Franklin Cockerill, Age 10, of Gretna, Neb., for his question:

What is the midnight sun?

We are used to the fact that summer days are longer than winter days. But if we travel south toward the equator, the summer days are not quite so long. If we travel to the north, the summer days are even longer. In the far north, the midsummer sun sets for only a few hours each night.

The midsummer nights get shorter and shorter the farther north We go. In northern Scandinavia, the midsummer sun dips to the horizon and starts to rise again. The sun is in the sky when the clock says it is midnight.

North of the Artic Circle, the summer sun does not set for weeks or months. In these regions, the midnight sun is in the sky all through the summer season.