Antarctica's Historical Research Bases

2012-07-17T21:04:00.000Z

The South Pole Telescope is one of the starkly beautiful Antarctic spots mapped. Google Maps

After their first foray into the Antarctic in 2010 to visit the penguins, the Google Maps team has returned to Antarctica to visit some of the frozen continent's historical sites. We've collected some of the great views to be had exploring this continent from your computer.

Google sent its street view cameras to Antarctica with the help of the Polar Geospatial Center at the University of Minnesota and the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust, as a part of the Google World Wonders project.

They visited and photographed several sites: the South Pole Telescope, Shackleton's hut, Scott’s hut, Cape Royds Adélie Penguin Rookery and the Ceremonial South Pole.

Antarctica's South Pole Telescope Observatory is a 10 meter wide microwave and radio telescope. It was established in the South Pole because the thin atmosphere provides clearer pictures.

The South Pole Telescope has found hundreds of clusters of galaxies and will yield insights into dark energy.

Polar sunlight reflecting off ice crystals in clouds form this 'sun dog' natural phenomenon (scientifically known as parhelion).

Explorer Earnest Shackleton put out an advertisement that said: "Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success."

He brought his men to Antarctica, where they erected this hut in 1908.

The hut was used as a base for just that one expedition.

Shackleton's hut was found intact, with bread still on the tables.

The supplies were well preserved due to the freezing temperatures.

A Google review of the hut warns: "The food is mostly out of date," but the hut is, "really the only option in the area."

A second hut, called "Scott's Hut," was established by the British Antarctic Expedition Of 1910 To 1913 (also known as the Terra Nova Expedition) led by Robert Falcon Scott.

An outside view of Scott's Hut. The mountain in the background is Mount Erebus, the highest volcano in Antarctica.

Scott abandoned his hut in 1913. It was used by Shackleton during his Imperial Trans Arctic Expedition, from 1914 To 1917.

His hut was also left full of supplies.

One of the purposes of Scott's expedition was to collect biological samples. On this table, there's an Emperor Penguin carcass they collected but never shipped out.

The hut is rectangular, 50 feet long and 25 feet wide. Insulation was provided by seaweed sewn into a quilt, placed inside the walls.

This penguin colony lives right near Shackleton's Hut. That's Mount Erebus in the background again.

These penguins are Adélie Penguins, a small, common species found along the entire Antarctic Coast.

The Geographic South Pole is one of two points on the planet where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface.

The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is an American research station at the Southernmost place on Earth.

The Ceremonial South Pole is a metallic sphere on a pole, surrounded by the flags of the 12 original Antarctic Treaty Signatory States.

The Antarctic Treaty sets this continent aside as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent.

Curious about who lived in those huts? Check out photos from Shackleton's 1915 Antarctic Expedition.

Explore Antarctica's Century-Old Research Bases

Antarctica's South Pole Telescope Observatory is a 10 meter wide microwave and radio telescope. It was established in the South Pole because the thin atmosphere provides clearer pictures.

The South Pole Telescope has found hundreds of clusters of galaxies and will yield insights into dark energy.

Polar sunlight reflecting off ice crystals in clouds form this 'sun dog' natural phenomenon (scientifically known as parhelion).

Explorer Earnest Shackleton put out an advertisement that said: "Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success."

He brought his men to Antarctica, where they erected this hut in 1908.

The hut was used as a base for just that one expedition.

Shackleton's hut was found intact, with bread still on the tables.

The supplies were well preserved due to the freezing temperatures.

A Google review of the hut warns: "The food is mostly out of date," but the hut is, "really the only option in the area."

A second hut, called "Scott's Hut," was established by the British Antarctic Expedition Of 1910 To 1913 (also known as the Terra Nova Expedition) led by Robert Falcon Scott.

An outside view of Scott's Hut. The mountain in the background is Mount Erebus, the highest volcano in Antarctica.

Scott abandoned his hut in 1913. It was used by Shackleton during his Imperial Trans Arctic Expedition, from 1914 To 1917.

His hut was also left full of supplies.

One of the purposes of Scott's expedition was to collect biological samples. On this table, there's an Emperor Penguin carcass they collected but never shipped out.

The hut is rectangular, 50 feet long and 25 feet wide. Insulation was provided by seaweed sewn into a quilt, placed inside the walls.

This penguin colony lives right near Shackleton's Hut. That's Mount Erebus in the background again.

These penguins are Adélie Penguins, a small, common species found along the entire Antarctic Coast.

The Geographic South Pole is one of two points on the planet where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface.

The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is an American research station at the Southernmost place on Earth.

The Ceremonial South Pole is a metallic sphere on a pole, surrounded by the flags of the 12 original Antarctic Treaty Signatory States.

The Antarctic Treaty sets this continent aside as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent.

Curious about who lived in those huts? Check out photos from Shackleton's 1915 Antarctic Expedition.

Unreal Photos From Shackleton's 1915 Antarctic Expedition >

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