I'm in sunny San Diego this week, spending time with dear friends and soaking up the warmth. As I meet new folks here, I've noticed I have the tendency to proudly announce "I'm visiting from Alaska." In response, one of the top questions I've received here in Southern California is this: "Don't you have 24 hours of sunlight up there?"
The answer? Yes and no. Juneau (where I call home) doesn't have the 24 hours of summer daylight like most people reference when bringing up Alaska stereotypes. Juneau is situated in Southeast Alaska, far south of the Arctic Circle. Today on the longest day of the year, Juneau will see 18 hours and 18 minutes of daylight.
Compare this to spots above the Arctic Circle, such as Barrow, Kotzebue, and Fort Yukon, which will receive 24 full hours of daylight today. That's a lot of sunshine! Starting tomorrow, days will become progressively shorter until December 21, the shortest day of the year.
