21 June 2008 Summer Solstice

Journal

June 21, 2008 – Summer Solstice

Happy First Day of SUMMER!

I know what you are thinking; you thought yesterday was the first day of summer. Well, I suppose you are technically right. Usually the summer solstice is on June 21st (today) but because it is a leap year, the actual day was yesterday June 20th at 9:40pm!

Things were busy around here so today is our day to celebrate!

For those of you who don’t want to admit that you don’t know what the summer solstice is, I will attempt to explain. You remember from 9th grade Earth Science that the Earth is tilted on its axis 23.5 degrees. The tilt never changes with respect to the sun, which means that the North Pole is always pointed off into one imaginary spot in space. You also (hopefully) remember that the Earth revolves around the sun. So sometimes during the revolution the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, and at other times the southern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun. Summer Solstice is the point where the northern hemisphere is pointed toward the sun. So, it means that on this day (actually yesterday…just play along) June 21st, the sun will remain above the horizon for a longer period than any other day of the year!! And, we call this the start of SUMMER!

For those folks in the southern hemisphere (south of the equator), this is "shortest” day of the year because while the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, they are tilted away.

The solstice is a big deal in the Arctic. It represents the warm seasons and a time when the sun shines brightly all day and night long. The solstice is an EXTRA big deal in Greenland because they also celebrate Greenland National Day on this day! This brings us to where we are now, at the peak of the ice sheet in Summit, Greenland.

In order to ensure that we pay respect to this important day, the cook(s) of camp treated everybody to something extra special: Shrimp, Lobster, Bacon wrapped Tenderloin, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Rice, and drawn butter!!! Who would have thought life could be so good in such a remote place!

Livin' Large for Summer Solstice — In celebration of the solstice, the staff of Summit Camp prepared a feast of Surf and Turf!

The celebration will continue into the night (even though it never feels like night)! For us on the atmospheric team…well…the winds are calm and it is a beautiful night. So, we will celebrate at Balloon Island taking Nemo (the tethersonde) up into the sky, watching it glow orange in the midnight sun, and finding things to occupy our time in the cold. Believe me, it is more exciting than it sounds. When you are surrounded by good people who enjoy what they are doing, even work can be fun!