In the heart of Antarctica, a realm of ice and fire unfolds, rich with vibrant jungles and towering trees that seem to defy the starkness of their surroundings. Amidst this breathtaking landscape, a majestic dog surveys the land, embodying the spirit of adventure, while a smaller bear has already claimed its territory, a testament to nature's resilience. The original name of Antarctica once journeyed across the globe, only to be dropped off close by, a remnant of a time when this vast expanse was merely a figment of imagination.
You might find yourself intrigued, seeking to make sense of these curious statements, or perhaps you're wondering how my mind copes with the winter chill of this frozen home away from home. The history of this extraordinary land stretches far beyond the heroic tales of explorers like Scott and Shackleton. Its beauty is not confined solely to the ice and fauna beneath our feet; it is woven into a profound narrative that dates back to the beginning of creation, extending in this version to the year 66270 AD.
183 million years ago the super continent Gondwana roamed around. A particularly important piece broke off and decided to travel south. During this time the climate was temperate if not tropical and the forests abundant. Over time things cooled down and with a circulating ocean that wrapped completely around said ‘important piece’, cold went to frozen. Fast forward 182 million years, humans started to think a lot. Ideas were put forward and one was a theorized land called Terra Australis – a hypothetical continent often discussed in ancient times. From the early centuries, maps depicted this elusive land, envisioned by Greek geographers who recognized the Earth's spherical shape. They theorized that a southern landmass was necessary to balance the known territories in the northern hemisphere. However, during the Middle Ages, the Church's insistence on a flat Earth led to the erasure of the southern continent from collective thought.
The Age of Exploration in the 15th and early 16th centuries reignited interest in the concept, confirming the spherical nature of our planet. Maps from that era portrayed Terra Australis as a vast continent centered around the South Pole, stretching northward to around latitude 60° S and nearly reaching the equator in the Pacific Ocean. The voyages of explorers like Bartholomew Diaz, who rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1478, and Ferdinand Magellan, who navigated South America in 1520, fuelled the quest for this mysterious land.
In 1814, British cartographer Matthew Flinders proposed the name "Australia" as a derivative of Terra Australis, placing this name upon a red dirt island, girt by sea because he assumed there was no other land further south.
The first person to see my home away from home, or to see its ice shelf, is thought to be a British sailor named Edward Bransfield, a captain who discovered the tip of the peninsula on 30 January 1820. Since this discovery it didn’t take long for many other sailors to document locations previously undiscovered on this frozen ice-covered land.
It took until 1890 for this huge polar continent to officially earn the name Antarctica, thanks to the Scottish mapmaker John George Bartholomew.
The term 'Arctic' comes from the Greek word "Arktos," meaning bear, linked not to the polar bear but to the northern hemisphere constellations, Ursa Minor (Little Bear) and Ursa Major (Great Bear). The name of our great continent derives from the word Antarctic, which traces its roots back to Middle French Antartique or Antarctique (opposite to the Arctic) and Latin Antarcticus (opposite to the north).
Now to reference the dog in this story, let me explain. The brightest star in our night sky – Sirius, found in the constellation Canis Major (the Greater Dog) – will one day serve as a prominent South Star, roughly in another 60,000 years. Unlike the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere currently lacks a bright pole star, with no moderately bright star available to mark the south celestial pole. To locate the point directly above the Earth’s South Pole, I employ other techniques.
One method I use involves the Southern Cross, Alpha Centauri, and Beta Centauri – the cross and the pointers. Picture a line extending from the long axis of the Southern Cross, while another perpendicular line stretches from between the Pointers. Where these two lines intersect marks our south celestial pole.
If reading is not for you, let me show you what I just said. I hope the accompanying photos give you a glimpse into my world of synaesthesia—a fusion of time and colour that tell my story.
Justin Chambers, Mawson Chef
