Paxson Alpine Cabins and Alpine Tours

Appearing regularly, stories and observations from Paxson and around Alaska

April 18th 2002

The sun in Alaska
Note: The following essay I wrote exactly 2 years ago to the day. The numbers I used were based on the latitude at Fairbanks, which is slightly north of Paxson - but the essence remains the same. I have also created and included a solar table that is precise for Paxson. Click here for table.

By now, you have read enough of my writings to anticipate non-standard answers to apparently obvious questions.
Questions like "Where does the sun rise and set?"
Before jumping to the answer, let's momentarily stretch geography the small amount necessary to place Fairbanks on the Arctic Circle. Actually, at 64 degrees 50 minutes north latitude, the city is shy of the 66deg33min location of that imaginary line, but it's pretty close.
So, rather than "East and West", the answer is that here, the sun rises in the North, East, and South, and everywhere in between, depending on the time of year, and sets in the South, West, and North, and likewise at all intermediate points.
Astonishingly, at summer solstice, the sun rises in the North, and (just barely) sets in the…North! Similarly, at winter solstice, the sun both rises and sets in the South.
The enterprising souls among you looking for free drinks in bar betting contests might profit from the above (or get bopped in the snoot).

Now placing Fairbanks back in its real location, the midsummer sun wanders through our sky in a lovely arc starting at 2:58am at a point on the horizon 15 degrees east of true north. At celestial noon (not Alaska Daylight Saving Time noon), which occurs at 1:53pm, the sun is at its highest in the sky, and is 48 degrees above the horizon, as you stand facing due south. Sunset occurs at 48 minutes past midnight, at a point 15 degrees west of true north, and after having been above the horizon for 21 hours and 50 minutes. Take a minute to stand outside and trace those points with your finger, and marvel at the thought. Between summer sunsets and sunrises, there is no 'night sky', just dusk; in fact, the Fairbanks sky is not dark enough to see significant numbers of stars from late April through mid-August.
Now consider the effect all this has on plant life. Not only are those tomato plants we so lovingly and extra-territorially cultivate each summer bathed in many more hours of sunlight each day, but that light comes from virtually all points of the compass: so each tomato is more uniformly red all over, and the plants grow straighter, than their counterparts grown farther south.
Well, there are mitigating factors, however, and their names aren't just November, December, and January. Recall our midsummer sun's highest point in the sky is 48 degrees. That's barely more than half the distance between the horizon, at 0 degrees, and straight overhead, at 90 degrees. So even at its most direct, which is at noon on the summer solstice, the sun's strength in Fairbanks is not much compared to its power where you may be living.
Representative sites for those of you reading this include, from north to south, Utrecht, New York, Nashville, San Diego and Miami. In that order, the noontime sun in those cities at the June 20 solstice reaches 61, 72, 77, 80, and 87 degrees. Looked at another way, the 48 degrees that we see as our highest sun angle, you see on April 17(U), March 18(NYC), March 6 (N), February 26(SD), or February 5(MI)! The corresponding autumn days are August 25, September 24, October 6, October 14, and November 4.

One more comparison: that noontime winter solstice sun you consider so pallid, because of its low angle? Keeping the same order of cities, Fairbanks sees that same sun angle on February 20, March 21, April 2, April 6, and May 2, and again on October 20, September 20, September 8, August 30, and August 9. That is, what you disdain as weak, we embrace as one of the joys of late spring and early autumn!
Now, it may be weak, but all that low-angle sun, over so many months of the year, presents us with its own rewards. Throughout mid-latitude and equatorial regions, the bane of outdoor photographers is the flat light that results from overhead sun; conversely, what photographers rejoice in is the contrast and warm light (high in reds) that results from a low sun. With the sun swinging at a low angle all around the summer Arctic sky, it is a boon to have many hours of high-quality light to capture the beauty of the Alaskan scenery.
Lastly, thinning of ozone layer or not, fewer carcinogenic UV rays penetrate the greater atmospheric thickness such a low angle sun must pass, compared to lower latitudes.
All in all, then, and considering that I am writing this at 10pm on April 18, and am using only the light from my living room window, this is a wonderful place to spend the spring, summer and autumn.
I'll get back to writing about winter…but not for many more months!

Notes archive:
February 2002

Notes from Alaska
Appearing regularly, stories and observations from Paxson and around Alaska April 18th 2002 The sun in Alaska Note: The following essay I wrote exactly 2 years ago to the day. The numbers I used were based on the latitude at Fairbanks, which is slightly north of Paxson - but the essence remains the same. I have also created and included a solar table that is precise for Paxson. Click here for table. By now, you have read enough of my writings to anticipate non-standard answers to apparently obvious questions. Questions like "Where does the sun rise and set?" Before jumping to the answer, let's momentarily stretch geography the small amount necessary to place Fairbanks on the Arctic Circle. Actually, at 64 degrees 50 minutes north latitude, the city is shy of the 66deg33min location of that imaginary line, but it's pretty close. So, rather than "East and West", the answer is that here, the sun rises in the North, East, and South, and everywhere in between, depending on the time of year, and sets in the South, West, and North, and likewise at all intermediate points. Astonishingly, at summer solstice, the sun rises in the North, and (just barely) sets in the…North! Similarly, at winter solstice, the sun both rises and sets in the South. The enterprising souls among you looking for free drinks in bar betting contests might profit from the above (or get bopped in the snoot). Now placing Fairbanks back in its real location, the midsummer sun wanders through our sky in a lovely arc starting at 2:58am at a point on the horizon 15 degrees east of true north. At celestial noon (not Alaska Daylight Saving Time noon), which occurs at 1:53pm, the sun is at its highest in the sky, and is 48 degrees above the horizon, as you stand facing due south. Sunset occurs at 48 minutes past midnight, at a point 15 degrees west of true north, and after having been above the horizon for 21 hours and 50 minutes. Take a minute to stand outside and trace those points with your finger, and marvel at the thought. Between summer sunsets and sunrises, there is no 'night sky', just dusk; in fact, the Fairbanks sky is not dark enough to see significant numbers of stars from late April through mid-August. Now consider the effect all this has on plant life. Not only are those tomato plants we so lovingly and extra-territorially cultivate each summer bathed in many more hours of sunlight each day, but that light comes from virtually all points of the compass: so each tomato is more uniformly red all over, and the plants grow straighter, than their counterparts grown farther south. Well, there are mitigating factors, however, and their names aren't just November, December, and January. Recall our midsummer sun's highest point in the sky is 48 degrees. That's barely more than half the distance between the horizon, at 0 degrees, and straight overhead, at 90 degrees. So even at its most direct, which is at noon on the summer solstice, the sun's strength in Fairbanks is not much compared to its power where you may be living. Representative sites for those of you reading this include, from north to south, Utrecht, New York, Nashville, San Diego and Miami. In that order, the noontime sun in those cities at the June 20 solstice reaches 61, 72, 77, 80, and 87 degrees. Looked at another way, the 48 degrees that we see as our highest sun angle, you see on April 17(U), March 18(NYC), March 6 (N), February 26(SD), or February 5(MI)! The corresponding autumn days are August 25, September 24, October 6, October 14, and November 4. One more comparison: that noontime winter solstice sun you consider so pallid, because of its low angle? Keeping the same order of cities, Fairbanks sees that same sun angle on February 20, March 21, April 2, April 6, and May 2, and again on October 20, September 20, September 8, August 30, and August 9. That is, what you disdain as weak, we embrace as one of the joys of late spring and early autumn! Now, it may be weak, but all that low-angle sun, over so many months of the year, presents us with its own rewards. Throughout mid-latitude and equatorial regions, the bane of outdoor photographers is the flat light that results from overhead sun; conversely, what photographers rejoice in is the contrast and warm light (high in reds) that results from a low sun. With the sun swinging at a low angle all around the summer Arctic sky, it is a boon to have many hours of high-quality light to capture the beauty of the Alaskan scenery. Lastly, thinning of ozone layer or not, fewer carcinogenic UV rays penetrate the greater atmospheric thickness such a low angle sun must pass, compared to lower latitudes. All in all, then, and considering that I am writing this at 10pm on April 18, and am using only the light from my living room window, this is a wonderful place to spend the spring, summer and autumn. I'll get back to writing about winter…but not for many more months! Notes archive: February 2002

Notes from Alaska