The Coldest Temperature Ever Recorded Was in Antarctica

The most extreme cold on our planet isn't found in a gust of wind, but in pockets of still, dense air. Scientists discovered this by analyzing over a decade of satellite data from the East Antarctic Plateau, a vast, high-altitude desert. During the long polar winter, when the sun disappears for months, conditions are perfect for creating frigid temperatures. On clear, calm nights, the snow-covered surface radiates heat directly out into space, unhindered by a blanket of clouds. The super-chilled air near the surface, now heavier than the air above it, sinks and pools in shallow topographical hollows, dropping to an incredible minus