noon
I found a place near him and waited without speaking . Noon arrived , and just as on the day before , the sun did n't put in an appearance . It was sheer bad luck . Our noon sights were still lacking . If we could n't obtain them tomorrow , we would finally have to give up any hope of fixing our position . In essence , it was precisely March 20 . Tomorrow , the 21st , was the day of the equinox ; the sun would disappear below the horizon for six months not counting refraction , and after its disappearance the long polar night would begin .