Monday 22 March 2004
Changing Seasons
It's the equinox yesterday, the time of year when the days are shortening the most quickly. The sun has been steadily sinking more and more over the last few weeks and we are now beginning to see the signs of the onset of winter. Temperatures are falling, with -20C or below starting to become the norm rather than the exception. We've also had our first major blizzard, with winds gusting up to almost 60 knots. In that weather the whole platform creaks and groans as it sways backwards and forwards in the wind.
It's also started getting dark for a few hours each night and last night the first aurora of the year were visible dancing across the horizon. Over the coming weeks this trend will continue, giving us spectacular sunsets until eventually the sun will disappear completely for three months.
Posted by simon at 8:34 PM