In Alaska’s Utqiavik, the northernmost town in the United States, the sun will set for the last time this year.
About 4,500 people are living in Utqiavik, with Iñupiat Alaskan Natives making up the majority of the population. For the town once known as Barrow, the polar night started on Friday. On January 23, 2023, the sun will rise for the following time. According to timeanddate.com, the sun rises at 1:03 p.m. but only stays up for a short time before setting again a little over an hour later. By the end of the month, there will be four hours of daylight, with the increase continuing until late January.
Last sunset of the year in Utqiagvik today…the sun won't rise again until January 23rd of next year. That's 65 days from now!
— NWS Fairbanks (@NWSFairbanks) November 18, 2022
From Fairbanks, which is situated just north of the Arctic Circle, Utqiavik is 500 miles or a four-hour flight to the northwest. According to the Ukpeavik Inupiat Corporation, the town is also home to the Barrow Environmental Observatory, where scientists travel to study the Arctic. For the following 65 days, Utqiavik residents won’t experience utter darkness.
During the polar night, there are several hours of civil twilight, which provides enough light to see during what would otherwise be daytime. Civil twilight starts when the sun’s center is less than six degrees below the horizon, according to the National Weather Service.
The brightest stars and planets can be viewed under these circumstances, absent fog or other obstructions, and the horizon and earthly objects can be seen. In many cases, artificial lighting is not required, according to the NWS. The “midnight sun,” which occurs in Utqiavik throughout the summer, lasts for months at a time. Only above the Arctic Circle can you find the midnight sun, claims the Alaska Public Land Information Center.
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