The northernmost city in Alaska has entered the season of the “midnight sun”
Residents of the city of Utqiagvik, located at the northern tip of Alaska, witnessed the last sunset before the beginning of the period of continuous daylight known as the “midnight sun.” The sun will now remain above the horizon for the next 84 days — until August 2, Fox Weather reports.
Utqiagvik, formerly known as Barrow, is considered the northernmost inhabited settlement in the United States located above the Arctic Circle. Residents observed the final sunrise before the start of the polar day on Sunday at around 2:58 a.m. local time.
The phenomenon is caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis relative to the planet’s orbit around the Sun. Around the time of the summer solstice, the North Pole tilts toward the Sun, causing areas above the Arctic Circle to experience 24 hours of daylight.
Round-the-clock daylight is also observed in other parts of Alaska. In Fairbanks, periods of 24-hour daylight are expected in the coming weeks, while in Anchorage during summer the sun sets only late in the evening — at around 10:42 p.m.
According to Alaska authorities, the farther a region is located from the equator, the more dramatically the length of daylight changes depending on the season.
In winter, the sun does not rise above the horizon in Utqiagvik for about 64 consecutive days. In summer, however, the long daylight hours strongly influence local lifestyles: many residents engage in gardening, fishing, and hiking late in the evening or even at night.
