There are a few months each summer when the sun never sets in northern Norway, well above the Arctic Circle. On or around the summer solstice (about June 21 in the northern hemisphere and December 22 in the southern hemisphere), the sun will be up for the entirety of that day. If you travel closer to the North or South Pole, you’ll have more opportunities to experience the midnight sun each year. In actuality, the midnight sun can be seen as far as 90 km outside the polar circle, as will be explained below; the precise latitudes of the outermost regions of the midnight sun depend on terrain and change slightly from year to year.
In northern Norway, where the sun never sets, light never ceases to amaze. Formerly known as the “Land of the Midnight Sun,” the country’s current moniker, “the Land of Light and Darkness,” does a much better job of capturing the country’s unique and timeless beauty.
The phenomenon results from the inclination of the Earth’s axis, the line through the center of the globe that its rotation revolves around. This axial tilt causes the North Pole to face the Sun in the summer (constantly bathing it in light) and the South Pole to face away from the Sun in the winter (due to the Earth’s rotation). In the summer, there is no break in the sunshine.
Where: | When: |
The Arctic Circle | 12 June – 1 July |
Bodo | 4 June – 8 July |
Svolvær | 28 May – 14 July |
Harstad | 25 May – 18 July |
Bardufoss | 23 May – 19 July |
Andenes | 22 May – 21 July |
Tromso | 20 May – 22 July |
Bossekopp | 19 May – 24 July |
Vardø | 17 May – 26 July |
Hammerfest | 16 May – 27 July |
Berlevag | 15 May – 28 July |
The North Cape | 14 May – 29 July |
Longyearbyen (Svalbard) | 20 April – 22 August |
From May to July, Northern Norway welcomes visitors with 76 days of midnight sun. The farther north you travel, the more midnight sun there is.
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