June 20, 2006

It's a Matter of Latitude

The North Pole from WebCam #1 on 9 May 2006
So I'm visiting Astronomy Picture of the Day as I do most days, and I find out that there are webcams located at the North Pole. How cool is that? ;) (And, yes, the pun was intentional.) Of course, there are numerous scientific bases located on Antarctica, including the South Pole, but that's solid land that can be built upon. The North Pole is covered with ice only 2-3 meters thick, so permanent structures are impossible. But, the US government (in the form of NOAA) has been sending up several webcams every year since April 2002. The above photo was taken from the Moods of the North Pole in 2006 webpage, which gives a nice selection of photos, from the blue and pink (such as in the above photo), to the yellow and desert-looking, to the dull grey and overcast.

Here in Singapore (11 pm), one degree north of the equator, the sky is calm and cloudy (as usual) with a temperature of 26 degrees Celcius (79 degrees Farenheit).

No comments: