The Idiosyncrasies of the Antarctica Sun

As soon as one crosses the Antarctic Circle one notices the sun doing strange things. We had crossed the Antarctic Circle on 31st December 2007 during the peak of the austral summer. After that the sun did not set till January last week. It used to dip in the west at around midnight, and then it again started to rise from the south. It used to move crazily in the sky thereafter. We used to fool ourselves into believing that it is night by drawing the curtains and turning on the lights. After the sun started setting, the duration of day reduces by about 5 min everyday. Initially, it used to set in the west and rise in the south-west. Then it began rising in the south and setting in north. Presently, it rises in the east at around 7:15 AM and sets in the north at around 3:15 PM and barely rises above the horizon. Its rays are cold and cast long shadows throughout the day. Soon, as the days get still shorter and the austral winter sets in, it will rise in the north and set in the north itself. Then around 20th of May, it will set in the north and rise again after 2 months. This period is the polar night. Although the sun is cool throughout the year, it is brighter than anywhere else. One gets sunburnt more easily here than back home in India. Sunscreen lotion and snow goggles are a must here. That is due to less particulate matter in the atmosphere, less water vapour and water droplets and reflection of the sunrays by the snow. We are now gradually winding up our outdoor activities in preparation for the polar night. The summer camp has closed down long back like the doors of the Badrinath shrine. It will soon be buried in the snow. The convoys will also be over by then, the workshop will close down. The station will be fully stocked up. All maintenance work will also be over soon.