Why does Antarctica have so much night time?

Picture the Earth and the sun. The sun's rays go straight through space. The first thing the rays of the sun touch is the equator. The last things the rays hit are the north and south pole.

Answer

The above accounts partly for the low temperatures in Antarctica, but it is the earth's tilt that is responsible for the long nights.

During summer, Antarctica actually has a lot of daylight hours as the sun never sets. This is caused by the same reason in reverse that results in the long winter nights. If the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, as happens during winter, the latitude of Antarctica is so low that the sun never rises for a number of weeks. When it is tilted toward the sun, it does not experience a sunset for a time.

First answer by ID1202546828. Last edit by Grevillea. Contributor trust: 986 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 11 [recommend question]