Full Answer
Why is the Antarctic cold?
How high is Antarctica?
Is the South Pole colder than the North Pole?
Is the Arctic ocean or land?
Is the Sun always low on the horizon?
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Which gets more sunlight North Pole or South Pole?
Even though the North Pole and South Pole are "polar opposites," they both get the same amount of sunlight.
What pole gets more sun?
The northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, and enjoys longer days and more sunlight during the day. The southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, hidden in the shadow of the Earth for more than 12 hours every day, and when the Sun is shining it receives less sunlight per unit area.
Does the North Pole get sunlight?
The North Pole stays in full sunlight all day long throughout the entire summer (unless there are clouds), and this is the reason that the Arctic is called the land of the "Midnight Sun"*. After the Summer Solstice, the sun starts to sink towards the horizon.
Does the South Pole get sunlight?
From the South Pole, the sun is always above the horizon in the summer and below the horizon in the winter. This means the region experiences up to 24 hours of sunlight in the summer and 24 hours of darkness in the winter.
Which pole is hotter?
Factors Contributing to Temperature This makes the north pole have a relatively warm temperature than the south pole, even though the average temperature at the south pole is lower. One of the main reasons the South Pole is colder than the North Pole is because it is located in the middle of a continent.
Which is stronger North Pole or South Pole?
The north pole is the strongest part of the magnet, while the south pole is the weakest. The south pole is the second most powerful part. When a magnet is free to turn, it will tend to rotate in a north-south direction.
Which country has 24 hours darkness?
Svalbard, Norway (for the Polar Night) Svalbard is a group of islands between Norway and the North Pole and is pretty much as far north as you can go without joining an arctic science expedition.
Where is there 24 hours of darkness?
The polar night is a phenomenon where the nighttime lasts for more than 24 hours that occurs in the northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth. This occurs only inside the polar circles.
Where is there 24 hours of sunlight?
The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs during the summer in places south of the Antarctic Circle and north of the Arctic Circle – including Northern Norway. The earth is rotating at a tilted axis relative to the sun, and during the summer months, the North Pole is angled towards our star.
Does the North Pole get dark?
From the North Pole, the sun is always above the horizon in the summer and below the horizon in the winter. This means the region experiences up to 24 hours of sunlight in the summer and 24 hours of darkness in the winter.
Why is there no sunlight in North Pole?
This phenomenon occurs because the Earth is tilted on its axis by approximately 23 degrees. At the poles (both north and south), this means that the sun only rises and sets once each year. Of course, these phenomena aren't limited to only northern areas.
Is the South Pole dark for 6 months?
Antarctica has just two seasons: summer and winter. Antarctica has six months of daylight in its summer and six months of darkness in its winter. The seasons are caused by the tilt of Earth's axis in relation to the sun. The direction of the tilt never changes.
Why is sun stronger near poles?
Near the poles, the Sun's rays strike the surface at a slant. This spreads the rays over a wide area. The more focused the rays are, the more energy an area receives. The difference in solar energy received at different latitudes drives atmospheric circulation.
Why the North Pole is always in sunlight during summer?
During the polar summer, the sun stays above the horizon 24 hours a day – meaning no sunrise or sunset, just constant daylight. This unique phenomenon is caused by the seasonal tilt of the Earth toward the sun during the Arctic or Antarctic summer.
Why is the South Pole Colder than the North Pole?
I remember this question from my childhood: Why is the South Pole colder than the North Pole? Indeed, the average winter temperature at the North Pole of -34°C is the same as the temperature at the South Pole at the beginning and end of its summer.
Why is the South Pole colder than the North Pole?
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Why is Antarctica so much colder than the North Pole? - Quora
Answer (1 of 13): Water has a great moderating effect on temperature. In hot places, the water heats up slower so the land near it tends to be cooler. In cold places, the water cools down slower, so the land near it tends to be warmer. The North Pole is literally in the middle of an ocean. Just ...
How many hours of sunlight does the polar sun have?
From polar sunrise to polar sunset, there is no night. Hence for about 6 months of the year the poles receive 24 hours of daylight. Which strangely computes to 4380 hours of sunlight. Or (365 ÷ 2) × 24 = 4380.
What does the South Pole look like on Sept 21?
This is what the South Pole looks like Sept. 21 — the North Pole would look about the same. It looks like a normal sunrise, but the Sun doesn’t get higher in the sky that day (or it does, fractionally); instead it rotates about the entire horizon at the altitude you see. The next day, it gets a little higher, and rotates about the horizon a little higher. Eventually, on December 21, you’d see this:
How many hours of daylight does the sun have at the poles?
From polar sunrise to polar sunset, there is no night. Hence for about 6 months of the year the poles receive 24 hours of daylight. Which strangely computes to 4380 hours of sunlig
What is the east west region?
The east - west region is defined by a PLANE - a flat surface - which is equidistant from the geographic pole, and defines - at the earth’s surface - a LINE which goes around the earth - we call the the ‘equator’ because it is ‘equal’ distance from the pole ends.
Which pole has the most sunlight?
The South Pole has its daylight hours during the sun’s closest approach to the earth (aphelion is 5 January, in the middle of the South Pole’s summer season.) The North Pole’s summer is during perihelion - or the furthest distance from the sun on 5 July each summer. This means the South Pole receives 6% more sunlight each day at top of atmosphere during the middle of its “summer” than the North Pole receives during its summertime peak.
Which is higher, the South Pole or the North Pole?
The South Pole is much higher in elevation than the North Pole: 2,835 meters (9300 feet) compared to the North Pole’s 0.0 meters. The Russian Vostok Station is even higher at 3,488 meters. Thus, even if the two poles had identical weather, and even if the two poles had identical atmosphere attenuation factors (air clarity), the South Pole would have more sunshine energy received over the year.
How long is the sun up and down?
Yes. At the equator the sun is up for 12 hours and down for 12 hours the whole year. Note I use the terms “up" and “down" instead of night and day because dawn starts just before the sun actually rises and some daylight remains a while after sunset.
How long is the darkness at the North Pole?
At this time twilight appears again. So, technically speaking total darkness at the North Pole is only 11 weeks, not 6 months . ( https://www.livescience.com/32814-arctic-daylight-darkness-myth-equinox.html)
How far below the horizon is twilight?
Twilight glows across the sky to some extent whenever the sun's upper rim is less than 18-degrees below the horizon. This bright twilight is like here in Utah, its the period of time that its nearly dark, but not entirely dark and drivers need to turn their headlights on.
Why are the North and South Poles cold?
Sunlight at the North and South Poles. Both the Arctic (North Pole) and the Antarctic (South Pole) are cold because they don't get any direct sunlight. The Sun is always low on the horizon, even in the middle of summer. In winter, the Sun is so far below the horizon that it doesn't come up at all for months at a time.
Why are the poles so cold?
Our climate may be changing, warming because of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but the fact that our Sun's light is so spread out by the time it reaches the poles, guarantees the poles will remain cold for a long time.
Where is the twilight in Norway?
Twilight in Norway. Sunset at the North Pole. Twilight at the ceremonial South Pole. Darkness at the South Pole and the Aurora Australis. Nuclear Ice Breaking Ship at the North Pole during the total dark days. Now you get a feeling for why the poles are so cold and frozen.
When does the darkest day occur?
It does get dark but the darkest days occur at Winter Solstice, December 21, for the North Pole and June 21st for the South Pole. Often, "night" is simply considered to be when the sun is beneath the horizon, as if twilight didn't exist.
What happens at the solar culmination of a nautical polar night?
It happens when there is no nautical twilight and only astronomical twilight occurs at the solar culmination. Nautical twilight happens when the Sun is between six and twelve degrees below the horizon.
Where is polar twilight located?
Polar twilight occurs in areas that are located at the inner border of the polar circles, where the Sun will be on or below the horizon all day on the winter solstice. There is then no true daylight at the solar culmination, only civil twilight. This means that the Sun is below the horizon, but by less than 6°. During civil twilight, there may still be enough light for most normal outdoor activities because of light scattering by the upper atmosphere and refraction. Street lamps may remain on and a person looking at a window from within a brightly lit room may see their reflection even at noon, as the level of outdoor illuminance will be below that of many illuminated indoor spaces. It occurs at latitudes between 67°24’ and 72°34’ North or South, when the Sun does not rise, only civil twilight visible.
Which region experiences polar twilight?
Regions located at the inner border of the polar circles experience polar twilight instead of polar night. In fact, polar regions typically get more twilight throughout the year than equatorial regions . For regions inside the polar circles, the maximum lengths of the time that the Sun is completely below the horizon varies from zero ...
What is the civil polar night?
Civil polar night. The civil polar night period produces only a faint glow of light visible at midday. It happens when there is no civil twilight and only nautical twilight occurs at the solar culmination.
How long is polar night?
The time when any part of the Sun is above the horizon at the poles is 186 days.
What is the difference between polar night and polar day?
The polar night is a phenomenon where the nighttime lasts for more than 24 hours that occurs in the northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth. This occurs only inside the polar circles. The opposite phenomenon, the polar day, or midnight sun, occurs when the Sun remains above the horizon for more than 24 hours.
How long is the Sun below the horizon?
The time when any part of the Sun is above the horizon at the poles is 186 days . The preceding numbers are average numbers: the ellipticity of Earth's orbit makes the South Pole receive a week more of Sun-below-horizon than the North Pole (see equinox ).
Why is the Antarctic cold?
The Short Answer: Both the Arctic (North Pole) and the Antarctic (South Pole) are cold because they don’t get any direct sunlight. However, the South Pole is a lot colder than the North Pole.
How high is Antarctica?
The average elevation of Antarctica is about 7,500 feet (2.3 km). And the higher you go, the colder it gets. This 3-D topographical view of Antarctica gives an idea of its high elevations and mountains. Time of year. Average (mean) temperature. North Pole. South Pole.
Is the South Pole colder than the North Pole?
Even though the North Pole and South Pole are “polar opposites,” they both get the same amount of sunlight. But the South Pole is a lot colder than the North Pole. Why? Well, the Poles are polar opposites in other ways too. The Arctic is ocean surrounded by land. The Antarctic is land surrounded by ocean.
Is the Arctic ocean or land?
The Arctic is ocean surrounded by land. The Antarctic is land surrounded by ocean.
Is the Sun always low on the horizon?
The Sun is always low on the horizon, even in the middle of summer. In winter, the Sun is so far below the horizon that it doesn’t come up at all for months at a time. So the days are just like the nights—cold and dark. Even though the North Pole and South Pole are “polar opposites,” they both get the same amount of sunlight.
