How did they appear, and how can this phenomenon be explained? Such amazing nights are found not only on the banks of the Neva, but also in many other parts of our planet. For most people, they are associated with something mystical, inexplicable, and now we will discuss all this.

What are the White Nights

Young children ask many questions, and parents and teachers explain to them what certain concepts are. Any explanation is accompanied by the phrase: "Only this way and nothing else!" This forms in people the concept that the sun is shining during the day and therefore it is light, and at night it becomes dark due to the appearance of the moon. This is the correct order of day and night, and we are used to it, but sometimes nature changes its rules. White nights are such a non-standard "trick" of hers.

The white nights of St. Petersburg are twilight, which extends throughout the dark hours of the day. Twilight, from the point of view of astronomy, is usually called the period when the sun is located at the shallowest depth under the horizon.

Why St. Petersburg?

In most cases, white nights are associated with the great St. Petersburg. It should be noted that this is far from the only city in which you can observe such an excellent phenomenon, the creator of which is nature itself. The white nights of St. Petersburg are considered the most beautiful, although a similar phenomenon can be admired in Surgut, Murmansk or Arkhangelsk. However, only one of these cities was destined to become famous.

In order to enjoy this incredible spectacle, people from all over the world come to St. Petersburg. Even the locals are looking forward to this event with tenderness and trepidation. This is not surprising, since the city is famous not only for its special nights. It is impossible to remain indifferent when observing the historical heritage, unsurpassed landscape, architecture and atmosphere. And if you add white nights to all this? That is why St. Petersburg is a city of white nights. Only he was awarded this honorary title.

When do these nights begin and how long are they?

In Russia, this amazing phenomenon can be observed at different periods in different cities.

• St. Petersburg. White nights - the period from approximately late May to early July. More specifically, they usually start on June 11 and last until July 2.
• Arkhangelsk. Here the white nights come a little later, namely on May 13th. And they end at the end of July.
• Petrozavodsk. Here the nights are brighter and longer.
• Vorkuta, Murmansk and Norilsk. Their common feature is polar days and nights.

Why do they arise?

Probably, many are interested in why the nights are white? How does this phenomenon arise? It occurs due to the presence of the sun under the horizon at a shallow depth. This period is called twilight, and they have several gradations.

• Civil twilight. At this time, it is quite light outside, but there are no stars in the sky. They begin immediately after sunset. They last until the luminary drops 6 degrees below the horizon.
• Navigational. When twilight falls, you can admire the bright stars that are perfectly visible in the sky.
• Astronomical twilight. The celestial body must descend 12 degrees below the horizon, and then they will come.

The main reason for the appearance of white nights is latitude. At low latitudes, the above types of twilight change at such a rate that we do not notice it. A completely different situation occurs with high latitudes, where this wonderful natural phenomenon is observed.

The sun's rays illuminate the planet differently due to the tilt of the Earth to the plane of its orbit. During the summer solstice, the northern polar region becomes more illuminated, and at latitudes above 65 degrees, a polar day begins at all. So it is customary to call the period when the heavenly body does not descend beyond the horizon.

Unforgettable moments

Petersburg White Nights are accompanied by a number of cultural events. The scale and uniqueness of some of them is simply unique. Tourists, like the residents of the city themselves, enjoy admiring this spectacular spectacle and take part in entertainment events.

One of the events timed to coincide with the White Nights is the Scarlet Sails All-Russian Alumni Ball. The first stage of the event takes place on land and in the daytime, and the second is held in the water area of ​​the Neva. At night you can watch this grandiose multimedia pyrotechnical show.

Another unique event in the northern capital is the music festival, which bears the name of the time and place of its holding, namely "White Nights of St. Petersburg". It is attended by stars of both domestic and world scale.

The most important event

The most important event that accompanies the white nights is the opening of bridges and the passage of motor ships along the Neva. It should be noted that this is a mesmerizing and very beautiful sight that cannot be missed during a night walk in St. Petersburg.

There is a certain schedule for raising bridges, so you can admire not only the beauty of the white nights.

As you can see, white nights are not only a mesmerizing natural phenomenon, but also a cultural value. Once you see the white nights of St. Petersburg, you can never forget it. The unique beauty of the city and this amazing natural phenomenon were glorified by great classics and painters, including such famous personalities as F.M.Dostoevsky and A.S. Pushkin. They glorified the white nights in their works, which made the city famous throughout the world. Be sure to visit the northern capital during the White Nights and enjoy this spectacle.

A young man of twenty-six years old - a petty official who had lived for eight years in St. Petersburg in the 1840s, in one of the apartment buildings along the Catherine Canal, in a room with cobwebs and smoky walls. After the service, his favorite pastime is walking around the city. He notices passers-by and at home, some of them become his "friends". However, he has almost no acquaintances among people. He is poor and lonely. With sadness, he watches how the residents of St. Petersburg are going to their dacha. He has nowhere to go. Going out of town, he enjoys the northern spring nature, which looks like a "stunted and sickly" girl, who for a moment becomes "wonderfully beautiful."

Returning home at ten in the evening, the hero sees a female figure at the canal grill and hears a sobbing. Sympathy prompts him to make acquaintance, but the girl runs away fearfully. A drunk is trying to stick to her, and only the "knotty stick", which is in the hero's hand, saves a pretty stranger. They talk to each other. The young man admits that before he knew only the "housewives", he never spoke to the "women" and therefore is very timid. This calms down the fellow traveler. She listens attentively to the story about the "romances" that the guide created in dreams, about falling in love with ideal invented images, about the hope of someday meeting in reality a girl worthy of love. But now she is almost at home and wants to say goodbye. The dreamer begs for a new meeting. The girl “needs to be here for herself,” and she is not against the presence of a new acquaintance tomorrow at the same hour in the same place. Her condition is "friendship", "but you can't fall in love." Like the Dreamer, she needs someone to confide in, someone to ask for advice.

In the second meeting, they decide to listen to each other's "stories". The hero starts. It turns out that he is a "type": in the "strange corners of St. Petersburg" there live similar "creatures of the middle genus" - "dreamers" - whose "life is a mixture of something purely fantastic, hotly ideal and at the same time dull prosaic and ordinary ". They are frightened by the society of living people, as they spend long hours among "magic ghosts", in "ecstatic dreams", in imaginary "adventures". “You say you are reading a book,” Nastenka guesses at the source of the subjects and images of the interlocutor: the works of Hoffmann, Merimee, V. Scott, Pushkin. After delightful, "voluptuous" dreams, it hurts to wake up in "loneliness", in your "musty, unnecessary life." The girl regrets her friend, and he himself understands that "such a life is a crime and a sin." After the "fantastic nights", they already "find moments of sobering up, which are terrible." "Dreams survive," the soul wants "real life." Nastenka promises the Dreamer that now they will be together. And here is her confession. She is an orphan. Lives with an old blind grandmother in a small house of her own. Until the age of fifteen she studied with a teacher, and for the last two years she has been sitting, "pinned" with a pin to the dress of her grandmother, who otherwise cannot keep track of her. A year ago they had a tenant, a young man of "pleasant appearance." He gave his young mistress books by V. Scott, Pushkin and other authors. I invited them and their grandmother to the theater. Especially memorable was the opera The Barber of Seville. When he announced that he was leaving, the poor recluse decided on a desperate act: she packed her things in a bundle, came into the room to the tenant, sat down and “cried in three streams”. Fortunately, he understood everything, and most importantly, he managed to fall in love with Nastenka before. But he was poor and without a "decent place", and therefore could not immediately marry. They agreed that exactly one year later, after returning from Moscow, where he hoped to "arrange his own affairs," the young man would wait for his bride on a bench near the canal at ten o'clock in the evening. A year has passed. For three days he has been in St. Petersburg. He is not in the appointed place ... Now the hero is clear about the reason for the girl's tears on the evening of their acquaintance. Trying to help, he volunteers to give her a letter for the groom, which he does the next day.

Due to the rain, the third meeting of the heroes takes place only after the night. Nastenka is afraid that the groom will not come again, and cannot hide her excitement from her friend. She feverishly dreams of the future. The hero is sad because he himself loves the girl. And yet, the Dreamer has enough dedication to comfort and reassure the discouraged Nastenka. Touched, the girl compares the groom to a new friend: "Why is he not you? .. He is worse than you, although I love him more than you." And he continues to dream: “Why are we all not like brothers and brothers? Why does the best person always seem to hide something from the other and keep silent from him? Everyone looks as if he is harsher than he really is ... "Gratefully accepting the Dreamer's sacrifice, Nastenka also takes care of him:" you are recovering "," you will love ... "" God bless you with her ! " In addition, now with the hero forever and her friendship.

And finally the fourth night. The girl finally felt abandoned "inhuman" and "cruel". The dreamer again offers help: go to the offender and make him "respect" Nastenka's feelings. However, pride awakens in her: she no longer loves the deceiver and will try to forget him. The "barbaric" act of the tenant sets off the moral beauty of the friend sitting next to him: "Would you not have done that? would you not have thrown the one who would have come to you into the eyes of the shameless mockery of her weak, stupid heart? " The dreamer no longer has the right to hide the truth that the girl has already guessed: "I love you, Nastenka!" He does not want to "torment" her with his "egoism" in a bitter moment, but what if his love turns out to be necessary? And indeed, the answer is: "I do not love him, because I can only love what is generous, what understands me, what is noble ..." If the Dreamer waits until the old feelings completely subside, the girl's gratitude and love will go to him alone. Young people happily dream of a joint future. At the moment of their parting, the groom suddenly appears. With a cry, trembling, Nastenka breaks free from the hero's hands and rushes to meet him. The seemingly fulfilling hope for happiness, for a real life, is leaving the Dreamer. He silently looks after the lovers.

The next morning, the hero receives a letter from a happy girl asking for forgiveness for the involuntary deception and with gratitude for his love, which “cured” her “killed heart”. She's getting married the other day. But her feelings are contradictory: “Oh God! if I could love you both at the same time! " And yet the Dreamer must remain "forever friend, brother ...". Again he is alone in a suddenly "aged" room. But fifteen years later, he fondly recalls his short love: “May you be blessed for the minute of bliss and happiness that you gave to another, lonely, grateful heart! A whole minute of bliss! But is this not enough even for the whole human life? .. "

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Description To study the phenomenon of white nights; Collect information relevant to the selected topic from various sources; Research, analyze information; Determine the duration of the white nights; Calculate the position of the Sun above the horizon and investigate the length of the white nights in Cherepovets for 2010.

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What are White Nights? White nights are nights during which natural light does not get too low, that is, the entire night consists of only twilight. Near the polar circles (from their outer side), this phenomenon is observed near the solstice (in the northern hemisphere - in June, in the southern - in December).

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Where white nights are observed The definition of white nights depends on the definition of twilight. If we accept the definition of civil twilight, then white nights can be observed at latitudes not lower than 60 °, although they are spoken of in somewhat lower latitudes; however, there is no generally accepted definition. In latitudes above the Arctic Circle, white nights are observed for one to three weeks before the onset of the polar day and after its end. Where there is no polar day, white nights are observed near the solstice, during the more nights, the higher the latitude of the area, and the highest illumination of the night is observed on the night of the solstice.

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White Nights in Russia The most famous Russian city where white nights are observed is St. Petersburg. Other cities (listed from the darkest and shortest to the lightest and longest white nights): Cherepovets, Vologda, Berezniki, Magadan, Nizhnevartovsk, Khanty-Mansiysk, Nefteyugansk, Surgut, Syktyvkar, Petrozavodsk, Yakutsk, Ukhta, Arkhangelsk, Severodvinsk You can also observe in those cities where the polar day is observed: Murmansk, Norilsk, Vorkuta - 2-3 weeks before the onset of the polar day and the same after its end.

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White nights outside the territory of Russia Throughout the countries: Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Antarctica. In most of the territory: Sweden, Norway, Canada. In a smaller part of the territory: Estonia (north), Great Britain (Orkney and Shetland Islands in Scotland, as well as South Orkney Islands in Antarctica), USA (almost all of Alaska, except for the southern regions).

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White nights in St. Petersburg White nights in St. Petersburg officially last from June 11 to July 2; the period of very bright nights lasts from May 25-26 to July 16-17. White nights are a kind of symbol of St. Petersburg: various festivals and folk festivals are timed to this time. The image "White Nights" is widely used in art and literature.

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White nights at the poles At the North and South Poles, white nights are observed continuously for about 15-16 days before sunrise and the same number after sunset. In the North it is approximately from March 3 to 18 and from September 26 to October 11, in the South - from March 23 to April 7 and from September 7 to 21.

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White nights in Cherepovets Table for calculating the position of the Sun above the horizon Cherepovets is the largest city in the Vologda region, the administrative center of the Cherepovets district, one of the few Russian regional cities that surpasses the administrative center of its constituent entity (Vologda) both in terms of population and industrial potential. Population - 310 thousand people. (1.10.2009 year). Cherepovets agglomeration (Cherepovets district and the city of Cherepovets) - 360 thousand people Coordinates: 59 ° 08'00 ″ s. NS. 37 ° 55'00 ″ in. etc.

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Conclusion The table shows the calculation of the position of the Sun above the horizon from June 9 to July 4, 2010. The sun sets below the horizon at 22:00 and rises at 04:00. The sun descends as far as possible below the horizon to -7.77 degrees on June 9 at 00:00 and on July 4 at 01:00, which corresponds to the onset of nautical twilight. The rest of the time corresponds to civil twilight, while the immersion of the Sun under the horizon does not exceed 6-7 degrees. The sun's immersion beyond the horizon even at midnight is not enough that evening and civil twilight turns into morning twilight without night darkness.

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Why is the night white? As we remember from the lessons of geography and astronomy, the Earth's axis is tilted, so the Sun illuminates our planet in different ways - it turns out that in winter the sun's rays practically do not fall on our North, and in summer, on the contrary, the Sun shines almost round the clock. after all, it is with this city that the white nights are associated. This is the merit of our literature - it is thanks to literary traditions that many are ready to consider the White Nights as an attraction exclusively in our northern capital. However, it is not. There are white nights in Kazan, and in Kirov, and in Arkhangelsk, and in Pskov, and in Samara, and in Syktyvkar. The southern border of the zone of white nights runs at a latitude of 49º. From the equator to this parallel, there are never white nights - it is here and only here that the day is always white, and the night is black. At 49º latitude, there is one white night of the year - June 22. North of this latitude, the white nights are getting brighter, longer and brighter.

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Muscovites can also admire the white nights, but in the capital the nights are not as bright as in St. Petersburg. In Syktyvkar, the white nights are even longer and brighter than in St. Petersburg. And in Arkhangelsk the nights are whiter than in Syktyvkar. The closer to the North, the longer the period of white nights lasts: in St. Petersburg during the summer there are 23 white nights, in Petrozavodsk - 52, and in Arkhangelsk - 77 nights. Near the Tiksi Bay, in Yakutia, the Sun does not sink under the horizon from May 12 to August 1. Imagine - more than two months around the clock! The period of white nights - this phenomenon has a positive effect on the inner, mental state. I want to love, sing, create, write poetry, live! But this beautiful astronomical phenomenon has the other side of the coin - the country of white nights in winter turns into a country of black days. Where in the summer the sun hides behind the horizon only for a short time, there it hardly appears in the winter. From childhood, a person learns the idea of ​​the "correct" change of day and night on Earth: at night - dark, during the day - light. However, in fact, the change of light and darkness on our planet is more diverse than children's ideas about it. Our world is complex and mysterious, but at the same time it is insanely beautiful!

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Polar day Polar day is the period when the Sun does not set beyond the horizon for more than 1 day. Duration: the shortest polar day is almost 2 days and is observed at the latitude of the Arctic circle - 66 ° 33 ′ minus the radius of the solar disk (15-16 ′) and atmospheric refraction (at sea level on average 35 '), total about 65 ° 43'. The longest is observed at the poles - more than 6 months. At the North Pole it is approximately from March 18 to September 26, at the South Pole - from September 21 to March 23. Interestingly, thanks to refraction for several days, the sun shines simultaneously at both poles. The polar day is a consequence of the inclination of the plane of the Earth's equator to the plane of the ecliptic, which is approximately 23 ° 26′.In Russia, residents of the following relatively large cities can observe the polar day: Murmansk, Norilsk, Vorkuta.

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Twilight is the part of the day between night and sunrise and between sunset and night, during which the Sun is already (still) below the horizon and invisible, but signs of sunset (dawn) are still (already) visible, due to the scattering of sunlight in the upper atmosphere Earth. The surface of the Earth at this time is illuminated by diffused light and is not fully illuminated. Due to the fact that at this time the light is extraordinary and romantic, twilight has long been popular among photographers and artists who call this period "regime time." Formally, twilight is the period of time before sunrise and after sunset, during which natural light is provided by the upper layers of the atmosphere, which, taking direct sunlight, reflects part of them to the surface of the Earth.

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Distinguish between civil, navigational and astronomical twilight. Scientifically, twilight differs depending on the position of the Sun in relation to the horizon. Three subspecies of twilight have been established: civil twilight (the lightest, at the end or before their beginning the brightest stars are visible), navigational twilight (impossible to read without additional lighting) and astronomical twilight (before or after them - astronomical night: all the stars are visible). For comparison, the angular diameter of the Sun is 0.5 °. Note: If the Sun is 8.5 ° below the horizon, the illumination on Earth is the same as at night with a full moon.

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Civil twilight In civil twilight, the horizon is clearly visible and terrestrial objects are easily distinguishable without the use of artificial light. Civil twilight is the lightest part of twilight, lasting from the moment of the apparent sunset behind the horizon line until the moment the center of the Sun sinks below the horizon line by 6 °. During civil twilight, it is possible to observe the brightest celestial bodies, for example, Venus (Venus can sometimes be seen during the day in the light of the Sun). It is believed that in this part of the twilight in an open place, any work can be performed without artificial lighting. This factor is taken into account in some laws, such as the mandatory inclusion of headlights after sunset, or the consideration of robbery at this time as night robbery, which is punished more severely in some codes. In such cases, more often than the "degree period", a certain period of time is used (usually 30 minutes before sunrise / after sunset). Civil twilight can also be described as the period during which, under good atmospheric conditions, there is enough light to see terrestrial objects clearly; In the morning at the beginning or in the evening at the end of civil twilight, the horizon line is clearly visible and under good atmospheric conditions the brightest stars are clearly visible. If civil twilight continues throughout the night, then such a night is called white. In summer, north of the Arctic Circle, the Sun does not set beyond the horizon at all and a polar day is observed.

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Nautical twilight Nautical twilight is a fairly bright part of the day when the center of the Sun is below the horizon from 6 to 12 degrees. It is believed that during this part of twilight, natural light allows the navigator to navigate coastal objects when the ship is walking near the coast. Navigational twilight continues near the summer solstice. all night at latitudes more than 54 °, that is, including, in Moscow, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Omsk, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and other cities at these latitudes. Abroad, partly in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Great Britain, Canada, USA; completely on the territory of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland. In the Southern Hemisphere - in the southern territories of Argentina and Chile. Nevertheless, such lighting is not enough for normal human life (lighting on the street is closer to night than to evening in the classical sense), so the streets of settlements need artificial lighting. at dusk in the morning, or at the end of it in the evening, under good atmospheric conditions and in the absence of other light sources, the general outlines of terrestrial objects can be discernible, but complex external operations cannot be done, and the horizon is indistinct. The nautical twilight is also used by the military. The abbreviations BMNT - beginning of morning nautical twilight and EENT - end of evening nautical twilight are used and taken into account when planning military operations. Military units can treat BMNT and EENT with more security. This was adopted in part due to the experience of the French and Indian War, when soldiers in both camps used these periods of time to attack.

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Astronomical twilight This is the name of the time when the Sun is 12 to 18 ° below the horizon. Most casual observers note that the entire sky is already completely dark even at the very beginning of astronomical twilight in the evening or late morning, and astronomers can easily observe celestial bodies such as stars, but weakly scattering objects such as nebulae and galaxies can be clearly visible before or after astronomical twilight. However, for an ordinary observer, astronomical twilight is indistinguishable from night. From observations, it is known that the evening dawn stops when the Sun drops below the horizon by 18 °, while the faintest stars are already visible in the sky, and at the beginning of astronomical twilight in the morning the stars will disappear. However, due to "light pollution" in some areas - mainly in large cities - even 4-th magnitude stars will never be visible, practically regardless of twilight. Therefore, the Sun's distance at the beginning or end is 108 °. In the circumpolar latitudes in summer, dawn happens all night, during the time when the declination of the Sun is greater (90 ° - φ) - 18 °, where φ means the latitude of the place. The duration t and that declination of the Sun δ, when twilight is the shortest, are calculated by the formulas : sin t / 2 = sin 9 ° x sec φsin δ = -tg 9 ° x sin φ.

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Duration of Twilight The duration of twilight depends on the latitude of the location and the time of year. Note that in circumpolar regions, civil twilight lasts all night from September to March, and the length of twilight before sunrise and after sunset is highly dependent on the latitude of the location. In the polar regions, twilight (if any) can last for several hours. At the poles, twilight does not occur during the month before and after the winter solstice. At the poles, twilight can last up to two weeks, while at the equator it can last up to twenty minutes. This is due to the fact that in regions of low geographic latitude, the apparent motion of the Sun is perpendicular to the observer's horizon. In addition, the linear velocity of the earth's rotation is greatest at the equator and decreases with increasing latitude. Thus, the given place on the equator will pass all the twilight zones directly and quickly. When approaching the circumpolar regions, the solar disk will be at a smaller angle and sink below the horizon more slowly, and a given point on the Earth will pass through different zones not so directly, for a longer time. In temperate latitudes, twilight has its shortest duration during the equinoxes, lengthening slightly during the winter solstice and much longer in late spring and early summer. Outside the polar circles, in summer, the day is not interrupted for the night and twilight lasts literally for weeks (in polar spring and autumn). On a specific day in early March 2008, the Arctic Circle was at 66 ° 33'42.36. In areas of high latitudes below the Arctic Circle, there are no days without a break for the night, but twilight can last from dusk to dawn. This phenomenon is often referred to as "White Nights". Latitudes, above which at certain times twilight can last all night: astronomical-48 ° 33 ’42”, navigational-54 ° 33 ’42”, civilian-60 ° 33 ’42”. List of major cities where the night can last: civil twilight: Arkhangelsk, Tampere, Umeå, Trondheim, Torshavn, Reykjavik, Nook, Whitehorse and Anchorage; nautical twilight: Petropavlovsk, Moscow, Vitebsk, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, Weicherovo, Flensburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Newcastle upon Tyne, Glasgow, Belfast, Grand Prairie, Juneau, Ushuaia and Puerto Williams; astronomical twilight: Astana, Kiev, Minsk, Warsaw, Kosice, Zvetl, Prague, Berlin, Paris, Luxembourg, Amsterdam, London, Cardiff, Dublin, Bellingham (Washington), Rio Gallegos and Punta Arenas. Although, in Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm, Tallinn and St. Petersburg, in fact, civil twilight does not last all night, even during the solstice. There, during the summer solstice, the sky is noticeably brighter (white nights).

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The movement of the sun along the ecliptic It is believed that a full astronomical night begins only when the sun sinks 18 degrees below the horizon. Before sunrise, twilight replaces each other in the reverse order: astronomical, navigational, civil. In the southern (or rather, in low) latitudes, the Sun descends under the horizon along a steep trajectory during the day and passes all three thresholds of twilight rather quickly. Only an hour and a half pass from sunset to astronomical night, or even less. At high latitudes, the Sun approaches the horizon along a gentle trajectory and sinks slowly under it. Moreover, in summer, even by midnight, it does not have time to overcome the twilight zone and immediately begins to rise. That is, a full-fledged astronomical night does not have time to come. This phenomenon is called the White Nights. 1. At low latitudes, the Sun quickly sinks below the horizon and night falls; in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun is highest (both noon and midnight) on the summer solstice on June 21. On this day, at latitudes north of 66.5 °, the sun does not set at all - a polar day is observed here. At latitudes from 60.5 ° to 66.5 °, civil twilight continues throughout the night. At latitudes from 54.5 ° to 60.5 ° - navigational, and up to 48.5 ° there are days when astronomical twilight lasts all night.

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2. Beyond the Arctic Circle, the sun does not sink below the horizon in summer. 3. At the latitude of St. Petersburg, the sun slowly sinks under the horizon in summer and remains shallow all night - in the twilight zone. So we can say that white nights are typical for most of the territory of Russia. Another thing is where attention is paid to them. St. Petersburg (59.9 ° N) is the northernmost city in the world with a population of over a million people. The combination of special lighting conditions with the architecture of the city creates a unique spectacle, thanks to which the White Nights are always closely associated with St. Petersburg.

When I'm in my room
I write, I read without an icon lamp,
And the sleeping masses are clear
Deserted streets, and light
Admiralty needle,
A.S. Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman"

On a white night the month is red
Floats up in the blue.
The ghostly beautiful wanders
Reflected in the Neva.
Alexander Blok

A phenomenon to which thousands of lines are devoted. They write about him in prose, compose poems, compose songs. White nights have long become a symbol of the northern capital, a symbol of romance and mystery. And although this natural phenomenon is typical for other cities located at high northern latitudes, for example, for Novy Urengoy, Nadym, Severodvinsk, it is St. Petersburg that is associated with light, weightless nights.

Officially, they run from June 11 to July 2. But Petersburgers claim that the range is wider: from about May 25 to July 15. At this time, there is nowhere for an apple to fall in the city, tourists flock from all over the world to capture what it is like reading at night without light or taking pictures after midnight without a flash. Hotel rooms are flying like hot cakes, such excitement affects prices, they jump at times.

Tour operators compete in wit, offering a variety of travel programs for the White Nights. The city authorities organize all kinds of festivals. For about a month, the atmosphere of a round-the-clock holiday reigns in northern Palmyra. The general fun is not shared only by transport workers: metro, buses, trolleybuses work in their usual schedule. And rightly so, sleep for drivers is a sacred thing.

Why are the nights white?

White nights are a purely natural and scientifically explainable phenomenon. It is applicable to all cities that are located above 60 parallel north latitude, in St. Petersburg it is almost 60, to be exact 59, 57. The sun in these places in June-July does not go far beyond the horizon, so darkness does not come. But to say that it is light at night as well as during the day is not entirely correct. The most appropriate definition is twilight. Evening smoothly flows into morning, there are no pitch black colors, only muted gray tones. Such a prolonged sunset or sunrise, whichever you prefer.

Petersburgers claim that during this period it is brightest in the area of ​​Elagin Island and the Gulf of Finland. This seems to have something to do with geographic location.

Excursion routes

During the white nights, travel agencies spout with ideas. Petersburg at this time certainly never sleeps, and how to sleep if it is light enough outside. Crowds of guests explore northern Palmyra on foot, from the windows of one and two-decker sightseeing buses, from the decks of pleasure ships. Iconic sights, streets and bridges appear in unusual lighting, surrounded by a halo of gray haze, they seem mysterious and enigmatic.

Museums are closed around the clock at this time. But there are days when you can get to the same Hermitage on a white night - this is the 20th of May, when the international action "Night at the Museum" is held. But cafes and restaurants are open all the time. So do not deny yourself the opportunity, have a coffee on the outdoor terrace overlooking St. Isaac's Cathedral, and then go for a walk on its roof. During the white nights - walking on the rooftops of St. Petersburg is a common and romantic thing.

During the night bus tour, they will definitely show the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Summer Garden, the Bronze Horseman, and of course they will guess the time, and this is about 1 am, and they will bring you to the Palace, Blagoveshchensky or some other bridge during its opening. But this incredible action is best watched from the water, numerous pleasure boats will help you with tourism. Just choose the marina carefully. Your hotel should be on this side, not the opposite side. Otherwise, while away the time for you until 5-6 in the morning, until the bridges are reunited again.

Festive Petersburg

White nights are always a festive atmosphere. In a month when the sun does not go far beyond the horizon, they organize all kinds of festivals and celebrations:

• City Day - May 27, apparently Peter the Great guessed that the foundation date was timed to coincide with the beginning of the White Nights season. The culmination of this day is the "Classics on Dvortsovaya" festival. In the evening, the leading artists of La Scala, Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden perform in the open air of St. Petersburg;

• Stars of the White Nights is the city's main cultural event. The main stage is the Mariinsky Theater. For a month, the audience is shown non-stop classical art. A symphony orchestra performs on the main stage, a ballet on the Istoricheskaya stage, and the Concert Hall is waiting for opera fans. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Despite the large number of all kinds of performances, they are in great demand, because world stars participate in them. Cultural life does not stop at night. All the same classical concerts, ballet, opera;
• "Scarlet Sails" - the main city graduation, it takes place on the 20th of June and falls on the peak of the white nights;

• "White Nights" - this is one of the stages of the European Cup in badminton, takes place in Gatchina;
• During the White Nights, the Festival of Children and Youth Creativity “Sounds and Colors of the White Nights” is held;
• White Night Swing Jazz Festival;
• At the end of May, all the fountains are turned on in the city.

The deceit of the white nights

For an unprepared person, the feeling of time is lost. It seems that it is still very early, and the clock stubbornly shows the time close to midnight. Therefore, look at your watch more often, or even better, set a reminder like "the subway is closing in half an hour", "it's already late, it's time to go to bed." Although it is very difficult for many to fall asleep in this mode, especially out of habit, only blackout curtains save. Some do not go to bed on purpose, so as not to oversleep such wonderful, romantic, white nights.

And a nice bonus - a video of the White Nights in St. Petersburg

Nikolay Zhurkin

F.M. Dostoevsky wrote the novel "White Nights" in the last months of autumn 1847, soon, already in 1848, the work was published by the journal Otechestvennye zapiski.

Earlier, the writer was already interested in the topic of "Petersburg dreamers", on this topic in 1847 he wrote several articles-feuilletons, which were included in the large feuilleton "Petersburg Chronicle". But Dostoevsky published these articles almost anonymously, signing feuilletons with the letters "F.M." Later, critics found that part of the material from the feuilleton was included in the story "White Nights" - a description of the life of the heroes, their characteristics.

The story is dedicated to A.N. Pleshcheev, a friend of Dostoevsky's youth, and some critics argue that Pleshcheev became the prototype for the protagonist. Some, however, object that the image of the protagonist is the image of the youngest Dostoevsky, and it is no coincidence that the author narrates from the first person, hinting at his autobiography.

Analysis of the work

Genre features, composition, content of the story

The writer accompanies the story with two subtitles: "A Sentimental Novel" and "From the Memoirs of a Dreamer." Both subtitles indicate that the story belongs to a particular genre and literary movement. The first - directly, the second - indirectly, because diary entries, memoirs, retrospectives are becoming a common method of presentation in sentimental literature. The writer calls the story a novel, also proceeding from sentimental views. For the same reasons, the protagonist of the story has no name, the author simply calls him "The Dreamer."

However, the genre “White Nights” is certainly not sentimentalism in its purest form, but rather “sentimental naturalism”, because both the place and the characters are quite real, moreover, deeply social and belong to the category of “little people” praised by Dostoevsky. But in the story "White Nights" there are traces of utopianism, because the heroes turned out to be too pure, too sterile, honest in their feelings.

The epigraph to the story was I. Turgenev's poem "Flower", whose lyrical hero picks a flower, peacefully growing in the shade of trees, and pins it to his buttonhole. Turgenev argues: beautiful flowers do not grow for momentary pleasures (read - people live), but a person takes them with an imperious hand, picks them off and condemns them to a quick death (read - seduces, first loves and extols, then leaves). Dostoevsky somewhat alters Turgenev's statement, making a question out of it: « …Or was it created in order to stay at least for a moment, in the neighborhood of your heart? " That is, Dostoevsky comes to the conclusion that sometimes touching love, walking along the edge of unfulfilled happiness is the whole life, one can devote oneself to this only memory, as the Dreamer does.

Compositionally, the story consists of 5 chapters, 4 chapters are devoted to nights in St. Petersburg, the last one is called "Morning". The construction is symbolic: romantic nights are the stages of the successive love of the protagonist with the main character, the stages of his development, and in the end he, morally perfect, stands on the threshold of his morning - his epiphany. He found love, but unrequited, therefore, in the morning of his epiphany, he surrenders his love to another, gets rid of dreams and, experiencing a real feeling, does a real act.

Morning simultaneously dispels empty hopes and breaks off a series of wonderful meetings, it becomes the beginning and end of the hero's drama.

The plot of the story

The plot of the story: the young man, on whose behalf the story is being told, arrived in St. Petersburg 8 years ago. He works, and in his free time he looks at cityscapes and dreams. Once he saves a girl on the embankment, who is being pursued by a drunk. The girl tells the Dreamer that she is waiting on the embankment for her lover, who was going to come for her exactly a year ago, making an appointment for these days. For several days the girl waits for him, but he does not come, and despair begins to seize her. The dreamer communicates with Nastenka, takes upon himself the transfer of the letter to her beloved, and he himself falls in love with the girl. Nastenka also falls in love, and they are even going to get married, when suddenly the former lover appears again and takes Nastenka away. A cold, dank St. Petersburg morning comes, the Dreamer feels sobering and devastation.

main characters

The protagonist of the story is the Dreamer - the author's favorite image of a lonely person, completely isolated from the outside world and living in a vicious circle of his dreams.

The Dreamer is a 26-year-old resident of St. Petersburg. He is educated, but poor, has certain prospects, but has no worldly desires. He serves somewhere, but does not converge with colleagues and other people around - for example, women. He is not interested in either the everyday side of life, or money, or girls, he is constantly immersed in ghostly romantic dreams and, during periods of contact with the world around him, he experiences a painful feeling of alienation to this world. He compares himself to a dirty kitten, not needed by anyone in the world and experiencing reciprocal resentment and enmity. However, he would not be irresponsible if they needed him - after all, people are not disgusting to him, he would be ready to help someone, capable of empathy.

The dreamer is a typical “little person” (social status, inability to act, immobility, imperceptibility of existence) and “superfluous person” (he feels himself as such, despising only himself for his uselessness).

The main character, a 17-year-old girl Nastenka, is opposed to the Dreamer as an active, acting character. Despite the external fragility and naivety and young age, she is stronger than the Dreamer in her search for happiness. The writer uses many words with diminutive-affectionate suffixes - "eyes", "pens", "sweetheart", emphasizing the childishness and spontaneity of the image, its playfulness, restlessness, like a child's. By his habits, a child is a real woman in his heart: he skillfully uses the help of an adult man, but at the same time, clearly recognizing his sensitive and indecisive nature, stubbornly does not notice his feelings. At a critical moment, however, when it becomes clear that her beloved has abandoned her, she quickly finds her bearings and finally notices these very feelings. At the moment of the appearance of a potential husband, he again looks at the feelings of the Dreamer as friendly participation. However, should the girl be blamed for her fickleness? In the end, she truly waited for her main happiness for a whole year, and there is no insincerity in the fact that she almost went over to the Dreamer - the life of a lonely fragile girl in big and hostile Petersburg is not easy and dangerous, she needs support and support.

Nastenka writes a letter to the Dreamer in which she thanks him for participating in her story. Having received the letter, the Dreamer does not feel sad - he sincerely wishes the girl happiness and, repeating the idea of ​​the epigraph, says that a whole minute of bliss with Nastenka is enough for a whole human life.

Dostoevsky's contemporaries saw in the story French utopian ideas, which they were all fascinated with. The main thesis of the utopians of the 1840s was the desire for silent feat, sacrifice, and renunciation of love in favor of other people. Dostoevsky was deeply devoted to these ideas, which is why the type of love he describes is so ideal.