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By James Pugsley
Astronomy North
(YELLOWKNIFE, NWT) Springtime is back, and with
it comes a rising star.
Each February, March and April, the Sun launches on
a remarkable race to recapture the northern sky. From
February 14 until April 30 Yellowknifers gain an additional
six minutes (and a few seconds) of light every day,
which adds up to an extra 42 minutes of sun every
week.
When
the race began in Yellowknife,
a day lasted for eight hours, 45 minutes and 20 seconds.
By May 1, a day will last for 16 hours, 32 minutes
and 45 seconds – nearly double the daylight!
ARCTIC
ECLIPSE IN 2008
• Residents of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut
will enjoy a rare site on August 1 at
3:24 a.m. (if they stay awake, that is).
A total solar eclipse will be visible
as the Sun rises in the Northeast. For
more information click here.
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The
story is even more dramatic in Inuvik
(or anywhere in the Arctic Circle for that matter).
The furthern north you venture each Spring, the
more extreme the solar race will be.
A
sunny Inuvik day in early February will last for
5 hours, 42 minutes and 25 seconds. By April 30
the Arctic day lasts for 18 hours, 8 minutes and
34 seconds and the Sun is still gaining almost
10 minutes every day.
On
May 24 the Sun does its first victory lap around
the Arctic Circle. For seven straight weeks all
communities above 66º 33' North will enjoy 24
straight hours of sunlight.
Meanwhile, back in Yellowknife the race isn't
over. In fact, by May 24 there are signs that
the Sun isn't able to keep up its impressive pace.
With each passing day in May the amount of new
sunlight decreases steadily, and by summer solstice
on June 21 the momentum stalls. On June 22, the
amount of daylight is reduced by 4 seconds.
The Sun's biggest race of the year is over, and
the night will slowly begin to take over the day,
eventually resulting in up to 24 hours of darkness
in the North.
But let's not get too far ahead of things, our
solar friend will have one more shining moment
after Solstice. On August 1 the people of Cambridge
Bay and Grise Fjord in Nunavut, along with anyone
who just happens to be flying
by Greenland or Iceland, will see a total
solar eclipse. For some, this a rare opportunity
to chase
a celestial event from Canada to Asia. For others,
it's a chance to watch the Sun as it celebrates
another victory over the Arctic night. |
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AN EVEN BIGGER SOLAR RACE HAS BEGUN •
The Sun recently turned the tide on another solar
cycle. For more details, click here.
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