This patch of ice and snow is where you’ll find the North and South poles, and where you can also see penguin colonies.
But it’s so much more than that.
TikToker Matty K Jordan shocked viewers when he revealed just what an average midnight looked like on the continent, and people can’t get their heads around it.
While what goes on in the Antarctic is a mystery for a lot of people, it’s actually pretty cool.
According to the British Antarctic Survey, Antarctica is ‘the world’s most important natural laboratory’ and also ‘a place of great beauty and wonder’.
Matty K Jordan showed his viewers what to expect in Antarctica (TikTok/@Mattykjordan)
The website explains: “Its frozen wastes have fired the public imagination for generations, and around 30,000 tourists now visit the Antarctic each year to experience what life is like in the Earth’s last great wilderness.”
But if you can’t afford the cost to visit, you’ll be unaware of its strange weather.
Specifically, its constant stream of sunlight for months and months on end.
Twenty-four-hour sun sounds like a dream to many, but how would you feel having to go to sleep when it looks like it’s still midday?
As for what it looks like, it’s magical.
Matty captured a video at six minutes past midnight for his viewers, to show them exactly how much light he sees while he’s working in Antarctica.
He shared his clip, which begins with him exciting his home and opening the doors to the outside.
Then, as soon as the door is open, he’s hit with the clearest sunlight you’ve ever seen.
It’s nothing but clear skies and brilliant white for miles to see.
Midnight is very light (TikTok/@Mattykjordan)
Of course, viewers were left baffled and couldn’t understand how it could be so light all the time.
One person wrote: “How do you sleeeeep??”
Another said: “The next sunset isn’t until when?!?”
Someone else commented: “Places like this always remind me of 30 Days of Night.”
One user joked: “At least you have sun, in the UK we have a few hours of grey sky and then it’s dark again.”
Another laughed: “How do you know when to call it a day?”
That’s actually a perfectly good question.
Apparently, it’s all down to the Hemisphere.
The Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, and receives a greater amount of sunlight in the Antarctic summer.
According to Robert Schwarz, who was stationed in the Antarctic for around 15 years as part of the Keck project, it’s mesmerising to be around.
He filmed a timelapse while at his location, which shows the bright sun floating above the horizon for five whole days in 2017.
The footage he caught shows it just circling the horizon constantly, with the sunlight never lapsing.
However, that all changes from the period of April to August as the Hemisphere tilts away.
Anyway, it’s all down to science, and that’s pretty cool.
Featured Image Credit: Tiktok / mattykjordan
Topics: Science, TikTok, Travel, World News, Weather
Britt Jones
People in ‘panic’ after seeing reality of what living at sea for nine months looks like
We feel seasick just watching this…
It’s not uncommon for those travelling on a cruise to get a bit of cabin fever at some point. Especially if they’re travelling for weeks or even months at a time.
Thanks to the nine-month cruise, dubbed the ‘Ultimate World Cruise’, life at sea is trending on social media with travellers sharing their honest perspectives of what its really like to be onboard a ship for extended periods at a time.
One TikTok video of a traveller onboard the vessel has caused ‘panic’ among viewers as they realise it’s not all fun and games going on holiday for nine months at a time. Who would’ve guessed?
TikTok/@marcsebastianf
Serenade of the Seas, a 21-year-old ship belonging to the Royal Caribbean cruise line, has received mixed views for deciding to embark on an almost year-long trip.
Marc Sebastian is one of the many travellers onboard the cruise, having secured himself a spot after publisher, Atria Books, sponsored his journey.
However, Marc is just embarking on a small snippet of the cruise’s journey – 18 nights to be exact – to provide insights.
He recently posted a video to TikTok giving viewers a tour of his room, along with the hilarious caption: “For 18 nights? fine. But for nine months? No can do babe.”
TikTok/@marcsebastianf
However, old-fashioned cabins aren’t the only thing that’s made the short stint difficult for Marc, as since reaching the Drake Passage, the journey has become a little rougher than expected.
If you’re not familiar already, the Drake Passage is a body of water between South America’s Cape Horn, Chile, Argentina and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica, notorious for its rough waters and incredibly high waves.
Marc posted a video of himself sat next to a porthole window as the waves crash beside him.
“It’s been a little crazy today,” he says. “Nothing too bad but it’s been a little intense.”
TikTok/@marcsebastianf
Marc keeps a close eye on the waves as he unboxes a Gachapon toy.
While he’s assembling the toy a series of large waves pass his porthole window and he exclaims: “Oh, that’s coming right for my window. That’s coming right for my window.”
Marc’s TikTok followers raced to the comments to share their thoughts on the gigantic waves.
One wrote: “Coolest video of the Drake passage so far.”
Another said: “How high up is your window!? I can’t.”
A third added: “So you’re just putting all your trust in that glass and them little bolts?”
Someone else commented: “I’d panic if the water hit my window like that.”
While a final user penned: “Hell nah. That looks so scary.”
Featured Image Credit: Tiktok/@marcsebastianf/Getty Stock Image
Topics: Travel, World News, TikTok
Harley Young
‘Pyramid like’ mountain found sitting beneath ice in Antarctica
The pyramid-shaped mass was spotted over Antartica’s Ellsworth Mountain range
Ready to have your mind blown? Scientists have discovered mysterious ‘pyramid-like’ structures in Antarctica – but they’re not what they seem.
It’s the latest in a series of intriguing discoveries that have turned the things we think we know about our planet on their head.
In recent weeks, palaeontologists discovered that humans were tragically likely responsible for the extinction of world’s only cold-blooded mammal and deep-sea divers made a truly disturbing discovery after finally reaching bottom of the Caribbean’s Great Blue Hole.
And now there’s another strange discovery to be unpacked.
Explorers were left perplexed by a startling phenomena that emerged on satellite images whilst panning over Antarctica.
Photographs of a colossal, pyramid-shaped mass was spotted taken over the southern part of the South Pole’s Ellsworth Mountain range.
Several rather bizarre-looking peaks were spotted in this area, with the largest one measuring a staggering 2km square in each direction at its base.
The structures aren’t too dissimilar in shape and size of the world-famous Pyramids of Giza – which were constructed by Egyptian slaves around 2550 BC.
But, being that the snow-white continent is totally covered in ice and pretty uninhabitable to the average human, scientists are baffled as to how exactly these frozen peaks came into being.
YouTube/History
So, given that human beings aren’t famed for their ability to reside in the Antarctic for very long – due to the freezing temperatures down there – it’s no surprise that followers of this remarkable tale of discovery are dying to know how these structures came to be.
And – as in many cases of unexplained marvels – the fan theories surrounding the pyramid’s existence are getting weirder and weirder by the day.
Taking to Twitter, one spectator predicted: “That’s the aliens? I knew it!”
Another suggested: “Illuminati confirmed.”
“Wait, how’d they move the pyramids from Egypt to Antarctica?” a third wondered.
A fourth simply stated: “Humans built that.”
It turns out, however, that these explanation for the existence of these snow-covered shapes is much simpler.
YouTube/History
That’s because these pyramids, aren’t pyramids after all.
In fact, Irvine geology professor Eric Rignot has shut down rumours of aliens and Illuminati altogether, having since revealed that these structures are just regular, old mountains.
“Pyramid shapes are not impossible — many peaks partially look like pyramids, but they only have one to two faces like that, rarely four,” he explained.
Rignot – professor of Earth system science at the University of California – went on to explain that the huge points emerging from the land are known as ‘pyramidal peaked mountains’, and are formed from the convergence of glaciers on the sides of an existing landmass.
And apparently, these types of mountain aren’t exactly uncommon, being that Iceland’s Mount Búlandstindur in Iceland, and Bordoyarnes Mountain on the Faroe Islands share the exact same components.
The more you know, eh?
Featured Image Credit: YouTube / History
Topics: World News, Science, Technology
Rhianna Benson
Terrifying footage shows NASA astronaut recording what hurricane looks like from space
An astronaut onboard SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour shared time-lapse footage of the horrifying storm
An astronaut has shared chilling footage of what a hurricane really looks like from outer space.
Hurricane Milton is set to hit the coast of Florida, US, after it was revealed last night that it has become a category five hurricane once again.
On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, this means that ‘catastrophic damage will occur’ to the area, with winds reaching 157 mph or higher. Many homes are likely set to be destroyed and power outages are expected to last weeks to months, rendering the area uninhabitable for the near future, according to the National Weather Service.
Evacuations are taking place in Florida as Hurricane Milton hits (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The Mayor of Tampa Bay, a city located on the west coast of Florida, addressed the severity of the situation as she spoke during a news conference on Monday (7 October) .
Mayor Jane Castor explained: “This is the real deal here with Milton. If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 percent of the time.”
She then chillingly told residents that if they don’t evacuate, ‘you are going to die’.
It’s set to be the worst storm to hit the region in over a century, as some holidaymakers have been trapped in the Sunshine State, scavenging for essentials while waiting for the cyclone to hit.
There are some people who are also observing the storm take shape, except they’re 250 miles above our heads.
Astronauts within the International Space Station have been forced to watch the hurricane form from above in space, as Matthew Dominick – a US Navy test pilot and pilot for NASA – shared harrowing footage of the impending natural disaster captured from SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour, which is attached to the ISS.
The footage shows the ISS passing over the colossal hurricane at around 17,500mph, the station’s average speed, which allows it to orbit the Earth once every 90 minutes.
The hurricane’s huge white appearance makes it look like something out of a dystopian film, as it makes its way towards the main land, slated for landfall on the state’s Central Gulf coast tonight (9 October).
The footage captured was a time lapse though, as the astronaut wrote in his post: “Timelapse flying by Hurricane Milton about 2 hours ago.
The hurricane’s size and path can be tracked in the video (X/@dominickmatthew)
“1/6400 sec exposure, 14mm, ISO 500, 0.5 sec interval, 30fps.”
Social media users shared what they thought of the chilling footage in the comments, as one wrote: “This is like something out of The Day After Tomorrow,” referencing the 2004 sci-fi dystopian flick.
Another pointed out: “Looks so calm from a distance.”
A third said: “My God.. awe inspiring and frightening at the same time.”
Featured Image Credit: X/@dominickmatthew / Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Topics: Science, Space, US News, Weather, Hurricane Milton
Joshua Nair
People stunned after seeing what biohacker looked like before deaging
Bryan Johnson looks almost unrecognisable in photos taken before he began his $2 million-a-year biohacking regime
A biohacker who spends $2 million a year trying to reverse ageing has left people stunned after sharing photos of what he looked like before he started his anti-ageing project.
Bryan Johnson, 46, recently posted photos of himself to show the physical transformation he has undergone since beginning Project Blueprint.
The biohacker first announced his extreme anti-ageing attempt in 2021 and has continued to document his progress on social media, with him going as far to say he has ‘no plans to die’.
But naturally, many people have questions about what exactly Bryan is undergoing.
What is a biohacker?
A biohacker is somebody who self-experiments with techniques and collects data on the human body in a bid to determine what works best for them.
In Bryan’s case, he is self-experimenting with extreme anti-aging and longevity methods in an attempt to reverse his biological age.
What does his ‘rigorous’ routine involve?
Bryan’s intense routine includes a set calorie goal, intermittent fasting, daily supplements and medications, a strict sleep schedule, red light therapy and more.
He has a team of 30 doctors headed by Cambridge-based anti-ageing expert Dr Oliver Zolman, who closely monitor his blood, heart, liver, kidneys, brain, blood vessels and sexual health.
Bryan Johnson’s gruelling regime involves downing 80 vitamins and mineral supplements every day, alongside a 1,977-calorie diet. (Instagram/@bryanjohnson)
Bryan is vegan and consumes exactly 1,977 calories per day, with his meals mainly made up of whole foods.
Everyday he wakes up at 4.30am, exercises for one hour, sleeps in a completely empty room and takes dozens of supplements.
The benefits
Bryan claims that Project Blueprint has led to him having the lung capacity and fitness levels of an 18-year-old, with the heart of a 37-year-old and the skin of a 28-year-old.
He once told the BBC: “My left ear is 64, my fitness tests say I’m 18, my heart is 37, my diaphragm strength is 18,” admitting that some body parts are older than others.
Of course, there are more simple anti-ageing methods – such as eating well and regularly exercising – which won’t set you back by millions of pounds.
Bryan Johnson launched Project Blueprint in 2021. (Instagram/@bryanjohnson)
So, even though Bryan’s internal body clock is now younger, what about his external one?
The American entrepreneur has joked this week that his smartphone’s Face ID feature fails to recognise him now as he has physically changed so much.
“Even my Face ID is confused. I’m transitioning…,” Bryan wrote on X yesterday along with three photos of himself – one from 2018, another from 2023 and a final from this year.
Bryan’s physical appearance has very obviously changed since 2018, with his face looking slimmer and complexion looking much clearer.
Even my Face ID is confused. I’m transitioning…
Does it really work, though?
While Bryan claims his experiment is working and his reducing his biological age, the entrepreneur’s project has been met with criticism from experts.
Longevity scientist Andrew Steele previously stated that genetics play the largest role in determining a person’s life expectancy, and genetics cannot be changed.
Meanwhile, Moshe Szyf, a professor of pharmacology and therapeutics, has shared his doubts about science being capable of achieving the results Bryan has claimed he’s achieved.
