Editing Tromsø (section)

===Light and darkness===
[[File:Citycamp Guesthouse Hostel.jpg|thumb|alt=The Northern Lights in Tromsø|Northern lights in Tromsø]]
[[File:Tromssa and mountains in midnight sun.jpg|thumb|alt=Tromsø in midnight sun in July|Tromsø in midnight sun in July]]
The [[midnight sun]] occurs from about 18 May to 26 July, but mountains block the view of it for a few days, meaning that one can see the midnight sun from about 21 May to 21 July. Owing to Tromsø's high latitude, twilight is long, meaning there is no true night between March 27 and September 17.

The sun remains below the horizon during the [[polar night]] from about 26 November to 15 January, but due to the mountains, the sun is not visible from 21 November to 21 January. The return of the sun is an occasion for celebration. However, because of the twilight, there is some daylight for a couple of hours even around midwinter, often with bluish light, allowing for normal day/night cycles during the winter. The nights shorten quickly. By 21 February, the sun is above the horizon from 7:45 am to 4:10 pm and, by 1 April, is above the horizon from 5:50 am to 7:50 pm (daylight saving time). However, if one were to include astronomical twilight as "not night", then Tromsø only has 13 hours and 32 minutes of night on the winter solstice.

The combination of snow cover and sunshine often creates intense light conditions from late February until the snow melts in the lowland (usually late April), and [[sunglasses]] are essential when [[skiing]]. Because of these diametrically different light conditions in winter, Norwegians often divide it into two seasons: ''Mørketid'' (polar night) and ''Seinvinter'' (late winter).

It is possible to observe the [[Aurora (astronomy)|aurora borealis]] (northern lights) from Tromsø, as northern Norway is located in the auroral zone. As it is always light in the summer, no aurora is visible between late April and mid August. Additionally, due to the coastal location, Tromsø is often subject to cloudy conditions, which prevent aurorae being seen, even if they are present.