14 DISCOVERMAGAZINE.COM
A COSMIC LINEUP
Antarctic researcher Robert Schwarz knew last July’s lunar eclipse would be something special. Not only would Earth’s shadow pass over
the moon, but Mars was also unusually big and bright in the sky, making for a cosmic double feature. To capture Mars as it shone above the
eclipsed moon at the South Pole, Schwarz spent several frigid hours outside in 25-knot winds, withstanding temperatures of minus 50 degrees
Fahrenheit. The astrophysicist’s day job, conducted in much warmer conditions, involves studying the cosmic microwave background — the Big
Bang’s leftover energy — using the Keck Array telescope, which is housed within the Spirex Tower that appears directly below Mars and the
moon. ERNIE MASTROIANNI; PHOTO BY ROBERT SCHWARZFAR, FAR AWAYTHE CRUX