The Sun That Rose Too Early
Stranded through the polar night, Barentsz's crew saw the Sun come back two weeks before it should have.
What was reported
In 1596 the Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz's ship was trapped in the ice off Novaya Zemlya, in the Arctic, and his crew built a hut and survived the winter there. By their reckoning, the Sun should not rise above the horizon again until around 8 February.
But on 24 January 1597, Gerrit de Veer and two others saw part of the Sun's disc. Their account was doubted for centuries, since it seemed two weeks too early.
Explanations offered
It was a real mirage, now called the Novaya Zemlya effect. When very cold air lies beneath warmer air, light from the Sun below the horizon can be bent along the boundary and carried hundreds of kilometres, making the Sun appear early. The effect has since been observed and explained.
- When
- 24 January 1597
- Where
- Novaya Zemlya, Russia
- Witnesses
- Willem Barentsz's stranded crew
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.