Pictures from my travel to McMurdo in January 1999

Travel to McMurdo involves a eight hour flight on Hercules LC-130 plane, starting in Christchurch, New Zealand. During my cruise in January 1999 I was so lucky sitting next to one of the few windows. In addition, the weather was perfect throughout the journey allowing incredible views on the outskirts of Antarctica. The pictures below give a glimpse on the beauty of this impressive continent, seen both from the plane and from the ground next to McMurdo.
.

Snowcovered mountains seen on the way to McMurdo station. The shadow in the upper part is the plane's propeller.


Iceberg seen from Arrival Heights, the place where the spectroradiometer of the project I am working for is located. It's about 5 miles uphill from McMurdo. The iceberg is more than 20 miles away. Since the air is so clear everything appears to be much closer than it really is.


White Island, an insular next to McMurdo.


Mount Discovery at midnight, seen from McMurdo (Because of 24 hours of sunlight during summer there is also light at midnight).


Mount Erebus, the one and only vulcano in Antarctica, has a height of 3794 meters. The mountain is only 20 miles away from McMurdo and an impressive landmark.


An artist's view of Mount Erebus. The two square-meters large painting is in the "galley," the dining-hall of McMurdo.