One US state will not see the sun until 2026

It's normal for many of us to experience chilly winds, shorter days and some serious lack of sunlight as we descend into the winter months.

And, while it feels like a marathon simply waking up when the sky is still dark, or leaving the office only to realise the sun has already set, we Brits have it a whole lot luckier than one US state, which will not see the sun until 2026.

Yep, unluckily for this very northern state, the sun set for the very last time in 2025 on Tuesday (18 November), so these residents will need to stock up on vitamin D, sunlight lamps and strap in for a very dark few months ahead.

So, unless you're a vampire, you probably wouldn't want to spend the SAD-triggering months in what is called a prolonged 'Polar Night'.

Utqiagvik in Alaska is the northernmost settlement in the United States (John Moore / Staff / Getty Images)

The US state in question is none other than Alaska, with local residents in a town named Utqiagvik, formerly known as Barrow, unlikely to see sunlight again until way after the jubilations of the New Year - 22 January.

But why is this?

Well, it's all down to the Earth's axis tilt.

Our Blue Planet is tilted 23.5 degrees on its axis, which will either lean countries in the Northern Hemisphere towards or away from the sun, depending on the time of year.

Utqiagvik is within 23.5 degrees of the North Pole, which means that during the winter months, it is always leaning away from the sun.

Utqiagvik residents won't see the sun again until late January next year (Getty Stock Images)

This also means that the exact opposite happens in the summer months with residents of the town, which has a population of less than 5,000 people, enjoying a full 24 hours of golden rays.

After catching light (no pun intended) of the news, people rushed to social media to share their reactions, with one X user writing: "I can barely survive the one-hour time changes!"

A second aptly suggested: "There needs to be an Arctic vampire movie."

"So if you said 'see you in the morning' to someone yesterday, it wouldn't be for 2 months," joked a third, while a fourth chimed in: "It would definitely mess with your circadian rhythm!"

Another penned: "Great, even the sun is taking a longer vacation than me!"

And a final X user, who took a different turn, confessed: "Honestly, this is going on my bucket list. I want to ride out an entire winter in darkness for a couple months. Seems rad."