Midnight sun: Continuous daylight in the arctic

Can you imagine never seeing the sun set during the summer months, amidst staggering record-breaking heat?

Norilsk in Arctic Russia tied the all-time maximum temperature record on June 23rd with 89.6 F. Overnight temperatures also remained in the twenties, deeming it a "tropical night." Although the term night is largely redundant given the constant daylight.

During this time of year, a phenomenon called "Midnight Sun" or "Polar Day" occurs in places north of the Arctic circle, when the sun does not set below the horizon.

In Norilsk (69.3 degrees N in latitude), the Midnight Sun this year lasts from May 20th to July 25th.

The further north the location, the longer the Midnight Sun. In Svalbard, Norway (77.8 degrees N), there is no sunset between mid-April to late August, whereas at the North Pole, the constant sunlight lasts for six months.

The opposite is then true during winter, when the sun does not rise above the horizon, and there is no daylight. This is called the Polar Night and begins around the Autumn Equinox in September.

Even in the British Isles, though not quite land of the Midnight Sun, northern extremities of Scotland experience sustained nautical twilight, where the sun never dips more than 12 degrees below the horizon. This occurs between the end of May and mid-July. So don't miss the opportunity to get out there and snap some shots! You can share them with us via our uploader.