What do the white nights look like in Antarctica: fantastic photos

It is late spring in Antarctica in January. At the Ukrainian Akademik Vernadsky station, the white nights are approaching. This was reported by SSPDaily.

The sun barely dips below the horizon, presenting new challenges for researchers. The station's Facebook page recently shared a selection of photos captured by scientists during this period.

The Ukrainian Antarctic station is situated outside the Arctic Circle. Therefore, even in December, the sun always sets beyond the horizon, and in June, it rises above it for at least a couple of hours.

Why do white nights occur?

The phenomenon of having no nights or extremely short nights in Antarctica during the summer is attributed to the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis relative to the ecliptic plane. This tilt causes either the Southern or Northern Hemisphere to face the sun throughout the year.

This effect is particularly pronounced at the poles. For instance, at the Amundsen-Scott station located at the South Pole, the polar day lasts for 184 days. Conversely, for much of the remaining time, the sun remains below the horizon.

Further away from the poles, this phenomenon becomes less intense. However, even in those regions, true darkness is practically nonexistent during the height of summer. Instead, evening twilight seamlessly transitions into morning, keeping the sky bright even in the absence of the sun.