“Without understanding neutrinos, we’ll never understand the universe.” Physics laureate Francis Halzen has laid the foundation for a new type of astronomy. His idea was to use naturally occurring ice, rather than water, to capture the secretive elementary particles called neutrinos. The result was the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, which can track neutrinos that originate in the distant cosmos. So, why is it interesting to capture neutrinos? These elusive particles carry with them information about their sources. Since neutrinos have no electrical charge, they’re not deflected by the magnetic field between the earth and their distant cosmic sources. When these particles are detected and captured, we can learn more about where they are produced, for example the environment around a black hole. This knowledge about cosmic sources would otherwise not be accessible to us. When a neutrino collides with an atomic nucleus, a charged particle can be produced which emits a blue light. This flash of light can be tracked by sensors in the clear glacial ice of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. The South Pole’s ice has many advantages, as it is free from various types of interference and the area is geologically stable, with no earthquakes. Still, it was not an easy project. During the press conference, Francis Halzen commented on this: ”When I reflect on this at this moment, I have to emphasise how lucky I was. Because when we started this project, everybody realised it was a good idea, but very few thought it would work, including myself. This was kind of an adventure where success was not guaranteed. We were lucky to overcome the various challenges, partly because the talent of our collaborators and partly because of luck. It was a long journey but it finally worked.” Learn more at