What is Polar Night?
Imagine not seeing the sun for six to seven weeks, if not longer? For people who live in the Arctic, it is something they live with for part of the year – and a natural phenomenon that can be experienced by those have had an Arctic holiday. Put simply, The Polar Night is a time of year when the sun does not rise above the horizon. If you are familiar with the midnight sun, where there is a long period of daytime that lasts 24 hours or more, polar nights are the opposite to this.
Why does the Polar Night occur?
The Earth revolves around the sun along a certain axis, but this axis changes several times a year. As the axis changes, the North and South poles alternately tilt toward the sun. It’s at that moment when the North pole faces the sun, creating Polar Night in the South Pole. Then, when the South Pole faces the sun, it is Polar Night in the North Pole.
When you are on an Arctic Holiday, depending on your location, the Polar Nights can last for a few days to 179 days! At the Arctic Pole the longest Polar Night is from September 25th to March 17th. In Canada, the longest Polar Nights last for more than five months in the northernmost city. For places like Norway, Sweden, and Finland it can occur anywhere between late November up until early January.
How does the Polar Night impact people?
Norway, Finland, 
and Sweden have experienced Polar Night for over 10,000 years. For those living there, life goes on as normal. People continue to go to work and school, cafes and restaurants are still open, and they even arrange many festivals especially for this period. As many Arctic countries have some of the best outdoor activities, during the Polar Nights they illuminate the ski runs, organize dog sledding and scooter trips where people get to wear head lights. There’s no stopping them from making the most of the great outdoors – so perfect for your holiday to the Arctic!
The perfect conditions for Northern Lights
The Polar Night is much more than just total darkness. With 20 + hours of darkness a day, it’s the perfect time to chase the Northern Lights. Why not make the experience more exciting by combining the Northern Lights trips with a night time Reindeer sleigh tour or a husky ride and enjoy dinner by the bonfire? For photographers, the Polar Night is a great time to take a breath-taking array of images. Most people who take photos in complete darkness end up being surprised what they capture, the best winter scenery in the North captured during the middle of winter.
There are not many places in the world where you can experience complete darkness. But make the most of this phenomenon whilst on your Arctic holiday to experience a time of year where you can have complete stillness and relaxation!
If you are interested in an Arctic holiday, explore some of our northern lights holiday packages.
Photo credits to Nellim
