In Barrow, Alaska, sun rises for first time in 2 months

Barrow, Alaska just welcomed a long-lost guest: a sunrise.

The last time the northernmost town in the U.S. witnessed that  phenomenon was on Nov. 23 – 68 days earlier.

But the sun showed up over Barrow Wednesday, at 1:28 p.m., and stuck around for 23 whole minutes before dipping below the horizon again. Still -- it was obscured by clouds, reports CBS Anchorage affiliate KDVA-TV.

The town's 4,300 residents were to get an hour and 28 minutes of daylight Thursday.

According to Alaska's website, "The farther you travel toward the North Pole, the longer the days are in summer and the shorter they are in winter. During the summer months, Alaska enjoys extended daylight hours in all parts of the state. In Barrow ... the sun doesn't set for 84 days!"

It has to do with "the Earth's tilt in relation to its orbit around the sun" as the seasons change, the website explains.