Where the sun doesn’t rise: Canada’s North enters polar night
Polar night encapsulates those north of the Arctic Circle, bringing nighttime for days, weeks and even months for some
As the winter season deepens across Canada, our most remote northern regions will not see the sun until 2026 as they enter the polar night.
The polar night occurs every winter season for those north of the Arctic Circle. During that time, the sun remains below the horizon for more than 24 hours. Meaning, there is no sunrise, no sunset and no natural daylight for several weeks or even months.
The closer you are to the North Pole, the longer your sunless stretch will last. Some northernmost reaches of Canada have already entered into seasonal darkness.
Alert, Nvt., fell into its polar night on Oct. 14 and will not see the sun until more than four months later on Feb. 27, 2026. Moving south, Resolute, Nvt., also entered polar night on Nov. 5.
As November closes and December begins, the polar night will continue to spread into new communities. Parts of Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon will soon watch their final sunrise of the year.
The last sunset for Tuktoyaktuk, Yukon, occurs Nov. 28. Inuvik, Yukon, will follow closely behind on Dec. 5, with polar night lasting an entire month here.
While only less than one per cent of Canadians experience a full polar night, the rest of the country is feeling the seasonal shift, too.
South of the Arctic Circle, daylight continues to shrink each day as we approach the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, which arrives on Dec. 21.