2007-08 Photos - A New Solar-Polar Site
...or more correctly, the Jefferies Solar Observatory...
The observatory site, as seen on the approach from the station
|
This was Dr. Stuart Jefferies' sixth visit to Pole...his first was in 1987-88, working with Marty Pomerantz at the Pomerantz Land solar telescope site 5 miles east of the station, as described in this October 1988 Antarctic Journal article. This 2007-08 project site was located 2-1/2 miles west of DSL near the boundary between the dark sector and the clean air sector. The project studies the solar atmosphere by monitoring the velocity and magnetic field strength at several layers in the solar atmosphere...resulting in information on its seismic properties. Previously in 2002-03, he'd set up a similar observatory on the other side of the station north of the road to the then-under-construction SPRESSO site. | ||
 Setting the measuring instrument on its platform. |
 Under the instrument...buried under the knoll...the observation/instrument building. Obviously recycled from the building berm. The first of several GASP projects was set up at Pole in 1989-90. |
|
 A closer view of the solar tracking instrument after it was set up. |
 Stuart's hero shot in front of the instrument...from this Georgia State University press release about his return to Pole in 2016-17 to continue solar research at this site. |
|
The above photos were taken in January 2008, a month before I showed up for my winter. By the time I arrived in February, Dr. Jefferies was gone, and I actually never knew he or the project had been there until I got news of his 2016-17 return to Pole. I may have met him back in 1987-88. All of the photos seen here (except the one attributed to the GSU press release) were found on the common drive in 2008, attributed to Paul Sullivan. Last but not least, the base structure for the SPTR-2 earth station was erected at the end of the summer. | ||
