The last sunset was on October 23rd, a little more than a week after I arrived. Even then, it never got really dark, we would just have a few hours of twilight.
The next sunset will be on February 18th.
I was working day shift on October 23rd, and I’ll be on days in February as well. Comms operators switch between day shift and night shift every three weeks, and for the two periods that I will be on nights, I won’t see the more rapid light changes near the beginning and end of summer.
However, the light changes in subtle but beautiful ways even when the sun is just arcing gently across the sky. The ice, which is a headache-inducing bright white during the day, turns a softer blue-white in the middle of the night, when the sun is 20 degrees or so above the horizon. With the light blue of the sky and the Transantarctic Mountain range across the frozen sea, I have a gorgeous view during night shift.
Elizabeth Delaquess 