How Many Days and Nights Are There in Alaska?
Alaska is a large state, and the number of apparent days and nights in each year depends on latitude. At its northernmost settlement, Barrow, the sun sets at winter solstice and does not rise for 67 days; near the summer solstice, the sun does the opposite and never sets for an 85-day period. Therefore, Barrow has about 298 days and 280 nights.
However, Barrow’s extreme is not typical of the entire 663,300-square-mile state. North of the Arctic Circle, every city in Alaska gets at least one complete 24-hour period of both night and day each year. South of the Arctic Circle, every city has a night and day during every 24-hour cycle, even if it is brief. Because of Alaska’s high latitude, the lengthening and shortening of its days and nights as the earth’s tilt changes during the year is much more extreme.
