Residents of northern Norway were seeing the last sunsets of the year last week and early this week, as the Arctic region enters what’s literally called “the dark time” (mørketiden). It is, in fact, a very special time of the year and actually can offer some spectacular light.
The sun will fall completely below the horizon on November 25 and won’t rise again until January 17. Because of the mountain ranges south of the city of Tromsø, though, residents there won’t see any sunshine from Monday (November 22) until January 20.
The 21st of January is traditionally called soldagen (the sun day) because that’s when the first rays of sun in the new year would appear if the weather was good. The sun is at its lowest point on December 22, which is called vintersolhverev (the vernal equinox) and the day when the sun “turns” and slowly starts to rise again.
