When does Antarctica have its shortest days and longest nights?

Antarctica has 24 hours of sunlight every year on December 21, when it is tilted towards the sun. The longest night, with 24 hours of darkness, in Antarctica happens when this southernmost continent is tilted away from the sun.

Antarctica reached the lowest temperature ever measured in nature on July 21, 1983. The Russian Vostok station recorded the temperature to be -128.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Antarctica receives almost the same amounts of moisture as the world's hottest deserts. Antarctica is also the highest continent and the windiest. The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is a spectacular phenomenon that occurs in Antarctica during the winter months.