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What It’s Like to Experience Polar Night in the World’s Northernmost Town

Preview thumbnail for 'Life on Svalbard: Finding Home on a Remote Island Near the North Pole

At 78 degrees north latitude, which is about 12 degrees farther north than the lower boundary of the Arctic Circle, Svalbard is no stranger to polar night. Throughout this period of darkness, the sun remains hidden from us. The sun’s position is so distant that no light reaches Svalbard at all, casting the sky into a perpetual state of pitch-black darkness. Here, only the moon, the stars and the occasional appearances of the northern lights offer up some natural light for us during this everlasting night.

Polar night is the season that takes place each year inside polar circles when night lasts for more than 24 hours. This phenomenon occurs in the Arctic and Antarctic Circles due to the Earth’s rotation in relation to where the sun is positioned. Because the Earth rotates on a tilted axis at 23.5 degrees, there are periods of the year when the areas located in the polar circles on the top and bottom of our planet are either completely obscured from or completely exposed to the light of the sun.

Some latitudes are not situated far enough north to experience continual total darkness. Instead, these locations experience polar twilight as their brightest periods during this season, which replaces their daylight. Svalbard is far enough north to feel the full effects of polar night and witness nearly three months of complete darkness between the middle of November and the end of January.

Although you might assume this time of year is the most challenging period for the locals who call Svalbard home, I quickly learned after my arrival that it is a season many people appreciate. The town of Longyearbyen carries on with daily life in the usual matter. The only notable difference is that everyone walks around with a headlamp permanently attached to their heads.

Since Svalbard lacks an Indigenous population due to its remoteness and how far north it is, a substantial majority of its residents have moved here by choice. Longyearbyen, the largest town on the archipelago, is typically viewed as a place to find employment for a while, rather than a place to make into your lifelong…

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