The Land of the Long Night

the Long Night.-Reasons for its Existence.-The Ecliptic and

ward beyond the Arctic Circle, and

he earth, and begins at 66° 32' north latitude and is 1623 miles from the North Pole. It is the so

l the 22nd of September. So at the pole the year is made of one day and one night. On the 22nd day of December it disappears at the Arctic Circle for one day only. The space betwee

The earth revolves about the sun once every year, and rotates on

turning of the earth on its axis is a rotation. It

h the centre of the earth, and its extremities are called poles, hence the names of the North an

e enclosed by the line of the earth's revolution, but is inclined to it at an angle of 23° 28', which angle is called the obliquity of the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the path or way among the fixed stars which the earth in its orbit appears to describe to an eye plac

On these dates, therefore, any point on the earth's surface is, during the rotation of the earth on its axis, hal

March 21st being the vernal, and Septe

21st, after which it turns away from it. On September 21st day and night are again equal all over the earth, and af

s and has a night of six months' duration, during which time the sun is not seen. Therefore, a

Circle it is invisible, as I have said, for only one day in December. At North Cape and Nordkyn the sun disappears November 18th, and is not

day, its lower rim just touching above the horizon at noon. The next day, 17th of November, the lower half of the sun has disappeared, and the following day, the 18th, it sinks below the horizon and does

disappearance of the sun, and of its reappearan

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