Nightless nights begin in Finland’s Far North

Residents of Finnish Lapland’s northernmost towns will next see the sun dip below the horizon in late July.

The season of ‘nightless nights’ begins from Thursday 16 May in Finland’s far north.

Residents of Finland’s northernmost municipality Utsjoki, as well as other northern Lapland towns, will not see the sun set again for a period of more than two months.

Although the nightless night is usually associated with regions above the Arctic Circle, in practice the phenomenon can occur further south.

The nightless nights ‘border’ runs from the town of Kemi in the southwest of Finnish Lapland to Kuusamo in the northeast — located roughly 100km south of the Arctic Circle — although the season tends to be much shorter in more southerly areas.

Other parts of Finland will also experience some aspect of ‘midnight sun’ during the summer months, when there is more light at night.

According to Finland’s Ursa Astronomical Association, the next ‘dark night’ will be on 1 August.

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