Polar Night

arctic · extreme weather · earth science · darkness

Happens at the poles. Polar night only occurs inside the Arctic Circle (way up north) and the Antarctic Circle (way down south). Nowhere else on Earth gets 24-hour darkness.

Months of darkness. In places like the North Pole, the sun doesn't rise for about 6 months straight. Imagine going to school in complete darkness and coming home in complete darkness.

Why it happens. Earth is tilted. In winter, the polar regions tilt away from the sun so much that it never climbs above the horizon, no matter how long the day lasts.

Still not totally dark. Even during polar night, the sky isn't completely black. Twilight (the glow before sunrise) can last for weeks, and stars and the moon provide light.

The opposite exists too. When polar night ends, polar day begins, and the sun stays above the horizon for months without setting. It's 24-hour daylight instead of 24-hour darkness.