Web Image Availability
Live webcam image availability of the new Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is based on two conditions: communications availability and the Antarctic seasons.

Communications Availability
Live images of the South Pole are carried to the U.S. via communications satellites. Satellite coverage of South Pole Station is available for roughly 11 hours and 15 minutes each day, during which time live images are sent to this web site. The daily satellite communications window occurs approximately four minutes earlier each day.

To view time frames for the daily satellite communications window, see the South Pole Satellite Visibility web page. To see the date and time the image was taken, click on the View Larger Image link below the image.

Antarctic Seasons
At the South Pole, the sun rises and sets based on seasons rather than days as it does in mid-latitudes; hence the famous polar six months of daylight and six months of darkness. When available light becomes too low for the camera to produce a usable live image on the web page, a static image is inserted in its place. Live images are available from approximately mid-September through mid-April.

South Pole Station Webcam
The South Pole Station webcam is mounted on the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) and focuses on different areas of the station in order to allow USAP participants, scientists from around the world, and the general public to view activity and geophysical rarities at the South Pole. The ARO building can be seen in the top left of the aerial photo below. The camera will remain as a permanent fixture to support international scientific efforts.

For information about current research conducted at the South Pole, see the NSF South Pole Research Projects page.

For a comprehensive look at the new station, visit the National Science Foundation's South Pole Station Special Report page.