Sommarøy: The Only Place On Earth Where Time Doesn’t Exist?

There is a place on Earth where time becomes irrelevant – you can drink coffee in the middle of the night, enjoying a gorgeous view under the Midnight Sun. 

In the north of Norway there is a small picturesque island called Sommarøy. This unique place is famous for its beautiful Northern lights (Aurora borealis). From early September to late March, the Northern lights are visible from every spot of the island.

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There is one more unique feature about this small Norwegian island. Here, the sun does not set from 18 May to 26 July, a full 69 days. From November to January, the 305 residents of the island experience “polar night” – the sun does not rise at all due to the location north of the Arctic Circle. Can it really become a first time-free zone?

What Is Midnight Sun?

The midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a phenomenon where the Sun does not set for 24 hours or longer. It occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle.

This natural phenomenon takes place in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer solstice on 21 June. Conversely, in the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs during the winter solstice on 22 December. The term “solstice” refers to the time when the Sun reaches its greatest distance from the celestial equator.

What Causes the Midnight Sun?

This phenomenon can be explained with the help of the axial tilt of the Earth – an angle at which the Earth revolves around the Sun. This tilt is 23 degrees 26 minutes, or approximately, 23.5 degrees. In other words, the Earth’s rotational axis is inclined at an angle of 23.5 degrees relative to a line perpendicular to the ecliptic. The ecliptic refers to the orbital plane, the flat plane along which the Earth travels around the Sun.

The Earth’s axial tilt remains constant as it orbits the Sun. Consequently, during the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere tilts towards the Sun, allowing it to receive continuous sunlight for over 24 hours. Similarly, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun for six months at the winter solstice, and hence, experiences the midnight sun.

The duration of this phenomenon depends on how far an area is from the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. Sommarøy, situated north of the Arctic Circle, experiences continuous sunlight for 69 days each year. In contrast, the North and South Poles can experience the midnight sun for an uninterrupted six months annually.

RELATED: The Comfortable Planet: Why Do We Have Day And Night?

World’s First Time-Free Zone or a PR Stunt?

In June 2019, the residents of Sommarøy symbolically crushed their clocks and watches to declare that time holds no sway over their lives. In summer, when the sun is shining and never sets, it doesn’t matter if it’s 2 am or 2 pm – locals embrace the freedom to go hiking, cycling, fishing, or even enjoy a cup of coffee in the middle of the night.

Citizens wanted to declare a time-free zone where everyone can live their lives to the fullest. without the pressure of a daily schedule. They said they wanted to be allowed to “do what we want, when we want.”

The islanders even presented  a petition to their local MP, Kent Gudmundsen, requesting that the time-free proposal be considered in parliament.

However, it was later revealed to be a carefully planned marketing campaign to attract tourists, an extremely successful one. Some resources criticised it calling it “fake news” – highlighting the ethical concerns surrounding the initiative.

The story was covered in more than 1,650 articles, potentially reaching an audience of up to 1.2 billion people around the globe. The value of this coverage was estimated at an impressive 11.4 million USD, while government-owned Innovation Norway spent less than 60,000 USD on the “Time-Free Zone” campaign. Remarkable, isn’t it?