Midnight Sun, Winter darkness & Northern Lights. TromsoPhotos!
MIDNIGHT SUN
Actually, the sun already stays above the horizon at midnight from approx. 17th May, and it stays with us until about 26th July.
But this requires an unobstructed view toward the north, something we don’t have in the city of Tromsø.
Therefore, we say that we have the Midnight Sun from 21st May until 21st July.
Meanwhile, places along the outer coast with an open view toward the north have the Midnight Sun longer, while some closed-in places between the mountains don’t have the Midnight Sun at all.
By the way.... clouds can also obstruct the Midnight Sun, so we can’t guarantee that everyone will have a chance to see this diva.
But we can assure you that the days will be light all day long during this period!
Moreover, the time to see the Midnight Sun in Tromsø is around 12:50 AM during the summer.
WINTER DARKNESS 
The sun disappears below the horizon in Tromsø’s city centre on 21 November and disappears under the horizon on 26th November.
It is once again "technically" above the horizon on 15th January and can been seen from more elevated places on about 18th or 19th January.
Meanwhile, the sun is seen in the city centre on 21st January - the date that has traditionally been celebrated as "Sun Day". Many people think that it stays dark for two whole months, but that isn’t the case.
We have a few hours with grey lighting, or twilight, in the middle of the day.
When the weather is good, it gets quite light, with beautiful colours in the south.
The long, dark Polar Night isn’t so bad for the majority of the people, and the community functions as it normally does.
The lighted ski trails and floodlit slalom slopes ensure that we can continue with our outdoor activities,
and the townspeople are at their most social when it’s the darkest!
NORTHERN LIGHTS
The Northern Lights are solar winds that meet the atmosphere in a zone around the magnetic North Pole.
Tromsø is one of the places on earth with the greatest amount of Northern Light activity.
This is the reason why we’re one of the most sought-after tourist goals in the Northern Lights zone.
And that’s why it’s only our natural modesty that prevents us from proclaiming ourselves as the Northern Lights capital of the world.
The Northern Lights activity takes place all year long, and in all types of weather.
However, it must be dark in order for us to be able to see them, and it’s dark here between August and April.
Also, the weather must be clear, something that we of course don’t always have.
Therefore, we can’t give any guarantees about when the Northern Lights can be seen.
They’re visible from the time it gets dark during the afternoon/evening and until around the middle of the night.
Unfortunately, during the dark winter mornings, we’re outside of the Northern Lights zone because of the Earth’s rotation.
How will you be able to see them? You need a little luck, and you must come here during the actual period when they’re active.
Stay outdoors and preferably a little outside of the city centre, so that the lights don’t disturb your view.
If you’re fortunate with the weather, it’s virtually guaranteed that there’ll be Northern Light activity.
Be sure to dress warmly!
And you aren’t allowed to whistle or wave at them with a white handkerchief.
If you do, they’ll come and take you away, according to the highly alive Tromsø superstition!
Photos