[Geography] When and where does the sun rise in the north?

[RangerWickett]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but at a certain latitude, doesn't the sun seem to rise in the north, circle the sky by going East, then South, then West, before setting in the north again?

At a certain time near the summer solstice, in some places the sun shines all day long, right? And if you go a little further away from the pole, you might get a day that is actually several days long, right on the solstice, correct? Ditto for a long night on the winter solstice?

I just want to double-check my astronomical and geological know-how for a bit of fun fantasy.

 

[Impeesa]

Yes. I know it's near the poles, and fairly easy to visualize, but unfortunately I do not recall the actual latitude (or the angle of earth's tilt, which would allow one to calculate it). Dunno if that's really important to what you're after, though. You should get the extra-long day at the summer solstice around the north pole, and at the winter solstice around the south pole.

--Impeesa--

 

[AsEver]

Indeed, north of the Arctic Circle (about 66 degrees North) the sun doesn't set between mid-May and early August. And in the winter, it doesn't rise between mid-November and late January.

Here's a site with some info.

Even in Anchorage (61 degrees North), for a month in the summer, the sun rises north of NE and sets well north of NW. The sun pretty much circles the sky as you describe. We officially get 19h 21m of daylight on the summer solstice. It doesn't really get that dark, even with the sun down. You can read a newspaper at midnight.