The winter solstice is a special time in Antarctica for many reasons. The first and most obvious is that it’s the day in which the sun passes its apogee, which means that after the solstice the sun is on its way back to the skies above McMurdo. We won’t see the sun for another few months, but just knowing that we’re getting closer to the sun instead of farther is energizing in and of itself. The solstice also holds importance for both the lidar project and the station.
For the lidar project, it marks the middle of the winter campaign. It is in June and July when we’re able to get the most high quality data, so it’s very important that we are able to maintain all three lidar systems and take data at every opportunity. The solstice represents the period of time where our data gathering is most essential to the research campaign.
For the station, midwinter marks a period of celebration. It has been tradition for well over 100 years to have a celebration at the winter solstice in Antarctica. There are records dating back to the Belgian Antarctic expedition in 1898 celebrating the solstice. Here at McMurdo we have a celebration every year that is put together by volunteers with the support of many of the station community. People offer their time to help decorate, organize, and plan the event, and they offer their skills such as photography or art or their talent with instruments. The galley goes above and beyond to create an extravagant display of hors d’oeuvres and desserts, as well as an impressive feast of delicious food. We celebrated the night on Saturday, June 20th, and it truly was a night to remember.
Midwinter in the cold and dark of Antarctica becomes a wonderful coming together of the community and a celebration unlike anywhere else in the world, and Jess and I were very lucky to have been able to be here for this time of year.
