Question
UPSC Prelims 2019 Question:
On 21st June, the Sun
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)
Option 1: does not set below the horizon at the Arctic Circle
Detailed Solution
Explanation:
- The axis of the earth is inclined to the plane of the ecliptic (the plane at which the earth orbits around the sun) at an angle of 66.5 degrees. This is the reason for different seasons and varying lengths of day and night. In the summer, daylight increases as we go Polewards.
- At the arctic circle, the sun never sets below the horizon at mid-summer on 21st June and there is a complete 24-hour period of continuous daylight. Hence in summer, the region north of the Arctic Circle is popularly known as the ‘Land of the Midnight Sun’.
- The Sun is vertically overhead at “high-noon” on the equator twice per year, at the two equinoxes: one around March 21 and another around September 22.
Therefore, option (1) is the correct answer.
Subject: Geography | Fundamentals of Geography
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