-Wouldn’t it be cool if the summer days were endless?
-Absolutely. Sounds like a perfect summer experience. If only it was possible!
-Well, in Northern Finland it is. Thanks to the phenomenon known as the midnight sun, you can experience the nightless nights of Lapland!
Days are Getting Longer…
After long dark winter, the sun is finally making longer appearances in Finland. Days are are getting longer and longer as we go towards summer. And in some point during the summer, sun doesn’t set at all, not even during the mid of the night. This phenomenon is known as the midnight sun. In Finland midnight sun can be experienced in Lapland.
Enjoy the Nightless Nights of Lapland
The most southern place where you can admire the midnight sun in the northern hemisphere is the Arctic Circle. The nightless night can be experienced at around summer solstice on June 21st. On the Arctic Circle, the nightless night lasts basically just one day. However, the length of the phenomenon depends how far north you are in.
So if you want to enjoy many nigtless nights in a row, you head up farther north. At the Artic Circle nightless night lasts for a day, but in the most northern part of Finland, it is lasts for 73 days. And this happens every summer. Think of 73 days without sun setting below horizon.
Finnish Summer Nights are Bright
So the midnight sun can be experienced only in Northern Finland, but don’t worry if you haven’t got that far on your summer journey in Finland. Finnish summer nights are nice and bright, no matter where you are. In southern Finland the longest day is almost 19 hours long. So around summer solstice it feels almost like a a nightless also in the southern parts of Finland.
Sources:
Seasons in Finland by Finnish Meteorological Institute