Experience the Midnight Sun
Imagine the sun never sets below the horizon, night never comes, and the days are endless. This is a real phenomenon. If you’re lucky, you’ll see it for yourself while exploring the beautiful wilderness of northern Norway.
Endless days
The phenomenon is called the ‘Midnight Sun’. This is aptly named, since the sun is visible in the midnight hour. It’s a natural phenomenon that occurs every year during the summer months north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle.
Starting near the summer solstice, the sun never drops below the horizon at any point in the 24-hour day. This is because the Earth is rotating at a tilted axis relative to the sun. During the summer months, the North Pole is angled toward our star. How long the phenomenon lasts—meaning, how many days there are without darkness—depends on how close you are to either of the poles. The number of days of Midnight Sun increases the closer you get to the poles.
This phenomenon is well known to inhabitants of places such as Iceland, Finland, Norway, Greenland, Sweden, Russia, and the state of Alaska in the United States. It’s also visible in several Canadian territories, including the Canadian Yukon, Nunavut, and Northwest Territories.
In the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, the northernmost inhabited region of Europe, the sun doesn’t set from approximately April 19 to August 23. This means that for over four months every year, the inhabitants of Svalbard don’t experience dark nights at all. The North Cape is similar; for almost three months each year (May 4 to July 29), the sun is visible 24 hours a day. The most extreme versions of the Midnight Sun are on the South and the North Pole, where the sun can be visible for up to 6 whole months at a time. It’s interesting to note, however, that the Midnight Sun is visible from the Arctic Circle itself only one night per year.
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Photo: Kit Robinson, Getty Images and David Gonzales
Experience Northern Norway at its best
A little side note: A phenomenon exists in contrast to the Midnight Sun: the Polar Night. If you think that months without darkness would be strange, imagine living through months without daylight. Polar Night comes every winter, during which the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon throughout the day, making days dark and short.
The Midnight Sun phenomenon is popular among travelers and attracts thousands to Norway annually. It’s easy to see why ‘eternal sunshine’ is intriguing to so many people.
If you want to experience the phenomenon, northern Norway is your best bet. Some of the most popular places to see the never-setting sun are Bodø, Lofoten, Tromsø, Hammerfest, the North Cape, and Longyearbyen in Svalbard.
Northern Norway is draped in long, dark winter days, so you can feel a different energy among its inhabitants when the months of Midnight Sun come around. You can see neighbors sharing coffee in their backyards at midnight, children playing around, and a general feeling of optimism among the locals, as people want to make the most of the lighter days of the year. It makes northern Norway even more welcoming, so the summer months are the perfect time to visit.
During the polar summer, when the Midnight Sun is visible, both visitors and locals enjoy hiking at midnight. Northern Norway has incredible hiking trails, vast mountains, and breathtaking views from popular mountain tops. Why not make the most of the experience and go for a hike at night, but in the sunlight? We know it’s bizarre, but it’s worth it. If you’re up for it, you could even bring a tent or just a sleeping bag and go camping in the mountains. Or enjoy a midnight swim in the cold, clear mountain waters.
If hiking and mountains aren’t your thing, then kayaking is another popular activity to try during the polar summer. Imagine kayaking through the fjords at night with the Midnight Sun overhead.
No matter what kind of adventure you seek, it’s all a bit better with the Midnight Sun.
