“A partial eclipse over Lake Untersee yesterday — an ordinary piece of celestial clockwork that felt anything but ordinary from the icy shores of Lake Untersee in the mountains of Antarctica. Eclipses come around often enough; being in the right place, at the right moment, to watch the Sun take a quiet bite out of itself is the rarer gift!” More

“We’ve had a productive few days since I last checked in. Yesterday and today we worked on the eastern slopes adjacent to the Anuchin Glacier. We drilled a couple of holes in the lake – one to start a dive hole, the other to deploy a dissolved oxygen sensor that will track changes during freeze-up beneath the ice. But today marks another shift in the weather pattern.” More: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 1 February 2026: Drilling Diving Holes

Keith’s note: Dale Andersen’s research team continues their astrobiology research at Lake Untersee, Antarctica: “Today, the sun made a welcome return and although the wind stayed brisk through much of the day, conditions were stable enough for us to get some solid work done. We collected glacial ice, took air samples for environmental DNA, and began melting out the instruments we deployed in the lake last season – those measuring dissolved oxygen and light.” More: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 21 January 2026: Lake Untersee Base Camp Weather

Dale Andersen: “We just completed the camp last night, and today a storm will move in with 50 mph winds (more?) and perhaps some snow. Should provide a quick test of our handiwork! The layout is organized to maximize protection for the various tents. We positioned the sea-container to block the major winds out of the SE, so the central camp sits in its lee.” (Keith’s note: the tents may look familiar – they are made by the same company that provided them to “Star Trek Strange New World”) More: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 18 January 2026: Lake Untersee Base Camp Is Operational

Keith’s note: Astrobiologist Dale Andersen will be back in Antarctica at Lake Untersee from early January through the end of February 2026 for another field season of research, leading an international field team of graduate students and scientists from the United States, Canada, and Austria. His work is coordinated through the Carl Sagan Center within the SETI Institute, and we will be posting their updates at Astrobiology.com. More

Keith’s note: In the ‘Star Trek Strange New Worlds’ Second Season episode “Under The Cloak of War” there are battle scenes that feature military base with a lot of tents. Those tents were bought by the production company from the manufacturer Heimplanet. By coincidence, astrobiologist, SCUBA explorer, and adventurer Dale Andersen had several of these tents at his base camp at Lake Untersee, Antarctica in 2023. One thing led to another and now Heimplanet has a blog post on Dale’s expedition and their tent referencing my Astrobiology.com website and Star Trek Strange New Worlds. Life imitating art imitating life etc. C’mon NASA SMD, you need to push the envelope a lot further as you tell the world about your various Astrobiology projects. Your outreach is paltry and boring. Full story: That Time Star Trek Tents Were Actually Used In Antarctica.

Dale Andersen: “The weather at Lake Untersee has been rough lately. Following the test run of our tents with a small storm that rolled through last week with 70 mph winds, our team of 7 faced the might of a 105 mph (159 kph)blizzard at Lake Untersee over the last several days. Some tents were deliberately collapsed to avoid destruction, while others suffered damage in the storm. Yet, like the Phoenix rising from ashes, we rallied, and, piece by piece we resurrected our camp, a true display of teamwork and resilience in the face of nature’s challenges. #AntarcticaStrong #SciencePrevails – here is an audio recording of a typical night (last night) with winds hitting the tent walls.” See: Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 15 November 2023: More Bad Weather At Lake Untersee.

Hi Keith, Yesterday here at Lake Untersee, we experienced a day of contrasting weather. It started off beautifully with plenty of sunshine and very little wind. The highlight of the day, our seasoned field team member, Birgit Sattler, rejoined us, arriving via a Twin Otter aircraft operated by Ultima-Antarctic Logistics and operated by the skilled Ken Borek pilots. The serene weather, however, took a dramatic turn in the afternoon. Winds began to surge, reaching gusts of over 70 mph. This sudden change in weather conditions led to the unfortunate loss of one of our North Face Dome tents. We acted swiftly during the ground blizzard that had formed to secure the tent and its contents by weighing it down with rocks. More

Dale Andersen: “We’re excited to embark on a journey of discovery at Lake Untersee, a mysterious and untouched gem nestled in the heart of Antarctica. Our mission is to unravel the secrets of this ancient lake and its surrounding oasis, where time-locked paleolake basins and permafrost hold clues to understanding our planet’s past and future. Join us as we delve into this fascinating world, where science meets adventure in one of […]

“Departing for Cape Town next Saturday (15th) afternoon, arrival in Cape Town late Sunday night the 16th. We have a pre-flight briefing on the 17th or 18th, and are scheduled to depart for the ALCI ice-runway on the morning of the 19th (local CPT time which is UTC+2).”