Click here for a larger image and for realtime views of the South Pole. Requires Shockwave . In Antarctica the sun is about to set for a long winter night. The darkness will last for nearly six months at the south pole, which is good news for many astronomers who have established remotely operated telescopes there. North of the equator the situation is reversed.
Flowers are blooming and birds are singing as winter comes to an end.
The sun is about to rise for a six-month long day at the north pole. At that moment, called the vernal equinox, the Sun will cross the equator heading north. Earth will join Venus and Jupiter as the only planets in the solar system where it is northern spring. Younger students should read the appropriate Kid's Story, below, which summarizes the grown-up headline. Content area reading is when students are not learning to read but are reading to learn information.