This week the sun set! This may seem an odd statement, but it was first time I have seen the sun dip below the horizon since I have been in the Antarctic. It was only for a few minutes, but it’s the first sign that the days will now start to get gradually shorter and shorter until May when we will commence the 24hr darkness!
This is due to the Earth’s rotational axis is not being perpendicular to the plane in which it orbits the Sun; it's offset by approximately 23.5 degrees. This tilt is the reason we have seasons and why anywhere below the Antarctic Circle (latitude 66° 30’ S) we have 24-hour darkness in winter and constant sunlight in the summer. A wonderful quirk of Antarctic life.
With the sun nearing the horizon it also means that when you go to draw your curtains at night, you are greeted with sights like this… Oh my!
2 comments:
Those colors are amazing!
Your pictures here are very zen, Big Dawg. I keep clicking on them when I need to get back to my "happy place" at work.
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