Grense Jakobselv church at sunset

Midnight sun

What fascinates us so much about the midnight sun? And how can the phenomenon be explained?

In Kirkenes you can experience the midnight sun for a full 2 ​​months. The first day the sun doesn’t set is May 18th. And the last day with midnight sun is July 25th. These dates apply to Kirkenes. This period shortens as one moves further south, and widens as one moves further north.

When the sun is above the horizon at midnight, it is called the midnight sun. This phenomenon can only be experienced within the arctic circles. The farther one gets from the poles, the shorter the period of time in which the sun can be seen all day. In the Arctic Circle itself, this occurs on just one day – the summer solstice, which falls in June in the northern hemisphere and December in the southern hemisphere. You want to find more information? Check here: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/midnight-sun.html

The midnight sun fascinates because you can lose all sense of time in summer. Here you can really turn your day upside down, as long as you don’t have to go to work. You can bathe in the sun at 2 a.m. or go hiking. Added to this is the fascination of the actual moment when the sun turns just above the horizon and immediately rises again. By the way, this moment in Kirkenes is already around 11.00 p.m. because we are so far east. Kirkenes is on the 30 degrees East.

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