South Pole

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South Pole: Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

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Earth from space. Full-hemisphere views of the Earth showing Hurricane Linda at its peak approaching Baja California on 1997 September 11.

What Is Earth’s Velocity?

Solar system illustration. (planets; sun)

Why Are Planets Round?

Roald Engelbrecht Gravning Amundsen. (1872-1928). Norwegian explorer, South Pole, 1911. Amundsen led first expedition to reach South Pole, arriving December 1911, one month before ill-fated British expedition commanded by Captain Scott. (see notes)

What were the circumstances that surrounded Roald Amundsen’s death?

Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles

Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?

In late August 2016, sunlight returned to the Antarctic Peninsula and unveiled a rift across the Larsen C Ice Shelf that had grown longer and deeper over the austral winter

A Trillion Tonnes of Antarctica Fell into the Sea

Discover

Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan

6 Animals That Eat Their Mates

Normandy Invasion: Omaha Beach. World War II. D-Day. Infographic. SPOTLIGHT VERSION

Facts and Figures About the Landings on Omaha Beach During the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944

Time zone map with standard time zones and International Date Line

Why Are Some Time Zones 30 Minutes Off Instead of an Hour?

Lake Mead (the impounded Colorado River) at the Hoover Dam. The light-coloured band of rock above the shoreline shows the decrease in water level in the first few years of the 21st century.

6 Lakes That Are Drying Up

Scolex (head) of the tapeworm Taenia solium. The hooks of the scolex enable the tapeworm to attach to the intestinal wall.

Uninvited Guests: The 7 Worst Parasitic Worms

Estimated battle casualties, Normandy invasion, World War II. WWII, D-Day

Estimated Battle Casualties During the Normandy Invasion and Campaign to Liberate Paris (June–August 1944)

Paul Revere. "The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770 by a party of the 29th Regt.," engraved by Paul Revere. Boston Massacre.

There’s a Riot Goin’ On: Riots in U.S. History (Part One)

South Pole: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jun 14, 2025

News •

South pole of the Sun pictured for the first time • June 12, 2025, 8:06 AM ET (The Telegraph)

Solar Orbiter Captures the First-Ever Images of the Sun’s South Pole • June 11, 2025, 8:06 AM ET (Scientific American)

Conrad Shinn, First Pilot to Land at the South Pole, Dies at 102 • June 10, 2025, 9:54 AM ET (New York Times)

Photos

South Pole: Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

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Topics

North Pole