© RGS-IBG
The possibility that there might be a great southern continent had fascinated explorers and sailors for centuries. In January 1820 expeditions from Russia and the UK sighted the continent of Antarctica within days of each other.
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of these first sightings, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) has launched Antarctica in sight, a year-long cultural programme to explore the first two centuries of human endeavour in this fascinating continent, and reflect on what the future might be.
The Society is supporting Antarctica in sight with special events throughout 2020, including Geographical lates: 200 years of Antarctic exploration, a Monday night lecture by Tim Jarvis on the effects of climate change on Antarctica, and talks throughout the regional programme.
To start the celebrations, we are making two of our Monday night lectures on Antarctica publicly available for a week:
Ice shelves: Antarctica's fragile frontier – by Professor David Vaughan and Professor Adrian Luckman
The discovery of Antarctica and Antarctica today – by Professor David Vaughan, Jane Rumble OBE and Camilla Nichol
You can also find out more about this unique continent on our award-winning website, Discovering Antarctica.