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Sinead Butler
Nov 12, 2024
Satellite images show Antarctica is turning ‘green’ faster than previously thought
Various
During the winter months, days are shorter in the northern hemisphere and there's no doubt you will have noticed there are fewer daylight hours - but what happens to the world's southernmost continent Antarctica?
While we brace ourselves for shorter days and getting dark early, down in Antarctica they're experiencing the exact opposite, as perfectly demonstrated in a recent viral TikTok video.
TikToker Matty Jordan (@mattykjordan) who regularly posts content about living in Antarctica showed viewers what it looks like at midnight during this time of the year.
In the clip, he showed the time on his phone was 12.06 am as he then walked outside to show his surroundings which rather than being in pitch black of night, it looked like it was the middle of the day.
As explained in Matty's video, this is called a "midnight sun" which is when the sun remains visible at midnight during the summertime and just "circles around the sky".
This means the next sunset will not occur until February next year - now that would take some getting used to...
@mattykjordan This is what Antarctica looks like at midnight during 24 hour sun #antarctica #24hoursun #midnightsun
Since sharing what Antarctica looks like at midnight during the 24-hour sun, Matty's video has gone viral with 6.8m views, as people had differing opinions on whether they would like sunlight at all times.
One person said: "This would drive me insane".
"I honestly think 24/7 sun would depress me more than 24/7 darkness," another person wrote.
Someone else added: "24/7 sunlight would be heaven for me".
"Waking up late not knowing if it's am or pm is diabolical," a fourth person commented.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the Earth is the North Pole and it is also the opposite in terms of the light conditions this time of the year.
It is winter there so it's a polar night, whereby the Sun remains below the horizon so there is complete darkness for three months.
Another TikToker who has shared what it is like to live in this part of the world is Cecilia Blomdahl (@sejsejlija) who posts videos about life living on Svalbard, an island close to the North Pole.
@sejsejlija Daylight update from Svalbard - it’s getting dark! 🙌🏻✨🩵 #svalbard #longyearbyen #polarnight
In recent videos, she's shared how there are dark blue skies at 2pm due to the polar night.
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