Sun

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[Earth]

Meteorological vs Astronomical Spring

Meteorological Spring and Astronomical Spring are two ways of defining the start of spring, but they are based on different criteria. Meteorological Spring refers to the three calendar months of March, April, and May in the Northern Hemisphere (or September, October, and November in the Southern Hemisphere). These months are considered to be spring because they generally have milder temperatures and more rainfall than the preceding winter months, and the days start to become longer.

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[Sky]

Longest Recorded Sunshine

Polar daylight record of 69 days of continuous sunshine in 2020. Ny-Ålesund is a small research community on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago, located in the Arctic Circle. During summer months at this high latitude location, the sun does not set below the horizon due to the effects of polar daylight.

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[Sky]

What Goes Together With A Sunny Weather?

These weather parameters are usually related to sunny weather conditions: High pressure - Sunny weather typically occurs when high pressure dominates the atmosphere. High pressure brings sinking air which suppresses cloud formation. Low humidity - With high pressure and sinking air comes lower humidity. Clear skies allow more sunlight to reach the surface, heating and drying the air.

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[Sky]

Astronomical Spring

March 20 is the day of the vernal equinox, after which the length of the day will gradually become longer than that of the night. On the equinox day the Sun will cross the celestial equator and equalize day and night. That will start an astronomical spring in the northern hemisphere.

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[Sky]

Shining Circle Around the Sun or Moon: What is it?

Sometimes we can see a brightly shining circle around the Sun, the Moon, or even an artificial light source (for example, a lantern). This natural phenomenon is called “halo”. It appears because of the refraction of light in ice crystals in the upper atmosphere at an altitude of 5-10 km.

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