APOD: 2026 October 11 – Ice Fishing for Cosmic Neutrinos
The post APOD: 2026 October 11 – Ice Fishing for Cosmic Neutrinos appeared first on NASA Science .
On October 11, 2026, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, located in Antarctica, continued its groundbreaking work in detecting cosmic neutrinos. The observatory is comprised of nearly 100 holes drilled into the ice near the South Pole, each serving as a unique astronomical observatory. Astronomers lowered strings, each weighted with basketball-sized detectors, into these holes.
Over time, the water in these holes refroze, securing the detectors in place. These detectors are highly sensitive to blue light emitted by the surrounding clear ice. This light is produced when high-energy neutrinos, originating from powerful processes in the universe, collide with ice molecules. Since its inception, IceCube has detected numerous illuminating neutrinos, making it the largest neutrino detector ever created.
Earlier this week, a founding leader of the IceCube Collaboration was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their unprecedented discoveries.
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- APOD: 2026 October 11 – Ice Fishing for Cosmic Neutrinos science.nasa.gov
