The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon which is characteristic of the Northern Arctic Circle and Southern Antarctic Circle. In this strange phenomenon, the sun is visible continuously for twenty four hours, i.e for the entire day. Thus there is no night and darkness but twenty-four hours daylight.

This phenomenon of midnight sun is particularly prominent in those latitudinal regions that lie north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle of the globe. These regions are mostly scarcely populated and include Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Finland and some parts of Iceland. The phenomenon of the midnight sun is predominantly witnessed in the northern most regions of the earth. At the northernmost part of Finland, daylight persists for a span of 73 days during the summer season. The sun does not set from 19 th April to 23 rd August. Normally the duration of the midnight sun ranges from one day during the summer solstice to an approximate period of continuous six months at the extreme ends of the North and South Poles. During this summer solstice the sun reaches the highest circle in the sky.

The opposite phenomenon of midnight sun which is also a form of weather illusion is the Polar night, where the vice versa happens. During this time the sun remains below the horizon and very less light or absolute darkness prevails for a longer time span.

Interestingly at the two poles, each year the sun rises and sets only for one time!