Until January 22, this American city will no longer experience any sunrise, plunging its population into permanent darkness.
The phenomenon of “polar nights” is linked to the inclination of the Earth in relation to its orbit around the Sun, which causes an alternation between the illuminated part and the unlit part of the planet. In winter, the sun does not rise above the horizon at the northern end of the globe, plunging the northern regions into darkness.
This is why “polar nights” take place in cities north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle. Their temporality varies depending on the distance between the locality and the poles. The further the town is from it, the less time its polar night phase will last. In the Lofoten Islands, Norway, the population experiences weeks without sun, with continuous darkness from December to January. But in other regions, such as the North Pole, polar nights can last up to 179 days.
“Despite its name, the polar night is not a continuous block of pure night. Sunlight remains refracted at the horizon even when the Sun has set. Thus, at many latitudes, most days can be dominated by different phases of “polar twilight”, however explains National Geographic.
HAS Utqiagvik, a village of five thousand inhabitants in northern Alaska, night fell at 1:27 p.m. (local time), Monday, November 18. On January 22, 2025, the sun will make its comeback at 1:15 p.m., but will soon set again after 48 minutes. After this furtive visit, the days will get longer again as before. During these 64 days, residents will still be able to benefit from dusk light for approximately six hours during the day.
However, darkness is not without effect on the human body. To compensate for this lack of sunshine, residents use light therapy and supplement with vitamin D. This helps combat seasonal depression in particular. Despite everything, populations present in the Arctic and Antarctica are accustomed to this sharp drop in temperatures, reaching -27°C on average in January.
They even have to cheart to keep a routine and participate in social activities to take care of their mental health. On this subject, a resident of Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located in the Barents Sea region, demonstrates strong optimism on the microphone of American radio NPR: “You have to see the beauty in (the darkness), which is not difficult for me at all […]. I feel even closer to nature when I walk in the dark.”