Alaska: The sun disappeared this week and it won't be back for months. In Utqiaġvik (Barrow), the sun set at 1:44 PM AKST on Sunday, November 18. The next sunrise will be in late January, according to Climatologist Brian Brettschneider on Twitter. Barrow is 330 miles north of the Arctic Circle and those who live in the northernmost town in Alaska won't see it for more than 60 days. The next sunrise is on January 22, 2019.
Barrow, Alaska will be dark after the sun disappeared
While you may think that living in darkness all the time must be depressing, Barrow also happens to see the sun more than most.
In summer, they experience the midnight sun, according to the Alaska Org website. In fact, "Barrow has 80 days of uninterrupted daylight" in summer. Still, it may not be the place for you to see out the winter, especially if you're afraid of the dark. Mind you, at the height of noon, it does lighten up a little bit. Imagine the first glow of pre-dawn? That's as sunny as it gets, for around two months.
Travelers who think it may be fun to go to Barrow, Alaska in winter may be a little disappointed. The Aurora or the Northern Lights can probably be better seen further south in Fairbanks. Plus there's not much to see in Barrow, probably not even a polar bear in the long dark night. Additionally, Business Insider noted that the town is "extremely isolated, surrounded by wilderness tundra and not accessible by road."
annnnnnd it's gone. The sun just set in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska, at 1:44 p.m. AKST. It will rise again at 1:26 p.m. on January 22nd (65 days from today). @AlaskaWx pic.twitter.com/fcDAhcYGMi
— Brian Brettschneider (@Climatologist49) November 18, 2018
What is life like after the sun sets in Barrow, Alaska?
The town of Barrow is not huge and has a population of about 4,000 people.
While lots of them make their living off the Arctic Ocean, there are some research facilities there. Plus the oil and gas revenues make for some conveniences you wouldn't expect. They have modern facilities and are comfortable in their isolation even after the sun sets for months on end.
The One Square Mile "Barrow, Alaska" video on YouTube talks about the time when the "sun doesn't come up for a couple of months." People sometimes call up the police department as they tend to lose track of time.
They will ask what time and even what day it is.
Nevertheless, people who live in the northernmost town of the USA in Alaska enjoy it. Some of them are there because the pay is good. Others just love it. One woman said to the docu-makers that she hasn't been "out for the last eight years." The town community focuses on family and people who raise kids there are glad to have that opportunity.
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