Alaska town sees last sunset until August as 84 days of daylight begins
Utqiagvik experiences this phenomenon known to locals as "midnight sun" every year in the weeks surrounding the summer solstice.
It's part of Northern Alaska that the only place in the U.s. that experiences 24-hour daylight for a part of the year.
On Saturday, the sun rose at 2:51 a.m. for the town, and it won't set again until 1:55 a.m. on Aug. 2, totaling 84 days of continuous daylight as the sun instead circles the horizon.
Why Northern Lights Displays Are Stronger Around Spring, Autumn Equinoxes
Midnight sun occurs because of the Northern Hemisphere's tilt toward the sun during the late spring and summer, peaking on the summer solstice on June 20. All areas north of the Arctic Circle at 66.3 degrees north latitude will have some days of 24-hour daylight.
In the winter, the reverse occurs as the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the sun, and Utqiagvik joins those north of the Arctic Circle in experiencing polar night. This is when the sun doesn't rise above the horizon for several weeks, typically starting in November and ending sometime in January the following year.
Strange Lights Appear In Alaska's Night Sky During 'Awesome' Aurora Experiment
Other places in the world that experience midnight sun and polar night include: Norway, portions of Northern Canada, Iceland, Sweden and Greenland.Original article source: Alaska town sees last sunset until August as 84 days of daylight begins
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