Due to the axial tilt of the Earth (the angle between the rotational axis of the Earth and its orbital axis) during late spring and early summer the sun does not set below the horizon for the whole day. Instead, in the evening the sun moves to a position in the north and reaches its lowest point on the horizon at some time between midnight and 1am, depending on the longitude and the time zone. After that the sun moves towards east and reaches the easternmost point around 6-7am and then moves to the south and west over the course of the day. The midnight sun is only visible at latitudes north of he Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle.
At the North Cape the midnight sun lasts from May 12th to July 31st. In this period even when the sun reaches the lowest point over the horizon, it is still bright enough outdoors to read a newspaper. Good locations to spot the midnight sun on Magerøya are along its northern coast.
Page viewed 1364 times since 09.10.20
©Copyright Alfred Molon