Utqiagvik, Alaska has seen its last sunrise this year; America’s northernmost settlement will not see the Sun again until Jan. 22, 2026, as Polar Night begins in the Arctic Circle, New York Post reports.
Due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis, the Sun will not rise above the horizon in Utqiagvik for the next 64 days.
But the Alaskan borough will not be in complete darkness and will experience a few hours of what’s known as civil twilight, which is the pale blue light normally seen before dawn.
Utqiagvik is about 500 miles northwest of Fairbanks, and is home to roughly 4,400 people, with archeological sites dating back to 500 CE, according to the city’s website.
Without the light of the Sun and daytime heating, temperatures plummet during Polar Night across the Arctic Circle.
The Polar Night phenomenon also plays a role in the formation of the Polar Vortex, the area of extremely cold air in the Earth’s stratosphere.
Without sunlight, this region above the layer of atmosphere where weather occurs, the troposphere, becomes extremely cold.
Although occasionally, this arctic air seeps below the stratosphere and is able to move south over the Lower 48.
