Seasons and sky

Midnight Sun

Direct answer

Midnight Sun: The Midnight Sun is the visible Sun near local midnight during Polar Day at high latitudes.

The Midnight Sun is sunlight visible around local midnight in polar summer.

Seasons & Earth AlmanacThe Great Almanac DictionaryUpdated 2026-09-26

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At a glance

Found in: Seasons & Earth Almanac
Related: Polar Night, Photoperiod, Astronomical Season, Equinox

Four countrymen round a great flat sundial in a field under the sun, one sowing and one reaping — Earth and season · visual guide **Midnight Sun**
The Midnight Sun is sunlight visible around local midnight in polar summer.
A Sun-Earth orientation for seasonal, atmospheric, tidal, and terrestrial terms.

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The story behind Midnight Sun

Accounts of the Midnight Sun became a familiar feature of northern exploration literature, though Indigenous communities had always known the cycle.

Why Midnight Sun matters

Midnight Sun gives an intuitive observation of how Earth axial tilt keeps the daily solar path above the horizon.

Midnight Sun in practice: an example

Near the Arctic Circle, the Sun may skim the northern horizon around midnight close to the June Solstice.

Sources and editorial method

Research references used for this entry include:

NASA Science: Seeing Equinoxes and Solstices from Space - NASA explanation of axial tilt, the terminator, seasonal illumination, equinoxes, and solstices.
U.S. Naval Observatory: Rise, Set, and Twilight Definitions - Official definitions used for sunrise, sunset, refraction, and twilight calculations.

Source: The Great Almanac Dictionary
Category: Seasons & Earth Almanac
Last updated: 2026-09-26

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Polar NightPolar Night is a full day or longer without sunrise. PhotoperiodPhotoperiod is the daily duration of light experienced by an organism or place. Astronomical SeasonAn Astronomical Season runs from one equinox or solstice to the next. EquinoxAn Equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator. SolsticeA Solstice marks the Sun's greatest apparent northward or southward position. SunriseSunrise is the calculated first appearance of the Sun's upper edge at the horizon.

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