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Astronomy Picture of the Day - Ice Fishing for Cosmic Neutrinos
NASA ^ | 11 Oct, 2026 | Credit: NSF, B. Gudbjartsson, IceCube Collaboration, Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonne

Posted on 10/11/2026 11:45:45 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: Scientists are melting holes in the bottom of the world. In fact, almost 100 holes melted near the South Pole are now being used as an astronomical observatory. Astronomers with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory lowered a long string knotted with basketball-sized light detectors into each vertical lake. The water in each hole soon refreezes. The detectors attached to the strings are sensitive to blue light emitted in the surrounding clear ice. Such light results from fast-moving secondary particles liberated when high-energy neutrinos emitted by powerful processes out in the universe collide with ice molecules. IceCube has now detected many illuminating neutrinos. Pictured in 2010, one of the last of IceCube's detector strings is lowered into the freezing abyss, making IceCube the largest neutrino detector ever created. In recognition of unprecedented discoveries, it was announced earlier this week that a founding leader of the IceCube Collaboration will be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa
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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 10/11/2026 11:45:45 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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2 posted on 10/11/2026 11:46:17 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 31R1O; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; ...
Pinging the APOD list

πŸͺ 🌟 🌌 πŸ”

3 posted on 10/11/2026 11:47:05 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

It takes great skill, marvelous mathematics, and incredible understanding to invent and create such experimental apparatus.


4 posted on 10/11/2026 12:02:26 PM PDT by marktwain (----------------------)
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To: MtnClimber

Don’t drop the camera!


5 posted on 10/11/2026 12:06:11 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: BenLurkin

LOL!
You owe me a new keyboard!
Mine is covered in coffee!
P.S.
I would have dropped the camera.
I’m a klutz.


6 posted on 10/11/2026 12:15:08 PM PDT by MS.BEHAVIN (Women who behave rarely make history!)
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To: MtnClimber

Detection of the gravity waves from two colliding neutron stars was an historic event. I did a little digging to see if any neutrinos were detected as well. I came across a paper from the team behind this neutrino detector. Hundreds of authors in the paper only to say ‘Nope’ they didn’t detect any from that event.


7 posted on 10/11/2026 12:18:53 PM PDT by Nateman (Democrats did not strive for fraud friendly voting merely to continue honest elections.)
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To: MtnClimber
Do what?!? d;^)


8 posted on 10/11/2026 12:36:25 PM PDT by CopperTop (Outside the wire it's just us chickens. Dig?)
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To: BenLurkin

Put... the candle... back!


9 posted on 10/11/2026 1:04:21 PM PDT by farm_kid (Seize a carp a day (carpe per diem))
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To: farm_kid

LOL!
Love that movie!
I miss Gene Wilder so much!


10 posted on 10/11/2026 3:33:03 PM PDT by MS.BEHAVIN (Women who behave rarely make history!)
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To: CopperTop

Image link is a phishing site according to Avast.


11 posted on 10/11/2026 4:23:58 PM PDT by null and void (Do we vote for the people who want to hurt us, or vote for the people who don’t want to stop them?)
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