Midnight Sun

Summer has finally arrived in Fairbanks! The flowers are blooming and the mosquitoes are out in full force.

The days are unending. While many Alaskans use the extra daylight to complete projects and winter preparations, there is still plenty of time to get outside and enjoy a Fairbanks summer.

From fishing, rafting, camping, swimming, visiting local parks, festivals and the farmer’s market there is no shortage to summer fun in the Golden Heart City.

A trip to Alaska is often on most people’s bucket lists. Alaska is full of mystery for many. The midnight sun is one of the mysteries that summer visitor’s have a chance to experience and understand. To help with that understanding, here are a few facts about the midnight sun:

The sun does not set in Barrow for 2.5 months (May 10 – August 2).

On the summer solstice, the sun does not dip below the horizon for a full 24 hours as far south as the Arctic Circle.

The sun travels in an Arc around Alaska, meaning that even when the sun dips below the horizon there is a very bright twilight.

Because of this arc – Fairbanks experiences very bright periods of twilight and receives 24 hours of daylight for most of the summer.

Fairbanks hosts a midnight sun baseball game that begins at 10pm and is played without any artificial light.

The average number of hours the sun is above the horizon in Fairbanks

Spring Equinox 12 hours

Summer Solsitice 21 hours

Fall Equinox 12 hours

Winter Solstice 4 hours