Motivated by the search for an elusive cosmic radio signal our research group is running an experiment on Marion Island located in the sub-Antarctic. In less than a week we will finish our pre-expedition quarantine, and start our voyage across roaring oceans to make our way down to Marion. So far our entire team has tested negative on our first PCR-test. However, instead of sharing the miseries of quarantine with you, I’ll introduce our experiments, and tell you why we’re going all the way down to the sub-Antarctic.

Astronomers around the world are looking for faint radio signals that tell us the origin story of the very first stars in the Universe. In about two weeks, I’ll head to an island between South Africa and the Antarctic with 3 other astro-engineers aiming to do the same. After a few years of COVID-related absence our research group can once again send a full complement of astrophysicists and astro-engineers to retrieve our observations of the cosmos and provide some TLC to the instruments. Over the next few weeks I’ll tell you about our work and everything involved.