Midnight Sun, Midsommar & Stockholm's Seasons

Stockholm's position at 59°N latitude (the same latitude as southern Alaska, slightly north of Moscow) gives the city one of the most dramatic seasonal cycles of any major capital city in the world: in June, the sun barely sets (the sky remains bright 24 hours a day at midsummer, with an effective 'night' of only about 3 hours of dim twilight); in December, the sun rises at approximately 8:45am and sets at 2:48pm, giving only 6 hours of daylight; Swedish culture and psychology are deeply shaped by this dramatic light cycle.