Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Hail the Vernal Equinox

COTTonLINE welcomes its northern hemisphere readers to spring. From now until late September the days will be longer than the nights for us who live north of the equator.

The farther from the equator, the more pronounced is the change. In mid-June up near the Arctic Circle it really never gets dark. The same would be true for mid-December in the far South.

In Fairbanks, Alaska, on June 21 some years ago, I stepped outside at 1 a.m. and could read a newspaper without artificial light. The mosquitoes were plentiful, so I didn't stay outside long.

More recently, the other DrC and I experienced the fabled "white nights" in St. Petersburg, Russia. The ballet ended quite late and, on the way back to our hotel, we saw lots of strollers and patrons of sidewalk cafes enjoying the near-midnight twilight.