One place I’ve always wanted to visit is Antarctica. It’s a continent seemingly designed for science geeks and natural-history buffs. Here’s a sampling of scientists now scattered across the bleak landscape: Cosmologists tweak the 10-meter South Pole Telescope, just completed last February; geologists study volcanos and drill deep cores beneath the sea; glaciologists camp on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to study the interconnected rivers and lakes below; and biologists monitor Adelie penguin colonies along the Ross Sea’s coast.
You can be there, too, at least virtually. In celebration of the International Polar Year (2007–2008), the Exploratorium, a hands-on science museum in San Francisco, will host live webcasts with scientists at the McMurdo and South Pole stations. Here’s what’s coming up:
Friday, January 4, 1 P.M. PST
Connect with scientists at Palmer Research Station in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, one of the most rapidly warming places on Earth. It’s also the site of a Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Project. Scientists here are preparing for a month-long research cruise off the shore of western Antarctica to study how this rich marine ecosystem is responding to global climate change.
Friday, January 11, 1 P.M. PST
The Exploratorium team talks with NASA scientists about balloon research in the stratosphere over Antarctica. They’re preparing to launch from McMurdo Station three helium balloons that will fly in circumpolar air currents above the continent. Onboard instruments will gather data about cosmic rays, the ultra-high-speed particles that zip through the galaxy at nearly light-speed. If conditions permit, they'll talk with the balloon scientists from their facility at Williams Field, where they inflate and launch the giant balloons.
Saturday, January 12, 8 A.M. PST
Meet scientists associated with IceCube, a neutrino “telescope” at the South Pole. Neutrinos, subatomic particles with infinitesimal mass, slip through the universe, Earth, and even our bodies without leaving a trace. These ghostly particles hold clues about supernova explosions, black holes, and the Big Bang.
Friday, January 18, 8 A.M. PST
This installment continues discussions about the South Pole Telescope. The focus this time is on the receiver, a sensitive, state-of-the-art detector designed to map the universe at millimeter wavelengths.
Friday, January 25, 1 P.M. PST
Meet David Ainley and the penguin researchers wrapping up their field season at Antarctica’s Adelie breeding colonies.
If you can’t make the live webcasts, don’t fret. They’re archived here for later viewing.