The Midnight Sun

It's finally here. The midnight sun and my second polar day. The cycle is
near completion. It was polar day when I landed in Antarctica in January.
After 13th November the sun set at around 10:30 PM and rose again before
midnight. The sun has stopped setting since the 21st November, marking the
beginning of the polar day. In meteorological terms this means that the time
for sunrise for our latitude is earlier than the scheduled time for sunset.
The sun hovers around the sky 24 hours a day. It dips in the south at night
and rises before it can set. We at Maitri cannot see the sun for a few hours
at night because it disappears behind the glacier.

I am now comfortable with this weird day and night cycle. Once the sun
rises, I expect it to stay up for a few months. The same holds good for
sunset as well. I would find it crazy if the sun rises and sets the same day
everyday. I can go out for walks any time of the day or night now. In fact
some scientists prefer to go out on field traverses at night, when it is
cooler and there is less risk of sun burn.

Sleep is never a problem. I hang a towel on my window and switch on the
lights to simulate night.

Inspite of the sun glaring down at us 24 hours, the temperature continues
to stay below zero. It rose momentarily to +1ºC on 18th November before
returning to sub zero levels again. This was the first time since February
that we experienced positive temperatures. Melting is slow for this time of
the year. The lakes have melted only at the edges. But when the sun beats
down on a clear windless day, it can be uncomfortably warm. It has created
some interesting patterns on the melting snow and ice.