Sunrise, sunset… Not so swiftly flows The Day

Posted by Greg Laden on September 2, 2009
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I just received a very cool graphic from my friend and former student who is currently living under the ice at the South Pole. She is very excited about the implications of this graphic.


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To read this, imagine yourself on a certain date (x axis). Now, follow a line down from top to bottom and see when the sun is up vs. down. This shows the change in “day length” across the year.

But if you are on the south pole, it is essentially binary. Sunup, or sundown.

Now, go find today’s date on the graph for the south pole and see why my friend is getting exited!

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Comments

  1. #1 Jared
    September 2, 2009

    THE SUN!!! LIGHT!!!

  2. #2 Kitty'sBitch
    September 2, 2009

    After years of active nightlife, work and play, my brother and I walked out onto the porch of our apartment building to run errands at 11am. He immediately shreiked. Taken aback, I asked what was wrong.

    “THE MOON!! IT’S ON FIRE!!”

    Completely caught me off guard.
    That was a good one.

  3. #3 elle
    September 2, 2009

    VERY excited.

    Since the sun was up the day I arrived in Antarctica and has set only once since then, I am about to experience my FIRST SUNRISE IN 11 MONTHS!!!!!

    I don’t beleive anything could be as beautiful.

  4. #4 Greg Laden
    September 2, 2009

    I hope you remember where you put your sunglasses.

  5. #5 doug l
    September 2, 2009

    The earth shadow reaching through a pink and cobalt sky from Erebus to Discovery with Mt Salient and the Royal Society Range to the West; ineffable.

  6. #6 elle
    September 2, 2009

    The Royal Societies are absolutely gorgeous, and that’s a very descriptive beauty itself. McMurdo and the surrounding area IS nice: mountains, ice caves, seals, penguins, the smell of the earth, even runoff water in the summer!

    I think that it is because us Polies spend more time in the dark, windows covered to prevent light pollution from destoying sceintific experiments with no other forms of life that the sun is worshipped as Apollo himself.