The Mawson team climbed mountains to restore essential radio transmissions, and were captivated by auroral night skies this week.

Mountain top radio repairs

This week several teams of Mawson expeditioners climbed to the top of Mt Parsons to undertake important repairs to a radio transmitter. Earlier in the week, two teams climbed the peak to find the damaged radio repeater which had fallen down the side of the mountain and was attached by a few remaining cables.

The final repair team made up of Alex, Benny, Doug and Mark withstood −25°C temperatures to return to the peak with equipment to fix the transmitter and the wind generator, and to secure all transmitter components back into place.

This terrific effort by all teams ensures that Mawson has radio transmission from Mt Parsons for the upcoming winter.

A yellow encased radio transmitter sits fallen against rocks
A man in a yellow suit inspects the yellow receiver hanging against rocks
A man in a yellow snow suit inspects fallen radio components on a rocky mountain
Two men inspect electrical equipment inside the radio unit
Four men in snow suits stand next to a yellow radio transmitter
Two men stand on a mountain edge holding cable wire in their hands
Two men lay on rocks securing radio equipment
Three men in snow suits discuss how to secure a radio transmitter to the mountain
A man in a snow suit is repairing a radio transmitter. Two men stand in the distance with a mountain peak and plateau behind them
A radio aerial sits on top of Mt Parsons with the North Masson Ranges and Mt Henderson in the distance
A man in a yellow snow suits stands on a mountain top with the plateau behind him

Twisting auroral rays and bands

Electron charged light emissions have been travelling along magnetic field lines to create spectacular auroras in the night skies above Mawson this week.

When solar wind and the Earth’s magnetic field interact, our nights light up with auroral displays, sometimes falling in rays or curtains, sometimes spiralling and twisting in bands.

The pictures speak for themselves as our keen photographers captured the green and violet hued auroras on Mawson station and at Fang Hut this week.

A green aurora behind the fuel tanks at Mawson Station
A green aurora behind Mawson station
A green auroral display behind the historic hangar on station
An aurora with a band of violet and green over Mawson station
Auroral ribbons of white and green fall above the red Pioneer truck
A green and white aurora over Kista Strait at Mawson station
A purple and green banded Aurora over Mawson’s red shed and Horseshoe Harbour
Twisting auroral bands of green above Mawson station
Spirals of white and green over an icy harbour
A red truck is in the foreground with a green aurora in the night sky
Bands of green auroras behind the yellow Hägglunds vehicle at Fang Hut
Green auroral light behind a red field hut
A green band of auroral ribbon with a yellow Hägglunds in the foreground
on