead, it floats on an ice shelf, latitude 73° South, longitude 26° West.

In winter it stays dark for 105 days but the darkness is sometimes broken by magnificent displays of aurorae.

The base is named after the astronomer Edmund Halley - yes, the same astronomer the comet is named after.

This picture shows a building from the fifth generation of buildings that have been constructed at Halley Bay. Over the years, the others have all been abandoned and are now buried deep in the snow. About 65 people live at the base in the summer, but in winter only about 15 are allowed to stay. The mid-winter celebrations (June 21st) are wild apparently! The scientists who work in the Antarctic say it is a desolate, but wonderful, place. Few people get to visit and even fewer get to work there - you could be one of them!



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