The length of darkness in Alaska depends on the time of year and the specific location within the state. Alaska is known for experiencing extreme variations in daylight due to its high latitude, with some places having long periods of continuous daylight in summer and long periods of darkness in winter.
Key Factors:
- Northern Alaska (e.g., Barrow/Utqiaġvik):
- Winter Darkness: The further north you go in Alaska, the longer the period of darkness in winter. In Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), the northernmost city in the U.S., the sun doesn’t rise at all for about 65 days from mid-November to late January. This period is known as the “polar night.”
- Summer Daylight: During summer, Utqiaġvik experiences the “midnight sun,” where the sun doesn’t set for about 80 days, from mid-May to early August.
- Southern Alaska (e.g., Anchorage):
- Winter Darkness: In Anchorage, located about 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the shortest day of the year (around December 21) has about 5.5 hours of daylight. The rest of the day is dark or twilight.
- Summer Daylight: On the summer solstice (around June 21), Anchorage experiences about 19 hours of daylight, with the sun setting just before midnight and rising again before 4 a.m.
- General Trend:
- In areas closer to the Arctic Circle, darkness increases as you move north during the winter months and decreases during the summer months.
- As you move south, the variation is less extreme, but you still experience significant differences in daylight between summer and winter.
So, the length of darkness in Alaska varies greatly depending on the location, but some areas can experience total darkness for several months during the winter.