Saturday, January 28, 2012

Ladies Night at the South Pole Telescope



Last Friday night, all ladies on station were personally invited to come enjoy Ladies Night at the South Pole Telescope. Not only was this a good ploy to get all the women to leave station as well as the rest of the men behind, it was also a fun way to share information about the science being done here and to give us a chance to tour the telescope up close.

As for the science of it all, SPT is a 10 meter telescope looking at the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) that was left over from the Big Bang. The South Pole is a prime location for this type of satellite since it is the driest place on Earth making for better observation of microwave frequencies. Despite what conspiracy theorists say, the SPT is not tracking the supposed Nibiru but is instead observing the origins of our still expanding universe, discovering galaxies along the way.





Though there was a shuttle, some ladies decided to enjoy a nice walk out to the telescope




Polies of the male variety also made the journey




Where sci-fi gets real




My favorite cosmologist, Brad, giving us a tour




Cogs and equations...what else




The telescope as seen from underneath after the retractable ceiling had been opened




No South Pole party, even one influenced by science, is complete without a little bit of dancing

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