Polar Night

Sometimes described as the longest night, the term “polar night” refers to the period of darkness that lasts longer than 24 hours as occurs seasonally inside the Earth’s polar circles (latitude 66°33’ N or S). Though the North and South Poles each receive six months of continuous night and six of continuous day depending on the time of year, the regions near the inner border of the Arctic and Antarctic Circles experience prolonged periods of twilight. The length of time that the sun never rises above the horizon varies on location, lasting from 20 hours at the Circles to 179-186 days at the Poles.

“Real beauty is so deep you have to move into darkness to understand it.” – Barry Lopez