A Black and White Photo of the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO)

The South Pole Station Webcams

There are two South Pole Station webcams, one is mounted on the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) building and is directed at the elevated Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station building. The Amundsen-Scott Station webcam focuses on the USAP station building, dedicated in 2008, and allows USAP participants, scientists, and the general public to view activity, weather, and geography near and around the South Pole. The Vertical Link can be seen on the left side of the station, allowing access to the A-Pod. B-Pod, the right half of the station, is connected via the elevated walkway and can be used as the station's "lifeboat" during emergencies.

A second webcam is mounted on the corner of the station showing a view of the radio telescopes in the area known as the Dark Sector, so named for its restrictions on light and radio interference that might affect the sensitive instruments installed there. The BICEP3 and South Pole Telescope (SPT) installation can be seen on the right and the Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory (MAPO) building appears on the left.

Both webcams are used to monitor activities around the South Pole Station and to support international scientific efforts. Due to the extreme cold and darkness during the Antarctic austral winter, both webcams may experience downtime or even be disabled to protect the hardware. For information about current research conducted at the South Pole, see the NSF South Pole Research Projects page. For a comprehensive look at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, visit the U.S. National Science Foundation's South Pole Station Special Report page.

Image Availability

Live webcam images from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station are 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 9 hours each day, during which time live images are sent to the USAP.gov 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 Station Satellite Communications page.

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 moonlight and ambient temperatures become too low for the webcams to produce usable images, alternative content is sometimes substituted.