Why is the Arctic Circle, in common with the Antarctic, different from other places
on the Earth's surface ?
To answer that, one must recognise that the Earth is tilted on its axis from
the plane of its orbit around the Sun. That tilt is about 23.5 degrees which is why
the Northern Hemisphere is warmer than the Southern Hemisphere from March to September
each year - and why it is colder in other months.
Consider the diagram, lower down, with the Earth's inclination to its orbit exaggerated.
The vertical line is perpendicular to the plane of the orbit, the directions to the Sun in mid-
winter and midsummer being as indicated.
The axis of the Earth is the one on which it spins. This, basically, is always the same
direction in space. Thus , in summer, the right-hand side is illuminated and for a point on the
globe rotating once each 24 hours approximately, the length of the `day' (i.e. lightness) is
longer than for a point on the Northern half than for a point on the Southern half. A very
simple piece of imagination shows that for points north of the Arctic Circle in mid-summer,
there is no darkness during the day as the sun DOES NOT SET.
In summer time, similarly, imagine a point on the Antarctic Circle throughout the day
which is mid-summer in the Northern hemisphere. The sun NEVER RISES on that day. The
same happens in the Northern hemisphere in our midwinter, - the sun never rising anywhere
in the Arctic Circle. In fact for the North and South Poles the YEAR consists of only ONE
day and ONE night that last 6 months each.
That is "The Arctic Night" - but its duration depends on latitude, being 6 months
long at the Pole - to non-existent outside the Arctic Circle. For North Cape (see Chapter
Eight) the Arctic Night starts at the beginning of December - with the sun making its next
appearance in February! You will see that I left the area just before the Arctic Night started
-BUT the days were very short with a midday sun only a degree above the horizon! In fact,
the "Land of the Midnight Sun" becomes "The Land of the Midday Night!"
This makes photography very challenging to impossible. Specialist films and cameras
are really required. My `automatic', cheap and cheerful, was not really appropriate, by MY trip
was for personal experience and feelings that do not lend themselves readily to the Camera.
Thus, my decision, once on the way, was to put the experiences and feelings into
words rather than on film --- hence this book!
Figure on the EARTH's TILT
The Norwegian Coast, although largely within the `Circle', isn't all that cold even in the winter.
(That's my personal view. Others may differ.) Certainly, it gets colder the more northerly one gets,
but this is moderated by the Gulf Stream warmth when the wind is from the West. In fact, I
found it frequently quite comfortable when standing, without a jacket, on the open decks even
within the `Circle'. When the sun was shining from the vast elevation of 5 degrees above the
horizon, I was sometimes able to go out with a sleeeveless shirt and no jacket.
It is a different matter altogether when the wind is blowing from the East - and when
one is on the land!! I witnessed this in Hammerfest (see p 28) on 9th November (see p55).
Without a thermometer, it was impossible to estimate the temperature which was beyond all
my previous experiences. On changing out of an ordinary jacket and into the essential `Parka',
it then became very comfortable indeed.