Sun Report

The Spring Equinox is coming soon. On March 20, 2012, the sun’s rays will be perfectly situated above the equator. This will result in exactly 12 hours of daylight and darkness in most parts of the world. It also marks the beginning of spring or autumn depending on whether you are in the northern or southern hemisphere.

While most of the world will experience 12 hours of sunlight on March 20, this time may be slightly shorter in some areas. This is true of areas that are farthest from the equator. In the extreme northern or southern parts of the world, residents will have nearly equal day and night hours, but it will not be exactly 12 hours of each.

The shortest day of the year is marked in late December each year. That is when the sun’s rays are farthest from the earth’s surface.  Since the winter solstice in December, the days have gradually been getting longer. After the spring equinox, the days will continue to get longer until the Summer Solstice.

Summer solstice will occur this year on June 20. At that time, the sun is at its northernmost position above the earth. Once summer solstice occurs, the days will once again start getting shorter. They will continue to do so until autumn’s equinox in late September. When this happens, the days will once again be around 12 hours long. They will continue to decrease in length until the winter solstice, at which time the cycle will begin once again.

The equator is the area that separates the Northern Hemisphere from the southern one. This imaginary line divides the earth at its warmest spot. The reason why the area near the equator is very warm is because the sun’s rays are at a 90-degree angle here so they hit the earth’s surface more directly.

Most areas near the equator average around 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit all year round. Temperatures may drop slightly whenever there is a rainstorm due to cloud cover; however once the storm is over they rise quickly again. As such, there is little distinction between the seasons in areas that are close to the equator.

Another unique fact about this geographic area is the amount of daylight. Since the area along the equator is technically in the center of the earth, the days are evenly divided. This means there is exactly 12 hours of daylight followed by 12 hours of darkness each day. The length of the days does not vary with the seasons as it does in other parts of the world. When the sun rises or sets over the equator, it generally does so very quickly.

The equator runs through several continents including South America, Africa, and Asia. It also extends into the waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. In some countries, the Navy conducts a ceremony for sailors the first time they cross this imaginary boundary. A few cruise liners have taken up this tradition, holding special ceremonies on ships as they sail through one of these regions.

While many people think of Alaska as having weeks of endless sunlight in the summer, this is not necessarily the case. Only the residents of Barrow in the northernmost part of the state experience continuous daylight or darkness during certain periods of the year. In Barrow, the continuous darkness extends from November through January and the endless daylight arrives in May and lasts through August.

The reason for these periods of continuous light or darkness is due to Barrow’s location and the tilt of the earth’s axis as it rotates around the sun. Although continuous sunlight or darkness can be disturbing to tourists, most residents here are accustomed to these changes and adapt rather easily. In fact, the town boasts that the Northern Lights, an unusual display of light across the atmosphere, are best viewed during the time of winter darkness.

Areas that are a bit south of Barrow may have extremely short days during the winter. The entire arctic region of the state has a continuous 24-hour period of sunlight near the time of the summer solstice which is in mid to late June. This same arctic region will experience extremely long days during the summer even though the light will not be continuous.

Although there is continuous sunlight during the summer, the temperatures are actually very pleasant. During July and August the average high temperature is usually in the 60-70 degree range. Even so, evenings may be chilly so if you plan to visit you should bring a jacket no matter what time of year it is.

Our Solar System contains the sun and eight planets. In order of their distance from the sun they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.  Let’s learn a little bit about these planets and how they interact with the sun.

The inner planets include Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars because these four are closest to the sun. They are the four smallest planets within the Solar System.  They are known as terrestrial planets because they have a large amount of rock over much of their surfaces. These four inner planets lie inside what is known as the ecliptic plane and orbit the sun in a circular fashion. Between Mars and Jupiter is the Asteroid Belt. It is known as such because of the high number of asteroids found there.

The four outer planets are referred to as the gas giants. Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in the Solar System and contain a great deal of hydrogen and helium. Uranus and Neptune are much smaller than the other two outer planets are, but do not contain much helium or hydrogen. Instead, the surfaces of these two planets contain large amounts of ice as well as methane and ammonia. Collectively, these two planets are known as ‘’ice giants”.

Kuiper belt is located just beyond Neptune, the farthest planet within the system. The Kuiper belt contains five dwarf planets: Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and  Eris. This region also contains vast numbers of comets and bodies of other small matter along with dust from many of the planets themselves.