Entertainment
Utqiagvik, Alaska, plunges into 65 days of continuous darkness
The northernmost town in the United States has officially entered its annual period of perpetual twilight.
Utqiagvik, Alaska, began its “polar night” this week, marking the start of roughly 65 days without direct sunlight.
In the region, the sun set on November 18 and will remain set till January 22, 2026.
The axial tilt of Earth causes this astronomical phenomenon. In astronomy, this axial tilt is referred to as obliquity is the angle between an object’s rotational axis and its orbital axis, which is the line perpendicular to its orbital plan; equivalently, it is the angle between its equatorial plane and orbital plane.
The axial tilt of Earth is about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane and is primarily responsible for seasons and varies in a cycle of about 40,000 years.
In absence of this tilt, the seasons would be much less extreme, or they would not exist at all.
The Northern Hemisphere leans away from the sun during winters and for communities located far enough north like Utqiagvik, the sun remains below the horizon for an extended period.
Around 5,000 people are residing in the neighbourhood.
Only natural light for the next two months will come from a faint twilight glow near the southern horizon and the spectacular illumination of the Aurora Borealis dancing in the sky above.
The polar night will also be followed by extreme cold, with temperatures often plummeting well below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
This period of darkness is a prominent characteristic of life in the Arctic. But, it is a temporary state.
Around mid-May,the cycle of the seasons will be reversed and Utqiagvik will experience the extreme opposite weather with over 80 days of continuous daylight, known as midnight sun.
For now, the community settles in for the long, dark winter, a testament to life in one of the planet’s most extreme environments.
Dua Lipa sent fans into frenzy with a surprise performance at the BRITs on Saturday, February 28, after she skipped the red carpet.
The 30-year-old pop superstar took the stage to perform her hit song, Dance The Night, during producer Mark Ronson’s set after the ceremony had already began and she was nowhere to be seen.
The Levitating hitmaker honoured the iconic producer behind many hit pop songs ranging from Amy Winehouse to Billie Eilish.
During the ceremony, Ronson was honoured with an accolade for Outstanding Contribution to Music, and Lipa was joined by Lily Allen, and RAYE for a medley tribute of his songs Uptown Funk, Back to Black, as well as Electricity.
Fans, who missed the Fever songstress’ live performances, excitedly shared the videos of her performance on social media, declaring that the “queen of pop is back!”
One X user wrote, “SHE JUST RENEWED HER POP GIRL LICENSE OH MY GOD,” and “BRITs saved the best for last,” another declared.
Many echoed that the “BRITs are not possible without dua lipa.”
Kelly Osbourne walked the BRITs red carpet with her mom Sharon Osbourne on Saturday, February 28, where her late father Ozzy Osbourne will be honoured for his lasting legacy.
The 41-year-old singer and actress appeared at the ceremony in matching black outfits at the Co-Op Live in Manchester.
Kelly donned a strapless dress with a fur coat over her shoulders, while Sharon sported a tuxedo-style frock with a bowtie draped untied from her neck.
The British award show will present the Black Sabbath frontman with a Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously, for his legendary contribution to Rock music.
Kelly and Sharon’s red carpet outing comes after the Prince of Darkness’ daughter addressed harsh comments about her recent drastic weight loss.
Kelly took to social media and shared an Instagram Story, which read, “Literally can’t believe how disgusting some human beings truly are. No one deserves this sort of abuse! This too shall pass, but like, holy f—.”
The social media story in February was not the first time she addressed her weight loss comments. Previously in December, she made a video saying, “I’m just here to say, what do you expect from me? What do you expect me to look like right now? The fact that I’m getting out of bed and facing my life and trying to be more than enough, I should be commended for that.”
Al Jazeera English’s live broadcast was interrupted by an emergency missile alert following Iran’s retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East.
The media outlet shared the video of the incident on TikTok, which quickly went viral, amassing over 12 million views in just a few hours.
The 42-second video clip shows a guest speaking with anchor Folly Bah Thibault when their conversation suddenly gets interrupted by buzzer alarm sounds.
Folly explained that it was the emergency alert residents in Doha receive on their phones during urgent situations.
She added, “The national emergency alert system has gone off here in Qatar,” and quoted the Qatar Defence Ministry, stating that an Iranian missile had been intercepted.
This comes after Iran retaliated against the U.S.-Israel strikes dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the U.S. and Operation Roaring Lion by Israel.
Iran launched barrages of missiles at the U.S. bases across the Middle East, including in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Jordan.
Netizens praised the anchor for keeping her composure in an emergency situation. One user commented, “The interviewer lady is so professional, she’s the best.” Another said, “How is she so calm?”
A third user expressed disbelief, writing, “I cannot believe this is happening. It is terrifying.”
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