Are people at the South Pole upside down?
An astrophysicist who spent time doing research at the South Pole gets to the bottom of how things feel at the ends of the Earth.
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com.
Are people on the South Pole walking upside down from the rest of the world? – Ralph P., U.S.
When I was standing at the South Pole, I felt the same way I feel anywhere on Earth because my feet were still on the ground and the sky was still overhead.
I’m an astrophysicist from Wisconsin who lived at the South Pole for seven weeks from December 2024 to January 2025 to work on an array of detectors looking for extremely high energy particles from outer space.
I didn’t feel upside down, but there were some differences that still made the South Pole feel flipped over from what I was used to.
As someone who loves looking for the Moon, I noticed that the face of the man on the Moon was flipped over, like he went from
Read These Next
Palestinian statehood is winning major new supporters at UN – but symbolic action won’t make it happ
The majority of UN members already recognize a Palestinian state. Some prominent Western states are…
The president as partisan warrior: Trump’s rejection of traditional presidential statesmanship
Presidents are typically expected to be focused on national security, economic management and other…
US touts collaborative plan to tackle Mexico’s drug cartels – but initiative is met with denial and
President Claudia Sheinbaum walks a fine line between appeasing Washington and not alienating voters…
