Well, here’s an odd little story: it seems that in the little town of Ilulissat, Greenland (69° 13′ N) the Sun, which rises exactly once a year, did so two days early this time around. This sort of thing isn’t supposed to happen; if there’s one thing you are supposed to be able to count on, after all, it’s the rising and the setting of the Sun.
The boffins are all over it, of course: early attempts at an explanation have included the lowering of the horizon due to melting ice, and refractive anomalies in certain layers of the atmosphere. (That the stately dance of Earth and Sun might actually have permitted a faux pas of this magnitude, especially without causing similar rhythmic hiccups in other parts of the world, is not among the hypotheses they have brought forward, and understandably so.)
If, however, you are interested in a slightly zestier interpretation of this event (and others of recent note), you might enjoy this worrisome little video, sent our way by — who else? — the indefatigable JK. You’ll want to have a roll of tinfoil handy.
3 Comments
Peter – if you’ve been wondering about all those sardines littering the marina at Redondo – the video is a must-see.
Intentionally triggering earthquakes is one of those things that makes me tune out immediately. It _may_ be possible, but until I see demonstrated evidence that it actually _is_ and has been done and how to do it in my own backard if I happen to have a few billion to blow on it, I don’t believe it.
Rollory?
I take it you forgot to read the part where Malcolm recommended “to have a roll of tinfoil handy” – I don’t think he was meaning to ward off cosmic rays or something – rather to fashion a hat.