Is the area north of the Arctic Circle completely dark all the time during winter?

Question

Or does the sky light up just a little bit for an hour or two?

Answer 1

No. The area just AT the arctic circl (23 deg north latitude) will experience just the one day of 24 hour dark (and since the sun rises to JUST below the horizon, even the dark will be twilight for at least part of the day). Once the earth passes solstice, the apparent angle of the sun will begin to rise back into the sky so that on days other than the solstice, the sun will appear above the horizon for at least part of the day.

At the exact pole, there is one sunset per year (on the autumn equinox) and one sunrise per year (on the spring equinox).

Answer 2

If you are not too far north of the Arctic Circle, some light leaks over the horizon for a little while every day. The sun never quite makes it over the horizon, though.

If you want an idea what that is like, just look at the sky about 10 minutes before sunrise or 10 minutes after sunset. You can certainly see a bunch of light, but it's not really day.

Near the North Pole, however, it is DARK.

Answer 3

If you at right on the Arctic Circle, even on the winter solstice day, you will be able to see the sun rise. That is because of two reasons. (1) The Arctic circle latitude is figured using the Sun's center, and (2) it is figured without atmospheric refraction, which "raises" the sunset/ sunrise by about the diameter of the Sun.

Answer 4

It depends on how far up you go. Right at the arctic circle limits there is only 1 day in the middle of winter that the sun never shows. At the north pole theres no light from october to march.

Answer 5

The sky may light up from reflections on the sun in the clouds, but there is no sunrise or sunset above the Artic Circle.

Answer 6

you don't get a proper sun up