The Electronic Passport to Seasons

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Mr. Dowling's Electronic Passport Time and Space

Seasons (part two)

     The days are longer in summer and shorter in winter the further you move from the equator. It's generally dark on a summer night in Florida by 8:30 p.m., but in Vermont, there will still be some light at 10:00 p.m. The situation is reversed in the winter, where the sun will go down in Vermont by 3:45 while it remains light in Florida until 5:15.

     Northern Alaska is called the "Land of the Midnight Sun" because it never gets dark during their summer months. That part of the earth is facing the sun all day and all night. Antarctica never sees daylight during those months. Let's hope the penguins have nightlights! Of course, the situation is reversed in December and January when northern Alaska never sees the sun and Antarctica sees the midnight sun.

     The picture at right was taken at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 20. Notice that It is dark in North America, South America, Africa and Europe, while it is daytime in most of Asia and Australia. You can see that Alaska has been in darkness all day, while in Antarctica, the day never ends.

To cite this page:
Dowling, Mike., "The Electronic Passport to Seasons," available from http://www.mrdowling.com/601-seasons2.html; Internet; updated Tuesday, April 30, 2002 .