On November 18th, we reported on the Polar Night that was descending on the town of Utqiagvik, Alaska (formally known as Barrow). Residents of America’s northernmost town have not seen the sun since 2019. But today, 67 days later, their Polar Night will lift as the sun rises above the horizon for the first time in 2020.
As we wave goodbye to Polar Night 2020 here in Utqiagvik, Alaska, I just wanted to thank everyone for following along on our adventure for the past 67 days. It started with a picture of our sunset from my classroom window back in November that shockingly happened to make its way around the world and brought many of you to this page. Since then, I, and my friends, did our best to give you a daily glimpse into our world. Tomorrow our sun rises, officially ending Polar Night.
Kirsten Alburg, a school teacher in Utqiagvik, has been keeping us updated on the total darkness over the past two months. Here is her posts from yesterday and today.
As we wave goodbye to Polar Night 2020 here in Utqiagvik, Alaska, I just wanted to thank everyone for following along on our adventure for the past 67 days. It started with a picture of our sunset from my classroom window back in November that shockingly happened to make its way around the world and brought many of you to this page. Since then, I, and my friends, did our best to give you a daily glimpse into our world. Tomorrow our sun rises, officially ending Polar Night, but it certainly won’t end the Adventure that is life in the Arctic.
The Arctic. It is a magical place, full of magical animals, landscapes, stories and people. It certainly is one of our world”s greatest treasures. I hope our posts here on social media have helped you feel connected and given you a desire to visit & protect it in the years to come.. The lesson that Polar Night has taught me over the past 4 years, is that no matter how dark life gets, there is always beauty in the night you just need to look for it, and if you just hold on long enough the SUN does always shine again. Always keep the faith and never, never, never, give up 😉😁“GOOD NIGHT” 😁😴—tomorrow we will see the SUN!! 💃🏼🥳 🌞 – Kirsten Alburg
Polar SUN Day, 1.23.20. Temp -13 (feel -29), Utqiagvik (Barrow), AK, 7:15am. It’s a BIG day! Here comes the sun!! Got the song singing in my classroom for the kids when they walk in. 🙂 https://youtu.be/KQetemT1sWc