

Still, Iceland is far enough away from the North Pole that the contrast is not as extreme as it could be. This is due to Iceland’s proximity to the Arctic Circle, which just about crosses over the country’s northernmost tip, at Grimsey Island. That is not the case in Iceland, where daylight hours are an all or (almost) nothing experience. Most of the world’s population lives far enough away from these poles, so the daylight hours and night time hours more or less stay the same all year round. It’s perpetually bright at the North Pole and dark at the South Pole from late March to late September, while the other half of the year sees this in reverse. The Earth’s poles get the most contrast, both being exposed to the sun's rays continuously for six months and then experiencing total darkness, or “polar” nights, for the remaining six months.Īs a result, both the North Pole and the South Pole have absolute midnight sun, sporting continuous daylight for six months. Summer occurs in the Southern Hemisphere in December, January, and February. This means that summer occurs in the Northern Hemisphere in June, July, and August. This same tilt of the Earth's axis and the Earth revolving around the sun cause seasons to happen.Įach year the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere tilts towards the sun from April to August and vice versa from September to March. The midnight sun is caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis towards the sun during summer. That includes Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and the U.S. All countries north of the Arctic Circle will also experience the midnight sun during their summer months.

Iceland is not the only country to experience this dazzling natural phenomenon. In Iceland, the sun never fully sets between May and August.Īt the height of Iceland’s summer, it doesn’t get completely dark across the island. Although the midnight sun peaks around the summer solstice in June, Iceland’s nights are bright long into the night as early as May and as late as August. The days are extremely long during summertime in Iceland. The midnight sun occurs because the Earth's axis tilts towards the sun in summer. You can see the midnight sun everywhere in Iceland. Iceland's daylight hours decrease by 1-3 minutes every day between June 21 and December 21. Iceland's daylight hours increase by 1-3 minutes every day between December 21 and June 21. The daylight hours in Iceland on the shortest days of the year are 4-5 hours per day (December to January). You can experience the brightness of the midnight sun in Iceland from mid-May to mid-August.ĭoes Iceland have 24-hour daylight? Yes, the longest day in Iceland is multiple days from May through July when the sun doesn’t set. Typical evening hours have light in Iceland from May to August, although the sun sets just before midnight. The peak of Iceland's midnight sun is around the summer solstice, usually June 21. Swimming pools and hot springs under Iceland’s midnight sunįun facts about the midnight sun in Iceland.Other activities in Iceland during the midnight sun.Things to do during the midnight sun in Iceland.How do you sleep during the midnight sun?.What about the time between sunset and sunrise?.Daylight changes throughout the month in Iceland.What is the opposite of the midnight sun in Iceland?.Fun facts about the midnight sun in Iceland.
