StarDate

Summer Solstice


Listen Later

The residents of Wiseman, Alaska; Murmansk, Russia; and Tromsø, Norway, might be having a hard time getting a good night’s sleep. That’s because there’s no night to sleep through. All three towns are above the Arctic Circle, so they’re seeing the midnight Sun — a time when the Sun never sets.

There’s constant daylight because of the time of year. Today marks the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. It’s the start of the summer season, and the longest day of the year north of the equator.

The Sun is farthest north for the year, and that’s the key. At the solstice, the north pole dips most directly toward the Sun. The Sun shines in a wide circle around the pole. Anything above about 66 degrees north latitude — the Arctic Circle — sees constant daylight.

How long the Sun stays above the horizon varies by latitude. Close to the Arctic Circle, it’s a few days or weeks. For those farther north, it’s longer. For the northernmost town in Alaska, for example, it’s almost three months. For the northernmost town in the world, on a Norwegian island, it’s more than four months. And for the north pole itself, it’s six months from sunrise to sunset.

Of course, it’s just the opposite in the southern hemisphere. So the team that spends the winter at the south pole is just half way through the long night. In essence, that makes it midnight — with three more months until the south pole sees its own “midnight Sun.”
 

Script by Damond Benningfield

Support McDonald Observatory

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

StarDateBy Billy Henry

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

251 ratings


More shows like StarDate

View all
Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,133 Listeners

BirdNote Daily by BirdNote

BirdNote Daily

1,190 Listeners

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science by The Planetary Society

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

1,345 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,969 Listeners

Astronomy Cast by Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay

Astronomy Cast

2,866 Listeners

The 365 Days of Astronomy by 365DaysOfAstronomy.org

The 365 Days of Astronomy

336 Listeners

Universe Today Podcast by Fraser Cain

Universe Today Podcast

544 Listeners

Ask a Spaceman! by Paul M. Sutter

Ask a Spaceman!

804 Listeners

Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries by Professor Fred Watson and Andrew Dunkley

Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries

221 Listeners

SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy by Stuart Gary

SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy

320 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,271 Listeners

The Supermassive Podcast by The Royal Astronomical Society

The Supermassive Podcast

287 Listeners

NASA's Curious Universe by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASA's Curious Universe

851 Listeners

Why This Universe? by Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman

Why This Universe?

363 Listeners

Crash Course Pods: The Universe by Crash Course Pods, Complexly

Crash Course Pods: The Universe

505 Listeners