On Tuesday 5/20/08, Niu officially left the tropics, crossing over the Tropic of Cancer at about 23.5 degrees north latitude. In the "tropics" (between 23.5 degrees south and 23.5 degrees north latitude), the sun reaches its "zenith" in the sky (the highest point, or "straight up"). This occurs twice during the year in the tropics, except for at the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, at which it only occurs on the summer solstice.

The beautiful year-long warmth we get here in Hawaii is the result of the sun being higher in the sky for most of the year. Even in the "winter" (if 78 degrees counts as winter), the sun is still pretty high up. This gives us longer days and more direct sunlight, which keeps the temperatures perfect for that New Year's Day surf session.

For all you curious future scientists, I'll leave you with a question: Why are the tropics between 23.5 degrees north and south? If you can answer this, then you should also be able to figure out the significance of the Arctic and Antarctic circles.

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