What is the Polar Night

Polar night is an interesting phenomenon that you can experience only in the northernmost and southernmost parts of the Earth. But what is the polar night?

What is the Polar Night

Polar night is a natural phenomenon where the Sun doesn’t rise at all during the day. It just stays hidden below the horizon. This time of darkness can be experienced during winter in the areas north of the arctic circle, or south of the antarctic circle.

Just as the sun stays visible the whole day during the summer solstice, it stays hidden during the winter solstice. The lenght of the phenomenon depends on how far north you are. The summer phenomenon is known as the midnight sun or polar day, while the winter phenomenon is known as polar night.

It’s “Kaamos” in Finland

In Finland polar night is called “kaamos”. You can experience it in the Northern Finland, in Lapland. On the arctic circle the polar night lasts one day around winter solstice on December 21st (or 22nd). But in the northernmost parts of the Finland it lasts for 51 days. The Sun sets below horizon in late November and and doesn’t appear again until late January.

Think of the feeling when after you have lived almost two months in the without seeing the Sun, it finally appears again. It must feel amazing!

Source:
Finnish Meteorological Institute
Image:
Arto Komulainen / Lapin Materiaalipankki