Scenes from Antarctica*_* 3

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A full moon and 25 second exposure allowed sufficient light into this photo taken at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station during the long Antarctic night in July of 2005. The new station can be seen at far left, power plant in the center and the old mechanic's garage in the lower right. Red lights are used outside during the winter darkness as their spectrum does not pollute the sky, allowing scientists to conduct astrophysical studies without artificial light interference. The green light in the sky is the aurora australis. (Chris Danals/National Science Foundation)


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The former Russian icebreaker and now cruiseliner Kapitan Khlebnikov breaks through the annual sea ice near the Oates Coast of Antarctica on January 29, 2005. (Mike Usher/National Science Foundation)


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A view from the Research Vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer in April of 2007. (Patrick Rowe/National Science Foundation)


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US Antarctic Program participant DJ Jennings shows his frozen beard on October 26, 2006. (DJ Jennings/National Science Foundation)


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The first glow of sunrise appears above McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica on July 13, 2007. (Chad Carpenter/National Science Foundation)


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The Dome at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is seen above a field of sastrugi - ridges of snow formed by wind erosion on October 29, 2003. (Bill McAfee/National Science Foundation)


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South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, seen on February 23, 2006. (Melissa Rider/National Science Foundation)

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A cable protrudes from the ice wall at Explorer's Cover, New Harbor, McMurdo Sound in this photo taken on November 12, 2005. The cable was used for the Remotely Operable Micro-Environmental Observatory (ROMEO), an underwater camera. Connected to onshore equipment and linked by radio to the Internet, ROMEO allowed scientists to study benthic fauna year-round. (Steve Clabuesch/National Science Foundation)