Sun sets on March 21 at the South Pole, not to rise again until September.
Flags surround the ceremonial pole, which is behind the flag pole on the left.
Since the South Pole's six months of winter darkness began March 21, temperatures have been falling toward their midyear lows. On April 1, for instance, the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station reported temperatures ranging from a low of minus 55 Fahrenheit to a high of minus 52. Fifty men and women are spending the winter at the Pole. The last airplane left on Feb. 16 and no others will fly to the Pole until late October. The sun won't rise again until Sept. 21.