The Midnight Sun That imaginary line denotes the latitude at which the sun remains above the horizon for a complete 24 hours during the summer solstice (June 20 or 21) and below the horizon for a full 24 hours during the winter solstice (December 20 or 21). (December 21 or 22). The sun rises straight up from the horizon and sets straight down to it at the equator. But at the poles, where the earth is tilted away from the sun, day and night are reversed. At the center of Earth is the North Pole, where there is no north nor south. Here, the sun is always directly over the center of the earth during the summer months and always beneath the surface of the earth during the winter months. The South Pole is where all weather maps show a huge area of low pressure called the Antarctic Polar Vortex. This is because it is so cold that air is trapped under this region causing heavy snowfall and high winds. These are the only two places on Earth where you can find true midnight sun. Elsewhere, the sun will be up one minute and gone the next.