Earth spins, turning day into night for different places on the globe. Yet at the poles, sunlight behaves in a strikingly different way. Every year, thousands of people in towns inside the Arctic Circle witness an extended period of darkness. In some spots, a six-month night unfolds before the return of daylight.
During this half-year, near the North Pole, temperatures plunge and towns must endure a climate that feels alien to most of the planet. The polar night reshapes daily life, challenging routines and testing resilience in environments already shaped by extreme cold and isolation.
Polar night arises from a combination of the Earth’s movements and its orbit around the Sun. The axial tilt and the planet’s path around the Sun mean that, once a year, the Sun stays below the horizon at the North Pole, initiating the polar night. The Sun does not rise in real terms during this period; the degree of darkness varies by location, and some regions experience partial twilight rather than total darkness.
The closer one is to the North Pole, the deeper the darkness. In more distant latitudes, there are occasional moments of light that punctuate the long night.
The image caption notes the Northern Lights during polar night in Lofoten, Norway, highlighting how auroras can illuminate a sky already dominated by long, quiet hours after sunset.
The polar night at the North Pole begins on September 23, during the autumn equinox. It lasts roughly six months, until the spring equinox returns a continuous day, the polar day, with around-the-clock sunlight.
The reverse situation at the South Pole
In the southern hemisphere, the situation reverses. There the prolonged daylight stretches through their winter months, with uninterrupted sun during the period opposite the northern polar night. As Meteored notes, these cycles align with the seasons: the polar night in the north runs from September to March, while the polar day fills the southern winter from March to September.
Travelers seeking to observe this phenomenon can look to several Arctic locations, including Alaska, Sweden, Greenland, Russia, and Norway. The remote archipelago of Svalbard, set in the heart of the Arctic Ocean, becomes especially notable from late autumn to mid-winter when the sky largely remains in night mode. Visitors increasingly come not only for the polar night but also to witness the Northern Lights dancing above the frozen landscape.
The caption under another photo notes the density of the polar night as one travels farther north, where darkness intensifies and the quiet of winter deepens.
In Alaska, the town of Barrow, now known as Utqiaġvik, hosts a notable annual moment. Around late November, residents observe the final sunset of the year before more than two months of continuous darkness. The sun returns in late January, reappearing on a horizon that has waited a long time. Daily life shifts as temperatures remain low and activity slows, with many people relocating to milder areas during the darkest stretch.
Nurmansk, a community in Russia, sits high within the Arctic Circle. It is one of the largest settlements in Arctic Russia, supporting a sizable population and a critical coal-mining operation. Its polar night lasts for several weeks, a bit shorter than some others because of its slightly more southern position relative to the North Pole.
These seasonal shifts, while dramatic, are part of the natural rhythm of polar regions. They influence travel, wildlife behavior, energy needs, and cultural traditions that mark the long dark and the return of light.
For researchers and planners, the polar night emphasizes the importance of robust infrastructure, especially in heating, transportation, and emergency services. Communities adapt with careful scheduling, community events during the extended night, and strategies to conserve energy while maintaining safety and well-being for residents and visitors alike.
Inquiries and correspondence related to this topic are handled by relevant environmental departments, but specific contact details are not included in this article to maintain a concise and accessible discussion of the polar night and its global context.