Antarctica might be the coldest, driest and windiest continent, but it holds a fascination for many including Michael Ashley, Professor of Astrophysics at UNSW.

 Ashley is currently there to deploy a telescope to one of the most remote locations on Earth – a place known as Ridge A, some 850km from the South Pole.

He has been keeping a diary about his journey, his observations about life in the region and the difficulties in achieving his research focus. The series is being published by The Conversation.

Read the posts for: week 1, week 2, week 3week 4, week 5, week 6, and the final instalment.