The interior of Alaska is pretty dark in winter, but on our shortest days in December and January we essentially get all-day sunrises. In Fairbanks on the winter solstice, the sun rises at 10:59 am and sets at 2:41 pm. It never gets higher than 2° above the horizon. If you look at your hand, arm extended, holding out two fingers sideways place the horizon in line with your bottom finger. The top finger is about how high the sun gets. If there is a hill to your south, you may never see it. If you live a little farther north, you won’t see it.
We may not have the sun, but we do get some gorgeous colors. Since the sun spends so much time hugging the horizon, we basically get sunrises/sunsets that last for hours. Then, in the night, if it’s clear we often get to see the aurora. Coupled with the snow-clad boreal forests, the place seems magical. As tired as I get of the dark, I start to miss this gorgeous color in the summer months.
| Camera | Nikon NIKON D7100 (Current model NIKON D7500) |
|---|---|
| Lens | Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM for Nikon (For Canon cameras) |
| Focal Length | 19.0 mm (28.0 mm in 35mm) |
| Aperture | f/2.8 |
| Exposure Time | 0.00156s (1/640) |
| ISO | 250 |
