Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Colder

A couple of weeks ago, the windchill hit -90C (-130F), and I'm willing to admit it: that's too cold for comfort. I kept bearably warm enough bundled up in my ECW, but was a long way from toasty.

That said, the cold always comes with crisp, clear skies, and now that we're finally out of twilight and into full-on night, they're stunning. There's always an aurora somewhere on the horizon or overhead, but for the past couple of days, the backdrop of stars has stolen the show.

I interrupted my walk to DSL to lay down on the path and stargaze for a good hour yesterday. The Milky Way is now a bright speckled band across the sky, and even the Magellenic Clouds are impossible to miss. Despite the cold, I can't imagine a nicer walk to work every day.

If history is any guide, we've still got 10C (18F) left to drop before we hit our low for the year, but the temperature is likely to hover around this for the rest of the winter. I'm probably going to have to start wearing a sweater.

2 comments:

Teacher said...

You mentioned that you would be posting more photos later. We really liked the last one on this entry. Thanks for sharing!

Heatherfreddy said...

Hi Keith!

Jane gave me your blog way back when you first arrived at the South Pole and I just wanted to say that I've really enjoyed reading it! I'm glad you're having such a memorable experience and thanks for freezing your fingers so that we can see such amazing pictures!

Looking forward to more great stories,

Heather Gonnason (Jane's friend and roommate)