Polar night ends in northernmost Finland
The sun has not risen at all in faraway Utsjoki, northern Lapland since late November.
As occurs every year, the sun’s rays will once again begin to illuminate and warm the far north – starting at 11:58 am on Monday.
The sun dipped under the horizon in Utsjoki on 25 November 2016, and is only now rising again as the Earth’s axle tilts towards spring.
The polar night ends tomorrow Monday, January 16 at 11:58 am, and ambient daylight will begin to increase incrementally.
“Days will lengthen slower or faster depending on the latitude, as sunlight filters in through the planet’s atmosphere at different angles depending on how far north one is measuring from,” says Yle meteorologist Toni Hellinen.
A lack of light can have adverse psychological and physiological effects, especially if one suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
The Finnish word for the polar night is kaamos, loaned from the Northern Sámi word skábma.
Related stories from around the North:
Finland: Finland’s Utsjoki celebrates ‘polar morning’ in the deep freeze, Yle News
Norway: A good haul for polar night team, Deutsche Welle’s Ice-Blog
Sweden: Swedes enjoy spectacular Northern Lights show, Radio Sweden
United States: NASA satellite imagery reveals the Arctic at night, Blog by Mia Bennett
