They call it the Dark Sector. It's upwind from the base, away from any bright lights, bulldozers, and radio beacons that could interfere with observing. The telescope buildings sit on stilts, so that snow drifts won't bury them. Here, a 5-minute snowmobile ride from the South Pole, is the most remote observatory on Earth. Astronomers have a reputation for going to far-off places to watch the stars, but even their endurance is tested at the South Pole.
Refrigerators have to be heated, rather than cooled, to preserve food.
Except for outer space, Antarctica is the most challenging place to do scientific research. At the South Pole, the need for teamwork is impossible to forget. Your life depends on it. In many ways, the South Pole is similar to other premier observatory sites. The height gets astronomers above the bulk of Earth's atmosphere, especially above the water vapor, which blocks certain colors of starlight.