The midnight sun occurs at the South Pole on the day of the December solstice.

The midnight sun occurs at the South Pole on the day of the December solstice.

The longest day of the year for the South Pole produces one of the most impressive astronomical phenomena: the midnight sun, something experienced by places located within the Antarctic Circle.

Two solstices occur each year, one in June and one in December. The December solstice is known to be the shortest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, while it is the longest for the Southern Hemisphere. In this way, the summer and winter solstices mark the change of seasons together with the autumn and spring equinoxes.

the solstice Capricorn, which begins summer, represents the longest day of the year in the southern hemisphere, while in the northern hemisphere it is the beginning of winter and represents the longest night of the year.

At the poles, the change is much more drastic, since the north pole goes from six months of light to six months of darkness and the opposite, at the south pole. On this day, the Sun will be the furthest from the equator and the southern hemisphere will receive the most light.

What astronomical events December brings us

View of the midnight sun

“Solstices occur because Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted about 23.4 degrees relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun. This tilt gives rise to the seasons on our planet, as the northern and southern hemispheres receive unequal amounts of sunlight throughout the year,” explains National Geographic.

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This date is also known as the Capricorn solstice, as it is the time when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. This year, it will take place in the evening between December 21 and 22.

During the dates close to the solstice, the inhabitants of the regions of the Antarctic Circle will have entire days with sunlight.

(YO)


Source: Eluniverso

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