William Shatner
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Scott Kelly

Did you know the name ‘Antarctica’ means the “opposite of the Arctic”? And the word Arctic comes from the Greek word arktos, meaning bear. The word bear refers either to the constellation known as Ursa Major, the “Great Bear”, which is is found in the northern portion of the celestial sphere, or to the constellation Ursa Minor, the “Little Bear”, which contains the celestial north pole and is close to the North Star. From the 15th to the 18th century, in Europe, the continent of today’s Antarctica was thought to be Terra Australis, on the idea that continental land in the Northern Hemisphere would be balanced by land in the Southern Hemisphere. Antarctica was adopted in the 1890s, with the first use of the name being attributed to the Scottish cartographer John George Bartholomew.

Do you know what is the Antarctic Circle? It is the northernmost latitude in the Southern Hemisphere at which the centre of the sun can remain continuously above the horizon for twenty-four hours. In other words, on the Summer Solstice in December everywhere below the Circle has twenty-four hours of daylight. And in June on the Winter Solstice, within the Circle, you will have twenty-four hours of night. It is during those dark days that the coldest temperatures on Earth can be recorded. On July 21, 1983, at the high-altitude Vostok weather station, the temperature dipped to −109.2 °C or (−164.6 °F). By the way the warmest recorded temperature at Vostok is −34.0 °C (−29.2 °F), on 5 January 1974!

Did you know ice and snow appear to be white because of air bubbles inside. In glaciers, decades and centuries, the snow is compressed more and more and pressure causes the air bubbles to be squeezed out, increasing the density of the ice. The blue color is often wrongly attributed to Rayleigh scattering, which is responsible for the color of the sky. But the ice is blue for the same reason the ocean is blue. In large quantities of water, the overtone of an oxygen–hydrogen bond stretches and light is not absorbed equally. This means the red, orange, yellow, and green longer wavelengths are absorbed first and the shorter wavelengths of blue and violet are left to be seen. In glacier ice, while you don’t have the large quantities, you have super high density.

Did you know there are about 20 species of penguins in the world. When we go to Antarctic in December, we will get to see 4 of them. First is the Emperor penguin, the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species. With all its beautiful colors around the neck, it is the only species that breeds during the Antarctic winter. Then you have the Gentoo penguin, with is distinctive orange beak and a stripe of white feathers on the top its head. The Chinstrap penguin is easily recognizable due to its narrow black band under its chin. It looks like it is wearing a helmet. It might explain why they are considered to be the most aggressive and ill-tempered species of penguin. Finally, there is the cute and adorable Adélie penguin. the most widespread penguin species.

Did you know Antarctica is Earth’s only continent without a native human population and legally belongs to no one but is claimed by 7 countries. The Antarctic Treaty is an international agreement that officially entered into force on June 23 1961. The treaty, now signed by 56 countries states that no activities occurring after 1961 can be the basis of a territorial claim. No new claim can be made, and No claim can be enlarged. The agreement was established during the Cold War and made to designate the continent as a scientific preserve, establishing freedom of scientific investigation, and banning military activity. For the purposes of the treaty, Antarctica is defined as all the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude.

Did you know the U.S. operates three year-round research stations in Antarctica. The McMurdo Station is the largest, situated at the southern tip of Ross Island, south of New Zealand. Its name is after its location in McMurdo Sound, named after Lieutenant Archibald McMurdo of British ship HMS Terror. The second one is the South Pole Station located at the geographic South Pole. The station sits on an ice sheet that is 2,700 meters thick and drifts with the ice at about 10 meters a year toward the Weddell Sea. The 3rd one is the Palmer Station on Anvers Island, on the Antarctica Peninsula which we plan on visiting. The station is named after Nathaniel B. Palmer, recognized as the first American to see Antarctica. Let’s go visit these scientists together.

Did you know there are stories in Polynesia that suggest the Māori people were the first to reach Antarctica. In the records we know, the first confirmed sighting of mainland Antarctica is attributed to a Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev in 1820. The first expedition to overwinter south of the Antarctic Circle was led by Adrian de Gerlache in 1897. On that expedition was first Mate Roald Amundsen who would later lead the first successful reach of the South Pole, in 1911. In January of 1773, Captain James Cook became the first recorded European navigator to cross the Antarctic Circle.

Did you know that in 1916, Shackleton and his crew, following the loss of their ship Endurance, found refuge on the Elephant Island. Realizing there would be no rescue and out of desperation, Shackleton did the unthinkable and decided to lead a rescue mission, using one of his ship’s lifeboat. Him and 5 of his men sailed 800 nautical miles to South Georgia and miraculously made it. Four and a half months later, Shackleton returned to Elephant Island and rescued his entire crew. The acclaimed story known world wide is one of triumph, courage, belief and perseverance.