What is a "Midnight Sun"?

The Midnight Sun is when the sun stays up for so long that it doesn’t go down at all, like having a super-long daytime that never ends.

Imagine you're playing outside on a really bright day, and no matter how much you run around or hide behind trees, the sun just keeps shining. That’s kind of what happens in places near the North Pole during summer. The sun is so high up in the sky that it doesn’t have time to set, it just circles the sky all night long.

Think of the sun like a clock. In most places, the sun goes around the Earth and takes about 12 hours to go from morning to evening. But near the North Pole, during summer, the sun moves so slowly that it doesn’t have time to disappear, it just keeps going all night.

It’s like having a day that lasts for days! Kids in these places might stay up playing until they’re sleepy, and even then, the sun is still shining when they go to bed. Sometimes, the Midnight Sun happens so much that people can read books or take naps while the sun is still up.