JUNEAU, Alaska — For the first time since May, the sun has set in what is billed as the northernmost city in the United States.
According to the National Weather Service, the first sunset in Barrow, Alaska, since May 10 occurred at 1:57 a.m. Friday. The sun rose again at 3:12 a.m.
Barrow has continuous daylight for so long because of its location and the tilt of the earth’s axis.
The town of about 4,500 people will now lose sunlight until November. Then, the sun won’t rise again until January.
The first sunset in months was a nonevent for some residents, like Bob Green, who’s lived there since 1978.
He says Barrow seems to run better “when it’s frozen.” He says then there are no bugs or mud to deal with.
Green says it’s easy to make light in the winter but hard to get rid of that “big light bulb” that is the sun in summer.
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