Why do some cities have white nights? What is twilight

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thank you for that
that you are discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us on Facebook And In contact with

From a scientific point of view, the sun shines on us continuously during the day. Even if it’s behind the clouds. But we are waiting for truly bright sunlight, which brings us back to life and brings cheerfulness.

But residents of some cities in the world have already got used to not waiting for the sun, but to rejoice at his unexpected appearance as a holiday. What to do if cities are located in places where nature did not provide many sunny days. But it has its own special charm, and not to say that it is always gloomy.

Yes, London is a very “associative” city when it comes to cloudy weather, but in the rough ranking of “gloomy” cities it is the lightest. Not to say that it rains more often in the capital of Great Britain than in Europe as a whole, but clouds do not ignore this city. But if nature has given several sunny days one after another, this is a chance for tourists to see vibrant London.

Juneau, USA

Sees the sun approximately 67 days a year

How can the sunny capital of Alaska itself be? Therefore, residents of the largest capital among the states of America resigned themselves to fate. It is paradoxical that the city is considered large, but the city itself is very small. More than 90% of the total area is occupied by wild nature - mountains and forest in their original form. Add to this the lack of bright sunlight and we will understand why there are so few people here.

Cologne, Germany

Sees the sun approximately 65 days a year

Cologne is a very status city for Germany. This is a large and ancient cultural center. Gothic architecture, famous museums, a unique cathedral, exhibitions, conferences, carnivals - this is a very active and noisy city. He has few shortcomings. Just like the sun.

Birmingham, UK

Sees the sun approximately 62 days a year

“White Bird” - this is how the name of the city is translated - a slightly magical place. It has always been associated with legends about alchemists, because local residents have been involved in the mining industry for centuries, and it is there, somewhere in the depths of the earth, that the philosopher’s stone awaits. The “secret of darkness” of Kiruna is that it is very close to the Arctic Circle. Therefore, the sun here is on schedule - from May to July, and then twilight gets closer and closer until it turns into the polar night.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Sees the sun approximately 55 days a year

The harsh Bering Island is where this gloomy village is located. Sunlight here is an amazing and rare phenomenon, but otherwise the life of the 700 residents who live there is not too different from the life of people in other Russian outbacks. In addition, the village even has its own airport for connections with major cities of Kamchatka. Nikolskoye is the only place in Russia where the rare Aleut people live compactly. They are natives of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and it is not surprising that the cloudy climate does not particularly bother them.

Every day we observe various atmospheric phenomena. Most often we do not think about their features and nature. But it’s worth taking a closer look around - and we will notice that many of these phenomena are much more interesting than they seem at first glance. One clear example is twilight.

What is twilight? This definition refers to two time periods:

1. the period of time between apparent sunset and nightfall;
2. the period between night and visible sunrise.

So, we have answered the question of what twilight is. But it turns out that they are divided into three types:

• civil;
• navigation;
• astronomical.

In this article we will talk in detail about the features of each type of twilight.

Civil twilight

From the image above you can learn about Blue Hour and Golden Hour.

Civil twilight begins when the Sun sets and ends when its center has dropped 6 degrees below the horizon. This type of twilight is the lightest. For this reason, small stars cannot be distinguished in the sky. But under favorable atmospheric conditions, the brightest celestial bodies can be observed. So, in cloudless weather during civil twilight, you can see Venus in the sky without using optical instruments.

During this period of time, you can see all ground objects almost as well as in the daytime. Therefore, in the morning civil twilight you can begin, and in the evening, complete work carried out in the open air. By the way, that’s why they are called civilian - at this time you can see well without additional lighting.

In some latitudes, civil twilight can last throughout the night. In other words, evening twilight gradually turns into morning twilight instead of night. This phenomenon is usually called white nights. On the territory of Russia they can be observed in St. Petersburg, Perm, Yakutsk, Vorkuta and a number of other cities.

Navigational twilight

After the end of evening civil twilight, the time of navigational twilight comes. They can also be observed before the onset of morning civil twilight.

During this period, the center of the Sun is located 6-12 degrees below the horizon. During navigational twilight, vague outlines of ground objects can be distinguished. However, without artificial lighting it is not possible to see their details. During this period, it is impossible to distinguish the colors of objects. For these reasons, field work without the use of lighting devices is not carried out in such conditions.

But during this period of time you can see all the navigation stars. At the same time, the horizon line is visible. This allows navigators to navigate in space using a sextant, measuring the angles between the horizon and the stars - therefore, twilight is “navigational.”

The military often launches attacks during navigational twilight. This is due to the fact that during this period it is most difficult for the enemy to detect them.

Astronomical twilight

Astronomical twilight is the period of time when the center of the Sun is 12-18 degrees below the horizon. With their onset, astronomers can begin observing most celestial objects. During this period, not only large planets and stars are clearly visible, but also small luminaries. However, objects with a particularly weak and diffuse glow can only be seen on astronomical nights.

However, the difference between night and astronomical twilight is clear only to those who specialize in the study of celestial bodies. For an ordinary observer, the transition from astronomical twilight to night is completely invisible. In other words, they are perceived as part of the night.

We hope that in this article you found a detailed answer to the question of what twilight is. It remains only to note that the duration of twilight in general and each period in particular varies greatly, depending on the latitude at which they are observed.

The classical idea of ​​a day for most of the planet's inhabitants means a regular change of day and night. The only exception is people living in polar latitudes.


But there are many places on Earth where day never completely turns into night, and daylight does not give way to darkness. This phenomenon, which has a scientific explanation, is commonly called "White Nights". Twilight stretching throughout the night can be observed in high and moderate latitudes. To understand the nature of this phenomenon, we should remember what twilight represents.

Sun and twilight

From the point of view of astronomy, twilight is the part of the day when the Sun, in relation to a specific point on the Earth’s surface, does not fall deep below the horizon. Astronomers distinguish three stages of twilight. Immediately after sunset, civil twilight begins, which lasts until the sun drops below 6 degrees below the horizon. The stars are practically invisible at this time, and there is enough light around to clearly distinguish objects and small details.

The next stage is navigational twilight, so named because at this time of day sailors can already easily find their way by the stars.

The third stage - astronomical twilight - begins after the Sun sets 12 degrees below the horizon.


There is still a faint glow in the sky, but it is already dark enough to see the stars. And only after the Sun goes 18 degrees below the horizon does a full-fledged astronomical night begin. All these stages replace each other in reverse order before dawn.

At low latitudes, the Sun goes below the horizon at a steep angle, three stages of twilight replace each other very quickly, literally within a couple of hours, and night falls. In high latitudes, the Sun descends below the horizon at a gentle angle of inclination, much more slowly, and in the summer, even by midnight, it does not have time to overcome the mark of 12-18 degrees.

The astronomical night simply does not have time to come. A person has the feeling that the day lasts endlessly, and this effect is called “white nights”. On the day of the summer solstice, June 21, at latitudes above 66.5° the polar day lasts - the Sun does not hide behind the horizon at all.


Residents of latitudes from 60.5° to 66.5° can experience civil twilight all night long. At latitudes from 54.5° to 60.5° they enjoy navigational twilight all night, and in the latitude range up to 48.5° astronomical twilight can last all night.

Where can you see white nights?

It is believed that the capital of the White Nights is St. Petersburg, located at latitude 59.9° in the Northern Hemisphere. This northernmost million-plus city on the planet attracts thousands of tourists year after year who come specifically to enjoy the white nights.

In fact, you can see white nights in Moscow, but in the capital they are just a little less pronounced. On June 22, after the summer solstice, white nights occur in the Volgograd and Rostov regions. And in Yakutia the Sun does not set at all, starting from May and ending in August. This phenomenon, called “polar day,” can be observed in dozens of northern cities of the Russian Federation.

Outside Russia, white nights can be seen in Iceland, Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Great Britain, Denmark, on some Antarctic islands, and in the northern regions of Canada. At the South and North Poles, which crown the hemispheres of our planet, white nights last a little more than two weeks after sunset before the polar night and before sunrise on the eve of the polar day. This phenomenon does not occur synchronously at the two poles.


the period of white nights lasts in the last week of March - the first week of April and in mid-September, and in the North - in early March and in September-October. The differences are due to differences in topography and geography: the South Pole is located at an altitude of 2800 meters above sea level, while the altitude depends on the water level in the Arctic Ocean.

What is white night and where can you see it? Everyone answers this question the same way: you need to go to St. Petersburg. Every year tens of thousands of tourists, travelers and simply amateurs come to the city on the Neva to enjoy the wonderful spectacle. Moreover, some argue that it is impossible to see such beautiful white nights anywhere else, so you can consider yourself lucky if you are lucky enough to live in St. Petersburg. After all, every year you can see this miracle.

What is white night?

This poetic epithet refers to a natural phenomenon in which natural sunlight partially remains throughout the night. The sun is below the horizon, but the reflections of its rays still provide enough light to spend time outside without the need to light lanterns, which is practiced in some northern cities. One gets the feeling that sunset smoothly develops into dawn without the onset of complete night darkness.

Alexander Pushkin poetically and very accurately said about what white nights are: “One dawn is in a hurry to replace another, giving the night half an hour.” The poet depicted the phenomenon, giving it a romantic coloring with notes of slight sadness and magic.

Where can this natural phenomenon be seen?

White nights, beckoning with their splendor, can be seen in any area located above 59 degrees north latitude. It is important to note that astronomers consider only the white night available at latitude 60.6 to be absolute. And what is observed in the official “city of white nights” St. Petersburg is just twilight. Below 50 degrees north latitude, there are no white nights at all. And along the 49th parallel there is only one day a year - June 22.

From June 11 to July 2 is the time of the brightest nights: during this period, each subsequent night becomes lighter than the previous one. After July 5th they begin to darken, becoming more like twilight, and in August the nights turn into the same as everywhere else - completely dark.

Where, besides St. Petersburg, can this spectacle be seen?

• In the cities of Russia - Magadan, Novy Urengoy, Arkhangelsk, Yakutsk and Khanty-Mansiysk, Murmansk. In Petrozavodsk, the white nights are even more colorful than in St. Petersburg and last 52 days, and in Norilsk and Vorkuta - even longer.
• Throughout the countries of Denmark, Iceland and Finland, Norway and Sweden.
• In the northern Baltic.
• In Alaska and Canada (except in the south).
• Partially in the UK.

When the white nights begin, tourists from all over the world come to St. Petersburg. It is in the city on the Neva that the grandeur of this natural phenomenon looks harmonious against the backdrop of aristocratic architecture.

Start

When do white nights begin in St. Petersburg? As usual, at the end of May, and ends on July 16, although according to the astronomical version, this period is even shorter by ten days.

For a little less than two months, white nights delight residents of the northern regions and guests who specially come to admire this beautiful miracle of nature.

In populated areas above the Arctic Circle, white nights can be observed from two to four weeks, but the further south you go from the starting point, the shorter the period of constant twilight. At both poles of the Earth, white nights last a little more than two weeks and occur twice a year:

• at the South Pole from the third ten days of March to April 7 and from the 7th to the second half of September;
• at the North Pole from the beginning of March to the 18th; from late September to mid-October.

White nights in St. Petersburg

When this natural miracle begins, in the city on the Neva the time comes for festivals of various kinds, folk processions, festivities and attractions of the most varied kinds, because the white nights are the calling card of the city, along with drawbridges, the Admiralty spire and the Bronze Horseman. The first bell of all these entertainment events is considered to be City Day - May 27th. This is where the parade of various celebrations begins:

• Festival of children's creativity "Sounds and colors of white nights".

• A holiday for school graduates throughout the city, which is called “Scarlet Sails” because of the spectacular show: a frigate under bright red sails theatrically sails into the waters of the Neva River, illuminated by fireworks against the backdrop of a white night.
• Music festival “Stars of bygone nights”.
• On the last Sunday of July, Navy Day is celebrated on a large scale.
• Jazz music festival "White Night Swing".

Also, in parallel, many programs and concerts of an entertaining and educational nature are held for children and teenagers: an ice cream festival, folk art fairs with master classes, all kinds of water activities and sports competitions.
When the white nights begin in St. Petersburg, it is always a bright, colorful, fun and educational time spent, so parents try to bring their children there to accustom them to beauty.

Where is the best place to spend a white night in St. Petersburg?

What can you visit in the city on the Neva to remember this period for the rest of your life? The most spectacular thing is, of course, the raising of bridges, which occurs every day with a short interval in time.

You should also definitely take a walk along the square in front of the Winter Palace, and admire the fountains in Peterhof. You should visit St. Isaac's Cathedral, which is the fourth largest in the world, and take a walk along Nevsky Prospect - the warmest part of the city, where the air temperature is three degrees higher than in other areas of St. Petersburg.

To understand what white nights are, you need to see them with your own eyes, because no words can convey the beauty of this amazing natural miracle; even the most powerful and high-quality photo and video equipment will not reflect the beauty of a white night.