( CNN ) -- Can you imagine a world where the sun never sets ? For scientists cruising Antarctica in a mammoth 94-meter ship , that 's exactly the surreal realm they encountered . Now their remarkable two-month expedition has been condensed into a haunting time-lapse video , following the floating laboratory as it plowed its way through some of the most brutal conditions on the planet . `` We arrived in summer , mid-February , when there was 24-hour sunlight , '' Stanford University Ph.D student , Cassandra Brooks , told CNN . `` The sun would move from high in the sky to very low , but would never completely disappear . I did n't get tired until 1.am -- it was very energizing . '' 'Touching infinity ' Brooks , who is studying international ocean policy , was one of 30 U.S. scientists monitoring Antarctica 's unique eco-system , as part of a National Science Foundation research cruise . The ship wound its way along the stunning Ross Sea -- believed to be the last untouched marine eco-system on the planet -- providing scientists with an important insight into one of our few remaining healthy waterways . During the summer months , Antarctica -- the southern most tip of the globe -- is transformed into a bewitching `` Land of the Midnight Sun , '' where the sun never dips below the horizon , instead continuously moving in circles . After more than a week of this extraordinary phenomenon , the team finally saw their first sunset at 1.am -- an experience Brooks described as `` like touching infinity . '' `` Brilliant orange light streamed through the portholes on the starboard side of the ship . I peeled myself away from my microscope , dashed across the room and peered outside to catch the sun blazing down on the horizon , '' the 33-year-old said . `` The sight took my breath away -- the sky was on fire , turning the ocean a deep purple red . Gusts of wind collided with the wide rolling swells , driving an arc of brilliant pink spray 10 feet into the air . '' Life and death . Despite the breathtaking beauty of this icy underworld , conditions could also be brutal with winds of 110 kilometers per hour and temperatures plunging to -40C . On these extreme days , scientists were n't allowed outside on the deck covered in a slippery -- and dangerous -- layer of ice . `` If you fell overboard you 'd be dead within minutes because the water is below freezing , '' said Brooks . `` Yet it 's an environment that 's also teeming with animals such as emperor penguins and Weddell seals . '' Sometimes tightly packed ice up to 10 ft deep threatened to trap the ship -- Brooks admitted on previous expeditions it had been stuck for weeks -- and it was forced to spend hours reversing and ramming its way through . The adventure was caught on film after Brooks attached a video camera to the bow of the boat -- capturing everything from blazing sunshine to fierce storms . 'Forget Friday night ' For more than two months , the team cruised Antarctica 's wild Ross Sea -- more than 5,000 kilometers from the closest country ; New Zealand . Their ship , the Nathaniel B Palmer , became a floating island in itself , equipped with a helicopter hanger , gym , industrial kitchen , library , conference room and laboratory . Brooks was part of a team measuring plankton in the water and would usually start her experiments at 7.am , working until 8.pm . During the summer months , Antarctica 's green plankton bloom grows so large it can be seen from outer space . `` We were there to test what happens to all that phytoplankton , which provides a vital source of carbon -- or food -- to the system , '' Brooks explained . `` Does it sink out to the bottom ? Get eaten over the summer ? Does it get transported out of the system ? Many think that this large source of phytoplankton is the reason why the Ross Sea has such large populations of predators . `` Some people would still be up sampling water until 4.am , '' she added . `` The idea of weekends and normal Friday nights completely disappears . '' Spiritual science . For Brooks , the journey was more than just a science expedition -- it was a spiritual experience which gave her a renewed appreciation for mighty mother nature . `` It just grabbed me in a very visceral way , '' said Brooks . `` It 's such an obviously beautiful place but also surreal -- the conditions are so extreme so you 're seeing a whole other world you 've never seen before . '' Many scientists now believe the Ross Sea is the last untouched marine ecosystem in the world . If Brooks ' stunning video is anything to go by , it 's also one worth protecting .
Science research team in Antarctica , captures stunning time - lapse video . South Pole dubbed ` ` Land of the Midnight Sun , '' 24-hour sunlight during winter . Extreme conditions , winds of 110kph , temperatures plunge -40C . Antarctica 's Booth Island the last intact marine ecosystem in the world .