Solstice Extremes, Arctic Circle

Could you imagine a day without night and night without day? It must be one of the most surreal experiences on the planet where the sun never sets or rises. Welcome to the Arctic Solstice, where day and night have no meaning, and time stretches in the most unusual ways. 

As I stand here in the middle of the Midnight Sun, I check my watch in disbelief—it’s after midnight, and the sun is still high in the sky, casting a golden glow over everything. It feels as if time itself has forgotten what it’s supposed to do.

The sun doesn’t set, not even for a second. It just skims the horizon before climbing right back up again, bathing the landscape in 24 hours of daylight. It’s a neverending summer evening, one that leaves me in a kind of confusion. Should I go to sleep or stay up and do something? It’s a strange feeling, not seeing darkness for days, or at least not the kind I’m used to.

But here’s the flip side: the polar night is the complete opposite. For months, it’s dark all day, every day, with only hints of twilight, and the sun never rises above the horizon. You have to admire the brave souls who call this place home. It takes a certain resilience to cope with long nights and find joy in the darkness, one more easily accomplished when the Aurora Borealis puts on a show.

How do these extremes occur, you might ask? Well, it comes down to the Earth's tilt. The planet is tilted on its axis by about 23.5 degrees. During summer, the Arctic Circle is angled toward the sun, receiving the largest amount of solar radiation, creating the longest days of the year. This is what causes the Midnight Sun, where the sun doesn’t set. In contrast, during winter, the Arctic Circle is tilted away from the sun. As a result, it experiences the shortest days of the year, and the sun remains below the horizon. 

These dramatic shifts of light and dark present both challenges and opportunities for life here, shaping the way plants and animals adapt to such extreme conditions. In summer, wildlife thrives, giving Arctic animals like reindeer, polar bears, and seals more time to hunt and forage in preparation for the long, dark winters. Plants, though hardy, soak up every precious second of sunlight to grow and bloom during the brief summer months, which is vital for the survival of grazing animals. In contrast, during the long polar night, animals must adapt to a world where food is scarcer. For predators like polar bears, it can be a particularly tough time. Visibility is diminished, making it harder for them to find seals, and the brutal cold forces them to burn more energy just to maintain their body temperature. 

Being here makes me realise how small life is in the grand scheme of things. Nature, and Earth to a greater extent, don’t follow our clocks. They follow the beat of their own drum, working on their own schedule. We’re just lucky to witness it.