While we did not experience the "midnight sun" effect, the twilight remained very bright and always precluded us from sighting any stars. In fact, it was a bit of a jarring experience having the sun setting below the north-northwest horizon as late as 11:15 p.m.Īnd it didn't stay out of sight very long, popping back up above the north-northeast horizon just a few hours later at 2:30 a.m.
Unfortunately, clouds obscured our view of the totally eclipsed sun, but during my two-week stay on board Ponant's exploration ship, Le Commandant Charcot, I observed things that people who have lived all of their lives at mid-northern latitudes would never see.įirst, since we journeyed so far south (to just outside of the Antarctic Circle) and it was only a few weeks before the December solstice, we experienced a considerable amount of daylight. We were to encounter the moon's shadow as it passed over ice floes in the Weddell Sea. I was to serve as an onboard astronomy guide, preparing passengers for a total solar eclipse that would sweep across the frozen continent on December 4. Last December, I was invited to participate in a cruise to Antarctica, staged by the French cruise ship operator, Compagnie du Ponant (opens in new tab). From New York, Omaha and Salt Lake City, taking twilight into account, there are only about five hours of total darkness. And even places well outside of the Arctic Circle, the sun goes below the horizon for only 8 or 9 hours. And it will persist all the way through July before finally fading out completely in early August such subarctic twilights virtually put a temporary end to nighttime conditions. So, the solstice really does not mark the beginning of a season, rather to all appearances has actually reached its peak height.Īs an example, north of latitude 55 degrees, since the start of May, a twilight glow has persisted through the night dim at first, but now around the solstice it appears quite bright.
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