Daylight and Seasons in the MU

Ask Ask Greg
1

Hi Greg,

As we are quickly approaching the fall equinox, I thought I would ask some questions about the way daylight worked in the Matoran universe.

First, did all of the domes have day and night at the same time? For example, when it was day in Metru Nui, was it also day on the southern continent, and likewise for night?

Was the day-night cycle also about 24 hours long, like on Earth?

Finally, did the Matoran universe have such a thing as seasons? Or did daylight last the same length of time every day? You’ve mentioned before that the day-night cycle in Metru Nui was tied to Mata Nui’s sleep cycle, so I wonder if it would be related to that.

Thanks!
P

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I’ve read that days are about 36 hours in Metru Nui, but I can’t find the source for that info now.

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The 36 hours theory came about because the Great Sundial has 18 hours. Greg always declined to comment on it.

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  1. Not something we ever discussed, but were I still writing for it, I doubt I would have it day one place and night someplace else.
  2. No real reason it would have needed to be. We have no idea what the day-night cycle was on Spherus Magna, for example.
  3. I tend to doubt it. How would it benefit the robot to have fall or winter going on inside it?
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Then does that make the Matoran of Mata Nui the only Matoran Universe inhabitants to have experienced actual seasons before the reuinification of Spherus Magna?

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I don’t think we ever saw or heard about seasons on Mata Nui. There are couple of references to Lake Naho freezing over during winter, but that was only mentioned in some very old 01 media so I’ve always assumed it isn’t canon.

7

There have been a few references to seasons on Mata Nui. For example, the Le-Koronan slang section of the 2002 website had this entry:

Leafdawn: Springtime in the Le-Koronan seasonal calendar

It may have been further clarified in one of the Q&As with Greg, but my memory is foggy on it. I think it was said that there were seasons when parts of the island were generally warmer or cooler, though the island was still tropical year-round.

To the best of my knowledge there have never been references to seasons in the MU.

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Basically, Mata Nui would have had seasons to the extent that, say, Hawaii would.

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Ah, that clears it up. Thanks, Greg!

According to a quick Google search, there is a difference of only about 7° F between summer and winter on Hawaii. So it’s not a big difference.

That link also has the following curious paragraph:

“The islands are an incredible collection of diverse micro-environments, each with its own unique weather plants and animals. As a result of the shielding effect of volcanic mountains and the differences in weather at various elevations, you can find tropical rainforests, cool alpine regions, arid deserts and sunny beaches—all within the span of just a few miles”

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So the island of Mata Nui could actually make sense in the real world to an extent. Interesting. :stuck_out_tongue: