TORONTO -- As some parts of Canada are getting used to shorter days and colder nights, this Alaskan town is settling into its longest night for two months.
The small town of Utqiagvik has just seen its last sunset of the year, as the natural spectacle of the “Polar Night” shuns the sun for 66 days.
Timelapse footage showed this phenomenon that will last into the new year in the most northernmost community in the U.S.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Sea Ice Group captured the natural awe on its 24-hour webcam. The footage shows the small snow-covered town transform into an endless night as the sun set on Thursday.
The “Polar Night,” is a spectacle that occurs each Winter where periods of darkness last longer than 24 hours according to Alaska Public Lands Information Centres. This occurs when the latitude of the Arctic Circle reaches a certain degree where the sun remains below the horizon for a full 24 hours. The opposite of this wonder also occurs between May and August where the sun remains above the horizon and never sets.
The sun will rise again on January 23, 2021.
