Town in Alaska won't see the sun for two months as it enters polar night
The northernmost town in America is about to experience several weeks of darkness.
After getting 30 minutes of daylight, the town of Utqiaġvik, Alaska – formerly known as Barrow – saw its final sunset of the year on Monday as it enters a "polar night."
The sun won't return again until January.
What is a polar night?
According to the Weather Channel, this happens every year as the earth's tilt moves the Northern Hemisphere farther from the sun, carrying anything in the Arctic Circle out of the sun's line of sight. During polar night, the sun "never takes so much as a peak above the horizon," preventing there from ever being an actual "daytime," according to the outlet.
However, this doesn't mean it is completely dark for 24 hours a day for areas experiencing polar night. This is due to a time of day called "civil twilight," according to the Weather Channel.
Civil twilight refers to the part of the day when the sun is within 6 degrees below the horizon. In Utqiaġvik, civil twilight ranges from roughly 3 hours on the winter solstice to 6 hours on the first and last day of polar night.
When does the polar night end?
The polar night lasts about 65 days, according to the Weather Channel, and how long this period lasts depends on how far you are from the North Pole.
The sun is expected to rise again in Utqiaġvik on Jan. 22 at 1:15 p.m., according to Fox Weather.
According to town's official website, Utqiaġvik is the "economic, transportation and administrative center" for the North Slope Borough and was incorporated as a first-class city in 1958.
As of the 2020 census, the town has a population of just under 5,000 people.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at Paste BN. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.