SOLVED. planet without nights except every few centuries [s]

[Karina]

This could be a short story. The premise is that this is hapenning on a planet which doesn't have nights. I have the impression that it had 12 suns, but that can't be right. More likely bright moons and nearby planets? Anyway it's not completely right that it's never night--every so often, once in a couple of centuries , when things line up right, it does get dark. And apparently it's always a catastrophe, and brings about destruction of the civilization. The later generation rebuilds from scratch and finds the remains of the preceding civilization. The next alignment is going to happen, and scientists are all excited about it. They don't necessarily believe that there's a connection between the cataclysms before, or believe that this time they might avoid them.

I don't know if I can avoid spoilers, (view spoiler)[when it goes dark,people see the stars in the sky and are driven mad--they thought their planet and the suns/moons/whatever was all there was. They were the center of the world. Realizing how wrong their concept was they turn on scientist--how could you be so wrong. They form mobs, burn stuff, kill scientists... and go back to (hide spoiler)]

[Karina]

(view spoiler)[burn books, all technology, kill scientists and anyone who is considered smart, and civilization goes back to nothing. (hide spoiler)]

That's all. I don't know who wrote this, although I feel it was one of big names in sci fi. Not sure when i read this. Not sure what the length was, athough it could be a short story.

[Martini]

I think I read this, too. It sounds familiar, though I haven't got the slightest idea what it was; I'm sorry, Karina.
I remember it as a short story, and the protagonists were a couple, one or both of them being a scientist.

[Melanti]

Issac Asimov had a short story like that called "Nightfall."

Then Robert Silverberg adapted it into a novel of the same name.
(Sorry, the add book/author feature isn't working for me right now.)

[Diana]

Totally Nightfall. Excellent book, too.

[Carolyn]

Definitely Nightfall - the short story is amazing, but the full-on book is also very good.

[Sue]

I agree-Nightfall. However, I thought the book stretched the story too far.

[Karina]

yes, thank you all!