Snapped from Concordia Research Station in Antarctica, this is a photo of the last sunset the base will see for the next three months of permanent darkness.
Concordia is one of three permanent research bases in Antarctica, from which crew members study glaciology, seismology, and astronomy. It’s just about the coldest spot in the world — temperatures barely rise over negative -10 degrees Celcius in the summer, and they can drop down to -80 C in the winter, which begins in July and lasts until September. Concordia is also one of the most remote places in the world, 965 kilometres from the nearest humans at Russia’s Vostok base.
The crew just began what might seem like the longest night of their lives. For the next three months, the team at Concordia will work under artificial light, when they’ll finally be greeted by a more refreshing sunset than any of us has ever seen. [ESA]