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EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
North American (General) North American (US General American - GenAM) North American (US West Coast - California, Portland)Transcript
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far out in the north Atlantic Ocean just south of the Arctic Circle, the volcanic island of Iceland lies on the very edge of the inhabitable world. This is the last country in Europe to be discovered and settled by man. Irish monks are believed to be the very first visitors to this remote island. However, it was the hardy Vikings who braved the bitter climate and unforgiving terrain to establish the first permanent settlements during the ninth century A. D. Even today, the country still supports a relatively small population of just over 300,000. Twice a year, day and night fall into balance, lasting for nearly equal lengths, known as equinoxes Latin for equal night. They occur in March and September and along with solstices, mark the changing of seasons as Earth travels around the sun. Astronomers like to describe the equinox within the conceptual celestial sphere. Here, the heavens air projected around the earth like an enormous planetarium. The model is bisected by the celestial equator, a projection of Earth's own equator. The equinox occurs at the point at which the sun's path, or ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator in spring. It is known as the vernal equinox and in fall theater, Minal Equinox. The other two seasonal points on the sun's path are the solstices in the Northern Hemisphere. The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, while the winter solstice marks the shortest.