(NASA)

captured the birth of a new iceberg near Antarctica late this past winter.

The series of three images in the animation above show the 17-mile-long (27 kilometers) iceberg breaking off of the Getz Ice Shelf in western Antarctica from Feb. 16, 2015 to March 5, 2015.

It was discovered by the U.S. National Ice Center (NIC) andwas given the name B-34 since it exceeds the 19-kilometer-long size requirement needed for tracking. According to NASA, the B-34 name is derived from the fact that this iceberg is the 34th to come from the B quadrant of Antarctica.

NASA says that the cold, fresh water from melting large icebergs can affect ocean currents and circulations in the Southern Ocean.

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Station Bernardo O'Higgins, Antarctica

In this Jan. 22, 2015 photo, Gentoo penguins stand on rocks near the Chilean station Bernardo O'Higgins, Antarctica. Here on the Antarctic peninsula, where the continent is warming the fastest because the land sticks out in the warmer ocean, 49 billion tons of ice is lost a year according to NASA. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)