If you've never visited a polar destination, you're probably wondering what you can expect weather-wise when you travel to Antarctica. Even if you've spent time in the Arctic Circle, the Antarctic is an entirely different experience. The high elevation and large landmass makes the south pole significantly colder than the north. Of course, temperature is only one piece of the antarctic weather puzzle. Here's an overview of what weather conditions are like on Earth's southernmost destination:

Antarctica only has two seasons: summer and winter. Because it's located in the southern hemisphere, Antarctica's summer is from October to February. During this time, the sun is almost always in the sky. Days rapidly get longer there in summer, until, eventually, the sun doesn't set at all. This phenomenon is called the Midnight Sun. Although there are multiple places in the northern hemisphere that experience this perpetual sunlight during half of the year, Antarctica is the only southern location where it can be seen.

January is the warmest month in Antarctica, during which average temperatures climb all the way up to 0 degrees in the Antarctic Peninsula. However, the average temperatures ranges from -10 degrees celcius to -60 degrees, depending on how far into the continent you travel.

If anyone is in Antarctica once winter comes, they're staying until summer returns. Flights and ships cease travel to and from Antarctica once the weather starts to turn, as conditions become too treacherous for travel. Typically, researchers are the only people who brave the antarctic night. This is a valuable time for astronomers, who can use the complete darkness to get spectacular views of the universe. Climatologists are also busy during this time of year tracking and comparing the temperatures on and below the continent's surface.