CERN is closing and turning off the heat for two weeks starting this Saturday. This is the typical annual closing – mostly done to save money. In France/Switzerland, electricity costs about three times as much in winter months compared to other months. Also, from what I hear, labor laws here might also make it hard to be open around this time of year.
Many people (including me) have or will be heading back home for the holidays. Once CERN opens again on Jan 4th, 2010, repairs will begin to take place of the next month and a half on various things. Our detector, CMS, should be ready by around Valentines Day, and then the LHC should start back up a week or so later!
Here’s a recent, and rare, sunset seen from my office building (most days are cloudy and rainy):
The days are about 8 and a half hours long this time of year, so I cherish whatever sun we get.
