Svalbard is the place in Norway where the midnight sun occurs for the longest period. Here, the sun doesn't set between 20 April and 22 August.
Svalbard, Norway (for the Polar Night)
The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle when the sun remains visible at the local midnight.
Enjoy the summer solstice in Iceland during June. On average, 20-22 hours of daylight can be experienced in June, and the darkness only lasts from 11:30 PM until 3:30 AM.
Norway is famous across the world for its beauty and it is one of the richest countries in the world. Do you know that there is a place in the world where the sun sets at 12:43 in the night and rises again after only 40 minutes? This stunning view is witnessed at Hammerfest town in Northern Norway.
The earth is rotating at a tilted axis relative to the sun, and during the summer months, the North Pole is angled towards our star. That's why, for several weeks, the sun never sets above the Arctic Circle. Svalbard is the place in Norway where the midnight sun occurs for the longest period.
During summer, you'll find the Midnight Sun anywhere north of the Arctic Circle. This is the abstract geographic line that cuts through Sweden, Finland, Russia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and of course, the Land of the Midnight Sun itself, Norway.
Beyond this latitude the sun never quite sets below the horizon during summer, and the farther north you travel, the higher in the sky is the sun at night. That's why Northern Norway is often called the land of the midnight sun.
With no sunlight, photosynthesis would stop, but that would only kill some of the plants—there are some larger trees that can survive for decades without it. Within a few days, however, the temperatures would begin to drop, and any humans left on the planet's surface would die soon after.
1. Alaska Gets Six Months of 24-Hour Sunlight and Darkness. Interestingly, this myth was perpetrated by our science books for many years. Only the furthest north and south points have equal parts daylight and darkness throughout the year, and Alaska isn't north enough to experience six months of either extreme.
For instance, it's a common notion that Iceland is dark for months, if not half the year. The idea is that, with its location along the arctic circle, the sun simply sets one day and six months of darkness unfold.
Located more than 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø, Norway, is home to extreme light variation between seasons. During the Polar Night, which lasts from November to January, the sun doesn't rise at all.
Across the globe, Norway is known as the land of the midnight sun. For an extensive period of almost three months, the country experiences broad daylight. In fact, the sun tends to shine too glaringly around this time and the night is shrunk down to a span of 4 to 5 hours.
The North Pole remains inclined towards the sun for six months due to which the places near Arctic Circle experience continuous daylight for six months while South Pole remains away from the sun for six months and experiences night for the same period.
On Svalbard, a cluster of islands between Norway and the North Pole, people wear headlamps day and night for two-and-a-half months of the year. That's because it's Polar Night — the period where the sun doesn't rise above the horizon in the Arctic. This weekend, the pitch-black period of Polar Night begins.
Nunavut, Canada
Nunavut is located around two degrees above the Arctic Circle, in the Northwest Territories of Canada. This place sees around two months of 24X7 sunlight, whereas during winters, the place sees around 30 consecutive days of total darkness.
With up to about 19 hours, the longest days are in June. The longest dark nights, on the other hand, are in winter (in the southern hemisphere, it's the other way around). In December, the night in Oslo lasts almost 18 hours and the days start about 6 hours later. Further north it is even more extreme.
The “land of the midnight sun” doesn't refer to just one country. It encompasses all of the regions located within the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle. In the Nordic region, you can experience it by visiting Svalbard, Lapland (northern Finland and Sweden), Greenland, Iceland and Northern Norway.
Faroe Islands in Denmark is one of those destinations where the sun almost never sets. The beautiful Nordic islands offer some beautiful views of the midnight sun during the summers, thanks to their location being closer to the Arctic Circle, making for a truly visual treat.
Midnight Sun experiences
Midsummer is the Swedish celebration of the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. For something extra, take part in the festivities at a place where the sun doesn't set. Midsummer is celebrated on 23 June 2023.
This happened because the earth is rotating at a tilted axis relative to the Sun. During the summer months, the North Pole is angled towards our star, and for several weeks the Sun never sets above the Arctic Circle. Therefore it is possible to watch the Sun in the middle of the night in the north of Sweden.
Samoa! As you may know the international date line is as crooked as the contents of a badly packed suitcase, and Samoa, once known as the last place to see the sun set, is now the first place on the planet you can see the sun rise.
Finnish Lapland is located close enough to the Arctic Cricle that, although the sun stays below the horizon, sunlight still reaches the upper layers of the atmosphere, allowing some ambient light through. Blue twilight is typical for the polar night in the northern Finland.
Alaska. This is the country where sun never sets from late May to late July. Beautiful and breathtaking, the country is in darkness in the harsh months of winter. Known for its spectacular glaciers and snow-capped mountains; you can go hiking or sightseeing.