The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon when Sun remains visible at midnight. This can be seen in a few countries located in the Arctic Circle or Antarctic Circle.
Earth rotates on its axis and completes a rotation in 24 hours. So, you face both night and day in 24 hours. The earth is tilted by about 23.5 degrees on its axis. That’s the reason, the sun doesn’t set in the Arctic circle region during the summer. Poles are exposed to six months while other places also remain exposed to the sun for longer.
Also read: Why Is Iceland Also Known As “The Land Of Ice And Fire”?
See the photo below. The area of the arctic circle is directly facing the sun continuously. As the earth also rotates around the sun, the Antarctic Circle will also be in the same condition in a few months.
Places that are close to the pole experiences the highest numbers of days with the midnight sun. The North Pole itself enjoys the midnight sun for 6 months starting from March to September. The South Pole gets the midnight sun from September to March. But these are not the countries and no people actually live there. One can also see the Mid Night sun in Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Russia, Sweden, and Canadian territories of Yukon and Nunavut. Alaska also lies north of the Arctic Circle and people see the sunshine in nigh during summer.
As you know, The Midnight Sun can be seen from a few countries, but only one country, Norway, is referred to as the Land of the Midnight Sun. It is because Norway actively calls itself the nation of the midnight sun. With the time, people also started referring to Norway as the land of the Midnight Sun
It is also worth to note that only a small part of Norway falls at the north of the Arctic Circle. This is the part where you can experience the midnight sun during the summer. This part spreads over 37,000 square miles and over 393,000 people ling in this area. This is also the part where the highest concentration of people lives in the Arctic region.
Top places to see the midnight sun in Norway
Here is the list of top places to see the midnight sun in Norway
- The North Cape
- Mount Rønvikfjellet in Bodø
- Lofoten Islands
- Storsteinen in Tromsø
- Nupen near Harstad
- Mount Narvikfjellet
- Viewpoint Salen in Hammerfest
- Komsafjellet mountain in Alta
Best Time of Year to Visit Norway for seeing the Mid Night Sun
If you want to see the Mid Night Sun in Norway, go there in early summer. These are the months of June and July.
How To Reach Norway
Oslo International Airport is the primary airport in Norway and you can book a flight from all over the world. European flights such as Swiss Air, Ethiopian, KLM etc. mostly go to Oslo.
The regions that see the midnight sun also experience polar nights during winters. Polar nights are those days when the sun doesn’t rise in some areas. I will talk about Polar Night in another article.
