Stay in Touch
Get sneak previews of special offers & upcoming events delivered to your inbox.
Sign in
11-20-2018 02:04 PM
baby boom next August and September? ;-)
bless these hardy souls!
Northernmost US city of Utqiagvik in Alaska begins 65 days of constant darkness after its shortest day of the year saw just 64 minutes of sunlight
DMUK
PUBLISHED: 11:17 EST, 19 November 2018 | UPDATED: 12:08 EST, 19 November 2018
Polar night has begun in the northernmost U.S. city of Utqiagvik, Alaska, which now faces 65 days of darkness.
Utqiagvik, formerly named Barrow, saw only 64 minutes of sunlight on Sunday, and following sunset at 1.44pm local time will not see the sun again until January 23, 2019 at 1.04pm.
The city of about 4,000 residents is 320 miles above the Arctic Circle, north of which all latitudes experience some length of polar night.
On Sunday, the sun rose in Utqiagvik at 12.40pm and set at 1.44pm.
Some residents of the city gathered to 'celebrate' the final sunset of 2018 by watching 30 Days Of Night, the 2007 film that depicts Barrow, as it was then known, being overrun by vampires during polar night.
Residents said that cloudy conditions prevented them from seeing a true sunset when the sun went down, but that didn't dampen their spirit for marking the occasion.
'Celebrating the beginning of Polar Night at 1:44pm (sunset) with good friends, great food, and lots of laughs at a Hollywood film where, on Polar Night, vampires take over our little town,' resident Kirsten Alburg wrote on Instagram.
'We haven't seen the sun in 4 days, and another cloudy day today kept us from waving goodbye, but this fun snow mound photo-op proved that it's spirit is still with us! Here's to another dark and wonderful winter at the top,' she said in a caption to a group photo.
Polar night begins at the North Pole on the Autumnal Equinox and spreads south to the Arctic Circle until the Winter Solstice, when it begins to retreat back north.
Temperatures in Utqiagvik plunge during polar night, dropping to average highs of -5 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter months.
Overnight temperatures can drop to -10 to -20 degrees in winter.
Despite the fact that it experiences polar night, Utqiagvik won't be in complete darkness.
Civil twilight will provide enough illumination to see objects outside for between three to six hours a day in the city.
During civil twilight, the sun is within six degrees below the horizon.
***
11-20-2018 02:13 PM
Very interesting. I've read several books on Alaska this year and always watch the TV shows about Alaska on Discovery, Animal Planet and National Geographic.
11-20-2018 02:24 PM
I hope to get to visit Alaska one day. Maybe when it's not so cold. I watch all the different Alaska shows that come on. I think it is beautiful there when watching the programs.
11-20-2018 11:13 PM
@feline groovy: Thanks for posting! I'm fascinated with all things 'Aalaska'. I wouldn't mind living there!
11-21-2018 08:17 AM
I have visited Alaska twice, most recently a trip to Denali National park. It is such a vast state and so beautiful, truly is a world by itself. I am fortunate to have done a bit of traveling and have to say I would visit again in a heartbeat!
Get sneak previews of special offers & upcoming events delivered to your inbox.
*You're signing up to receive QVC promotional email.
Find recent orders, do a return or exchange, create a Wish List & more.
Privacy StatementGeneral Terms of Use
QVC is not responsible for the availability, content, security, policies, or practices of the above referenced third-party linked sites nor liable for statements, claims, opinions, or representations contained therein. QVC's Privacy Statement does not apply to these third-party web sites.
© 1995-2024 QVC, Inc. All rights reserved. | QVC, Q and the Q logo are registered service marks of ER Marks, Inc. 888-345-5788